We all have times when we’re affected by stress; some more often than others. Stress can have a variety of causes: work, relationships, travel, illness… the list goes on. But sometimes, stress hits seemingly without any real reason. Especially after a year of “the new normal”, we’re all feeling the burden a bit more than usual. And where there is a burden, there is often stress.
But what does stress actually look like? We’ve narrowed down the most common symptoms, and how you can tackle each one.
Bad sleep
One of the first signs that you might be stressed is a decrease in your sleep quality. This can be especially draining, because stress levels increase even more as you get more tired, in a vicious cycle.
A good night’s sleep is not only crucial for our overall health and wellbeing (as it allows your brain and body to recharge), but can also help you tackle daily stresses more easily, without feeling agitated.
Once our sleep patterns are regularly disrupted, our minds already start going into overdrive before we fall asleep. Thoughts like “I know for sure that I’ll wake up a couple of times during the night”, or “if I don’t fall asleep fast enough, I won’t get enough sleep” run rampant and keep us awake for even longer.
As our lifestyles shift towards healthier habits, prescription drugs for a better sleep don’t seem to fit our needs anymore. Instead, people are turning to natural alternatives that have been proven to help improve sleep, like lavender. CBD is another alternative: by taking CBD a couple of hours before bedtime, you can help your body to balance (a process called homeostasis), which will help you to establish a healthier sleep cycle.
Change of appetite
Another common symptom of stress is a change of appetite and eating habits. People with increased stress levels often report that they feel less hungry, and that even the smell of feed makes them feel nauseous. On the other hand, others report that stress makes them overeat, and often this involves sugary or fatty foods.
It’s yet to be conclusively proven that CBD can have an influence on our appetite. However, this study has shown that, since CBD can influence serotonin levels, it may curb appetite.
Generally speaking, CBD may not be able to increase or decrease appetite directly, but as a strong regulator, CBD interacts with the hormones that do so.
Hair loss
In extreme cases of consistently elevated stress levels, people can experience hair loss. This is particularly prevalent in younger women.
This report states that, in some cases, the immune system can attack the hair follicles when the stress level is constantly raised. In other cases, “significant stress pushes large numbers of hair follicles into a resting phase”. After a couple of months, this results in hair loss when hair grows out.
Feelings of agitation
When we feel stressed throughout the day, we are more likely to feel agitated and especially worn out in the evening.
Usually agitation results not only from stress, but also from an imbalance in the body. Whenever our bodies and minds are out of balance, it manifests as stress, and we feel more vulnerable to the slightest inconveniences that happen.
Can CBD help?
As already mentioned, CBD can help to establish healthy sleep routines, as well as help to achieve overall body balance. Of course, as with any lifestyle change, routine is the key to seeing results, so don’t expect to see immediate changes once you start using CBD. Nevertheless, CBD can be a great addition to morning routine for a more relaxed start to the day.