Modern Wellness: Meditation Made Better With CBD Oil

I know meditation is a great way to reduce anxiety and stress levels, but have trouble quieting my mind. I'm sure many caregivers can relate, as you are always making to-do lists in your mind. I have found that CBD can help ease those racing thoughts, making meditation easier to practice. This guest article offers a good overview.


This article originally appeared on Sunday Scaries


Meditation has long been used as a way to release stress, clear the mind, and achieve a higher level of spiritual awareness. In today’s stressful, fast-paced world, meditation is becoming more popular than ever with the common person. Recently, it has been discovered that CBD can be beneficial for the practice of meditation. In addition to reducing physical and neurological pain, CBD has a relaxing effect on the mind that can help one cultivate the sense of qualitative awareness necessary for proper meditation. In this article, we will cover the science of meditation and how hemp oil can make meditation more effective.

Meditation: A Primer

Meditation is the name given to the practice of using a technique, such as mindfulness or focusing on a particular object or sensation, to develop attention and awareness, and create a clear and emotionally calm state of mind.

In recent years, meditation and related mental practices have been found to be extremely effective at managing symptoms of depression, stress, and anxiety. By cultivating a qualitative state of awareness, it is possible to “rewire” your brain to circumvent the positive feedback loops that sustain pathological thoughts, attitudes, and habits. Like reprogramming a computer, meditation allows one to change how the brain processes stimuli and information to contribute to an overall increase in psychological well-being.

However, some people find it difficult to get in the right mindset that makes meditation the most effective. Effective meditation requires the onset of a specific state of mind, one that many people find difficult to naturally adopt.

Benefits of Meditation

Research has shown that meditation has a lot of physical and psychological benefits, including:

  • Improvement in emotional well-being
  • Less stress and anxiety
  • Better sleep
  • Increased self-awareness
  • Improved focus and attention
  • Increase feelings of inner peace and “belonging”
  • Potential to reduce some kinds of neuropathic and psychosomatic pain

 

These effects are not immediate, but with sustained practice. Meditation can have an overall increase in physical and mental well-being.

How Can CBD Help With Meditation?

Reduce Anxiety

It seems that the number one difficulty preventing people from reaping the benefits of meditation is that they find it hard to control their anxiety. An overly-anxious mental state can prevent effective meditation practices. Even if someone does not suffer from an anxiety disorder, they can have difficulty clearing their mind after a difficult and stressful day. CBD oil has been shown to have anxiolytic properties, meaning that is can lessen symptoms of anxiety. CBD oil can do this by acting on the neuroreceptors that are responsible for producing serotonin, one of the brains “feel-good” chemicals. Even better, CBD, unlike its close cousin THC, is shown to have no psychoactive effects when ingested, which means it will not cause the mental fog and possible paranoia that is associated with being “stoned” off THC compounds.

It Helps Pain and Soreness

Perhaps the most scientifically and clinically validated effect of CBD oil is pain-management properties. CBD and other related cannabinoid compounds have been shown to be moderately effective at managing nociceptive and neuropathic pain. CBD manages pain by decreasing inflammatory responses by the human immune system and by blocking the conduction of pain signals along the peripheral and central nervous system. This means that CBD can both reduce pain and prevent further pain by modulating the body’s inflammatory response.

If you have sore muscles or joint pain, it can be almost impossible to get yourself in the right mindset for meditation. CBD has been shown to be effective and reducing and managing pain from current and past injuries, as well as reducing inflammation in injured areas. Take some CBD about an hour before you meditate and you will notice a big change.

Increases Awareness

Unlike THC, CBD does not produce the psychoactive effects associated with the cannabis plant. In fact, many users report that CBD helps increase cognitive awareness and keeps them alert. Many users claim that CBD is much more effective than caffeine at increasing awareness as CBD is not physiologically addictive and has a much less pronounced “come-down” period. By increasing your levels of serotonin, dopamine, and noradrenaline, CBD can help you maintain awareness and focus, two capacities necessary for successful meditation. However, a large dose of CBD can have the opposite effect and make you more sleepy. Before meditating, administer only a drop or two to get the best effect.

Activates the Parasympathetic Nervous System

An indirect effect of CBD is that, by reducing pain and mental anxiety, it stimulates the activity of the parasympathetic nervous system, sometimes called the “rest and digest” system. The parasympathetic nervous system conserves energy by slowing the heart rate and breathing while increasing the rate of digestion and gland activity. Activating the parasympathetic nervous system contributes to an overall feeling of relaxation and works to control breathing, an important facet of meditative practices.

Best Kinds of CBD Products for Meditation

In general, the best CBD dosage for meditation is a small dose. Too little and you won’t get the beneficial effects, too much and it could make you too tired to meditate effectively.

The basic go-to option is to use a CBD based tincture. CBD tinctures come in a wide range of different concentrations and are normally administered via an eyedropper, so it is easy to give yourself controlled doses. CBD candies and other edible exist, though these typically take longer to ingest and have a more potent effect. Your best bet for an effective meditation session is to stick with the CBD tinctures unless you have built up a tolerance and are used to CBD edibles.

CBD Can Make Your Meditation More Effective

Take it from personal experience; CBD can increase the benefits of meditation and make it easier to get in the meditative mindset. Even though CBD is not a miracle drug and will not cure any underlying issues. It can make them much easier to manage and can be effective in stimulating and sustaining the positive change that meditation brings.