CBD and me.

CBD and me.

CBD and me was something I never thought I’d write about. I’ll admit it, I was sceptical to say the least when CBD oil first appeared with it’s claims of easing anxiety, improving sports recovery time, lowering inflammation and more. However, the past year has switched on all my anxiety buttons, added to which I’m a woman of a certain age and the menopause is now knocking on my door. Cue, night sweats, bad dreams, even more anxiety and I was searching online for something to ease my symptoms and up popped CBD oil.

Please note that I am not a medical professional, and I am not advocating the usage of CBD oil. You need to do your own research on whether it is for you, contraindicates with any current medications etc.

After an awful lot of reading, understanding the pros and the cons, I decided to take the plunge and buy my first bottle. Again much research into which were reliable brands and I fell on Nutrivive, which is an organically grown CBD oil. The first evening came and I’d spent the whole day dreaming of a proper, uninterrupted, anxiety free, nights sleep for the first time in over 12 months. Ever since having COVID in March 2019 I’ve had the most terrible brain fog so I had high hopes it would also help this.

I bought myself the low dosage oil and felt a little concerned that maybe I wouldn’t have had enough to make any difference. The alarm clock woke me up! This was the first time I’d been woken up by my alarm clock in such a long time. I’d also had a dreamless night, no sudden awakening with my recurring nightmares. It was such a relief, but I still wasn’t convinced, was this just a coincidence?

The whole week felt like some sort of science experiment! Was my head really clearer, did I ache less after exercising, did I feel less anxious, or was all this just coincidental? The answer is I really don’t know. I wonder if there is a slight placebo effect, that you expect for those things to be better and therefore they are, or whether I do really have a clearer, calmer head. 

I put a lot of effort into spring cleaning my habits around this time. I was diagnosed with shingles as I commenced using CBD oil and funnily enough my GP suggested that it might possibly help with the pain. My sleeping patterns readjusted and my anxiety faded into just background music, not an entire orchestra. Taking control of my eating habits and reverting to a wholefood diet (the Nourish recipe bank was invaluable!) certainly helped me feel more settled and happy. I’ve also become better at making time to just be. As someone with an ‘always on’ personality that’s not been easy, but I’ve learnt some valuable lessons over this time.

There is a connection for me with feeling better and using CBD oil, however, I can’t say for sure whether it was the product, or whether it was a growing awareness that I needed to look after myself better at the same time. Finally I will say that I’m now only using CBD very sparingly, I feel it’s just in the background as a tool if I need it.

If you are interested in finding out more I’d advise doing your research first, there are contraindications around certain medications and conditions. There have been, for instance, some indicators that it can be used in complement to other therapies in the treatment of cancers. Take a look at the Macmillan Cancer website for further information.

I’d also urge you to take a look at your own habits, and do some lifestyle adjustments around what might be holding you back from feeling well or causing your anxiety first. We’ve all had a tough time over the past year or so, you may find that you need a little reminder to take time to take care of yourself before you make any changes.