CBD Coffee for Anxiety
CBD is popular for treating various illnesses like chronic pain, insomnia, and boosting the immune system. Some people use CBD for anxiety. CBD coffee, a form of CBD product, is a popular way for people to take CBD to help with their anxiety and energy levels. We’ll dive deep into the effects of CBD Coffee for anxiety.
CBD Coffee for Anxiety
CBD or cannabidiol, because of its wide range of effects from different ailments, has growing interest as a treatment for a number of neuropsychiatric disorders and one of them is anxiety.
To be upfront, studies show that CBD is effective in reducing anxiety behaviors that’s related to multiple disorders such as PTSD, GAD, PD, OCD, and SAD with a clear lack of anxiogenic effects.
However, studies also recommend further research since the current research only involved acute CBD dosing in healthy subjects. Therefore, its effects may be different if subjects have other medical conditions.
If you’re a healthy individual who suffers from anxiety attacks or even mild ones, then drinking CBD infused coffee should help calm anxiety attacks or even prevent them from happening at all.
That said, you should consult with your doctor first to know if it would be okay for you to drink CBD infused coffee if you have some underlying medical conditions or prescription medicines. CBD could affect those in a negative way so talking to your doctor first is a necessity if you want to be safe.
Defining Anxiety
Anxiety is a general emotion when you are dealing with your daily stresses and problems. When you experience this emotion consistently, excessively, and irrationally to the point where it affects your ability to function, it becomes a disorder.
Anxiety disorder can be of different types which includes:
- Phobias
- Panic and stress disorders
- Obsessive compulsive disorder
Do not confuse normal anxiety for a disorder. Fear and anxiety are normal adaptive responses which are necessary for dealing with threats to your survival. It’s only when it is excessive that you may want to consider taking CBD coffee for it.
Doctors will determine the best course for you. If you have symptoms of excessive fear and anxiety from either:
- Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
- Panic disorder (PD)
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Social anxiety disorder (SAD)
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
Then you are more likely to be prescribed with medications first before considering CBD as an option. Do note that PTSD and OCD are no longer classified as anxiety disorders under the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 (DSM-5). However, we still include them due to the fact that anxiety is a central symptom for both disorders.
Why You Should Be Concerned With Anxiety
Anxiety disorders if left untreated can affect a person’s life. People with anxiety disorders have a diminish sense of well-being, higher rates of unemployment, relationship breakdowns, and higher suicide risk. They have a lifetime prevalence in the USA of 29% which is the highest of any mental disorder.
Hence, it’s important for people suffering from anxiety to get treatment so they can live normal lives. Sometimes, not every person with anxiety doesn't like or can’t afford maintenance medication for their anxiety. Hence, they turn to alternative medicine and one option of that is CBD.
Let’s take a look at what research has to say about CBD and anxiety.
What Studies Show
A table from a study that combined all the studies regarding the anxiolytic effects of CBD. CBD was shown to significantly reduce experimentally induced anxiety or fear.
|
Study |
CBD Dose |
Measure |
Effect |
|
Oral 15, 30, 60 mg, alone or with THC, acute at 55, 95, 155, and 185 mins. |
Anxiety and pulse rate after THC and at baseline |
Decrease in THC-induced subjective anxiety and pulse rate. No effect at baseline |
|
|
Oral 1 mg/kg alone or with THC, acute, 80 mins. |
STAI score after THC |
Decrease in THC-induced increases in STAI scores |
|
|
Oral 300 mg, acute, 80 mins |
VAMS, STAI and BP following SPST |
Decrease in STAI scores Decrease in VAMS scores Decrease in BP |
|
|
Oral 600 mg , acute, 1, 2, 3 h |
Baseline anxiety and pulse rate |
No effect |
|
|
Oral 400 mg, acute, 60 and 75 min |
VAMS before SPECT SPECT |
Decrease in VAMS scores |
|
|
Oral 600 mg, acute, 1 , 2, 3 h |
STAI scores VAMS scores |
Decrease in STAI scores Decrease in VAMS scores |
|
|
Oral 600 mg, acute, 1, 2, 3 h |
VAMS, SSPS-N, cognitive impairment, SCR, HR after SPST |
Decrease in VAMS, SSPS-N and cognitive impairment, no effect on SCR or HR |
|
|
Inhaled, 32 mg, acute, immediately following, before, after extinction |
SCR and shock expectancy following extinction |
CBD after extinction training produced trend level reduction in SCR and decreased shock expectancy |
|
|
Inhaled, 16 mg, acute |
Baseline VAS anxiety |
No significant effect of CBD. |
Terminology used in the table:
- THC = tetrahydrocannabinol
- STAI = Spielberger’s state trait anxiety inventory
- VAMS = visual analog mood scale
- BP = blood pressure
- SPST = simulated public speaking test
- SCR = skin conductance response
- SPECT = single-photon emission computed tomography
- SSPS-N = negative self-evaluation subscale
- HR = heart rate
- VAS = visual analog scale
Based on the results on the table, most studies have shown that CBD has helped improve the symptoms of anxiety. The scores of anxiety test models decreased while people were taking CBD orally. Do note that the majority of the studies administered CBD orally so drinking CBD coffee is the same too.
However, CBD isn’t still approved by the FDA. If you want to drink CBD coffee to help with your anxiety, consult with your doctor on what your best course of action is. CBD isn’t new to them and some may have been keeping up with its current research. You can start with trying out CBD coffee samples to see if it's something you might want to add in your diet.
Conclusion
CBD has had positive effects in different studies and research when it comes to treating anxiety. A few more specific research and we may find a medical CBD for anxiety in the coming years. For now, it’s best to just drink CBD coffee daily to help reduce your anxiety symptoms.