What Can CBD Do?

Various medical studies have found CBD to be a potentially effective treatment for a huge range of ailments including, but not limited to, sleep disorders, acne, cancer, epilepsy, neurodegenerative diseases and drug addiction. Like most medicines, CBD has a different effect on everyone who uses it, so the best way to find out what works is simply to try it. 

Help You Sleep 

Though research on the way cannabis impacts sleep is still relatively new, many recent studies have signaled CBD’s effectiveness in treating a number of sleep disorders. Beyond acting as a potential treatment for insomnia, CBD also shows promise in its ability to help users develop consistent sleep patterns. One such example can be seen in a 2017 medical paper which heralded its potential in combating REM sleep behavior disorder and the excessive daytime drowsiness which it causes.  

On top of this, CBD shouldn’t cause the same residual daytime tiredness as sleep enhancers such as THC; while THC is effective at putting you to sleep, it can interfere with your body’s circadian rhythm (its 24-hour internal clock, controlled by the hypothalamus) in a way that makes it less pronounced, resulting in a tiredness the next day that will be familiar to many people who smoke marijuana.  

CBD, on the other hand, is believed to encourage the development of healthier sleep patterns, which in turn offers the best long-term route to beating sleeplessness. 

Consuming CBD has many potential benefits, and companies of all kinds are finding increasingly creative ways to pass these benefits onto consumers; you can ingest it, inhale it, take it sublingually or apply it topically. And one of the latest products to emerge in this market is the CBD mattress. 

Combat Disease 

At the research stage, trials have shown it to limit the onset of some types of cancerous cells, alleviate the symptoms of other cancers, and make certain conventional cancer treatments more effective when used alongside them. 

A 2018 study highlighted CBD’s ability to help patients with schizophrenia, while a 2017 journal confirmed its therapeutic potential for treating the symptoms of epilepsy. Last year, medical journal Frontiers in Pharmacology also cited its potential use in treating children with autism, having found it to reduce incidences of hyperactivity, self-harm and rage attacks. 

Treat Pain 

CBD also shows hope in treating a number of less severe day-to-day conditions, and some of the most promising research so far has demonstrated its efficacy in treating pain.  

One of the main ways it does this is by preserving anandamide - a molecule produced by neurons in our body. Anandamide helps to regulate our pain and inflammation levels - earning its nickname “the bliss molecule” - but breaks down quickly. Deficiencies can cause anxiety, depression and even chronic pain, but CBD binds to the proteins that cause anandamide to degrade, maintaining its presence in our body for longer. 

In addition to preserving anandamide, CBD regulates endorphins - additional chemicals our body produces to combat pain and stress. Narcotics and opioid painkillers act as endorphins but reduce our body’s ability to produce them itself, hence the tendency of users to become dependent. CBD, on the other hand, helps to increase the body’s internal production of endorphins, providing a similar (though less potent) type of pain relief to high-strength pharmaceuticals without most of the drawbacks. 

Alleviate Depression and Anxiety 

CBD is also the subject of a growing number of studies which recognize it to be an anxiolytic agent (i.e. a substance which reduces anxiety). Others are exploring its effectiveness in reducing stress and minimizing the symptoms of depression. 

More research is required, but early findings have been enough to prompt a range of CBD products aimed at alleviating the symptoms of various mental health disorders.