New Year, New You: 3 Ways CBD can help make 2023 your best year yet
As one year comes to a close and a new one begins, we can take time to look back at all our achievements, mourn our losses, celebrate our successes and make plans for the future. And in doing all of this, we can find ways to support ourselves so that the year ahead can blossom into the greatest yet.
While CBD oil isn’t a miracle elixir that will right all wrongs with the world, it is a supplement unlike any other that has the potential (when used right!) to provide you with a holistic sort of support that can positively impact many areas of life.
If you’ve been thinking about making taking a daily dose part of your New Years' Resolution, great choice! There’s a bounty of ways CBD can help make 2023 your best year yet…
1. Boost Productivity: Can CBD increase productivity?
As CBD is derived from cannabis (hemp), and cannabis has been unfairly given a bad reputation when it comes to getting things done (we’ve all heard those ‘lazy stoner’ stereotypes!), boosting productivity might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of CBD oil. But, perhaps now it will be! Many people find that taking regular doses of CBD helps them stay focused and productive both for work and play.
Numerous studies1 have been performed to investigate the role of CBD (and THC) on brain activity and connectivity. During specially set tasks, CBD was found to enhance activity in various areas of the brain, leading to better outcomes, while other studies have demonstrated enhanced brain connectivity at 10mg and 600mg doses. Further to this, a study on mice from from 20172 found that an injection of Anandamide (a neurotransmitter that is naturally enhanced when you take CBD), resulted in the animals making choices more quickly and being motivated to choose the best solution.
Although CBD is widely celebrated as a natural sleep aid, the fact that the CBD molecule acts on many different pathways in the body, including the Endocannabinoids system which affects all bodily processes, means that it can also be a ‘wake-promoting agent’.
Studies have shown a 15mg dose of CBD can ‘increase wakefulness’3, which right off the bat could be all you need to get the most out of your day - whether you’re in the office, working out, meeting friends or getting chores done!
2. Experience bliss, every day, with CBD
Of course, life isn’t all about getting things done! It’s equally important to embrace the enjoyment of just being here, in down time work time and every time in between.
The last few years have been hard on most of us, so the idea of getting a little more bliss into your life as a standard probably sounds pretty good right about now! And this is definitely something CBD can support you with.
Did you know that one of the two endocannabinoids CBD supports the synthesis and release of is actually named after the Sanskrit word for ‘Bliss’?4 This neurotransmitter, called Anandamide, plays a vital role in many, many different functions, and it also creates blissful feelings! When you take CBD oil, it inhibits the enzyme that ordinarily breaks down Anandamide, meaning you’re left with naturally higher levels of this bliss molecule making its way around your body. This acts like a gatekeeper for stress in the brain, keeping the cascade of the fight or flight response under wraps unless absolutely necessary. It also plays a vital role in ovulation, pain, appetite regulation, pleasure and reward.
3. Super-charge your sex life with CBD lube
Let’s put more focus on pleasure for 2023! Sex and sexual wellness are way too important to be ushered back into the shadows.
Endocannabinoid levels play an intrinsic role in sexual arousal and, as you’ll now know, taking CBD oil every day helps keep these levels up!
Studies have shown that cannabis (which CBD is derived from) appears to light up the arousal part of the brain, particularly in women – more so when THC is involved, as in full spectrum products and whole plant cannabis flower or oil. In fact, results from 216 questionnaires completed by people with experience using cannabis with sex found5:
- 38.7% said sex was better with cannabis
- 58.9% said cannabis increased their desire for sex
- 73.8% reported increased sexual satisfaction
- 74.3% reported an increased sensitivity to touch
- 65.7% reported an increased intensity of orgasms
- 69.8% said they could relax more during sex
- 50.5% said they were better able to focus
Of course, these results are from using full spectrum cannabis with THC, which unfortunately is still only available in the UK on prescription. But simply applying a CBD lube topically has also been shown to increase blood flow6. When CBD lube is applied directly to your clitoris, labia, vulva or penis, its benefits are delivered primarily to local nerves, muscles, and glands, resulting in near-instant pleasure enhancement
These 3 ways CBD can help make 2023 your best year yet are just the tip of the iceberg. Getting restorative sleep each night has got to be up there with things that can improve your year no end, too, as is taking your own health and well-being into your own hands. It will take more than just CBD to manifest your best year ever, but it sure can help!
Citations
1. Batalla, A., Bos, J., Postma, A. and Bossong, M.G. (2021). The Impact of Cannabidiol on Human Brain Function: A Systematic Review. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 11. doi:10.3389/fphar.2020.618184. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33551817/)
2. Zona, L.C., Fry, B.R., LaLonde, J.A. and Cromwell, H.C. (2017). Effects of anandamide administration on components of reward processing during free choice. Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior, 158, pp.14–21. doi:10.1016/j.pbb.2017.05.008. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28529018/)
3. Zona, L.C., Fry, B.R., LaLonde, J.A. and Cromwell, H.C. (2017). Effects of anandamide administration on components of reward processing during free choice. Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior, 158, pp.14–21. doi:10.1016/j.pbb.2017.05.008. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15118485/)
4. Scherma, M., Masia, P., Satta, V., Fratta, W., Fadda, P. and Tanda, G. (2019). Brain activity of anandamide: a rewarding bliss? Acta Pharmacologica Sinica, [online] 40(3), pp.309–323. doi:10.1038/s41401-018-0075 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6460372/)
5. Wiebe, E. and Just, A. (2019). How Cannabis Alters Sexual Experience: A Survey of Men and Women. The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 16(11), pp.1758–1762. doi:10.1016/j.jsxm.2019.07.023.(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31447385/)
6. Pacher, P., Bátkai, S. and Kunos, G. (2005). Cardiovascular Pharmacology of Cannabinoids. Handbook of experimental pharmacology, [online] (168), pp.599–625. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2228270/
