Managing Depression How CBD Can Help Manage Depression

Depression is a common medical illness that has a negative effect on your feelings, thoughts, and actions. Symptoms include: 

• Feelings of sadness 

• Loss of interest in favorite activities 

• Decline in one’s ability to function at home, at work, etc.

• Changes in appetite

• Weight loss or gain unrelated to diet

• Sleep issues - either too much or not enough

• Loss energy

• Feelings of worthlessness

 To be diagnosed with depression, you must have symptoms lasting at least two weeks.

Although no one is immune, several risk factors can increase the chances of it:

• Differences or deficiencies in certain brain chemicals such as serotonin

• Inflammation and other structural brain changes due to trauma or chronic stress

• Passed down from family members

• General pessimism, low self-esteem, or easily overpowered by stress

• Continual exposure to poverty, abuse, neglect, or violence

At first glance, depression and anxiety appear similar, typically because they occur together a lot. Anxiety is often a symptom of severe depression, yet it may also trigger depression.

If you’re plagued by anxiety, you may feel nervous or fear in situations in which most people wouldn’t. You may experience constant worry or anxiousness for no definite reason, or you may suffer panic or anxiety attacks without a clear trigger.

With depression, you generally may feel sad, discouraged, hopeless, unmotivated, angry, overwhelmed by daily life, low energy, and more.

Though a serious disorder, depression is treatable. There are several ways to overcome it, but combining two or more of them is the most effective course of action:

• Medication 

• Counseling 

• Lifestyle changes

• Exercise

• Support system

It’s a common belief that depression is caused mostly by a chemical imbalance in the brain. But the idea that it’s caused by structural changes in the brain, such as inflammation, due to chronic stress or some sort of trauma has gained a lot more traction in recent years.

The truth is that the causes of and factors leading to depression are complex, which is why a single solution is less effective than a combination of several.

Depression can cause an area of the brain called the hippocampus to degenerate and even shrink. However, this area - responsible for emotion, learning, and memory - can also regenerate.

Some antidepressant medications actually help stimulate this regeneration, though it can take weeks to happen. 

But what about CBD?

Research shows promise in both animals and humans, as evidence indicates that CBD helps to protect the hippocampus and prevent it from shrinking. In studies on rodents, CBD appears to help the hippocampus regenerate itself, perhaps because it helps increase the brain’s natural levels of endocannabinoids (those made naturally in animals or humans). 

Though research in humans continues, evidence is building that CBD can help ease depression in part by reducing anxiety. It’s also been found that inhibiting a person’s endocannabinoid system can result in adverse effects such as increasing the risk of depression and suicide.

However, as promising as all of this is, it underscores how important a multi-faceted approach to depression is in overcoming it.

It’s not enough to help your brain regrow itself in certain areas and create new connections in its circuitry. This rewiring of your brain must be done so that your brain grows in a new, healthier, more positive way. If not, then the harmful mental patterns and thoughts from before will return stronger than ever.

That’s why counseling or implementing sources of inspiration and positivity (e.g., from self-help books or courses) should accompany any treatment with medication and/or supplemental aid with CBD.

Depression is complex. And so is rewiring a depressed brain. It needs time, patience, and multi-faceted approach to overcome and thrive as a person managing depression.

CBD is not intended to be a substitute for any antidepressants prescribed by a doctor. It’s intended to be part of a holistic approach to managing or even overcoming depression, and our Updrops tinctures, which come in three amazing flavors, make a tasty addition to any regimen.