Stress can do a lot of damage to you and your body, and because of that, it’s only natural to go looking for a way to eliminate that stress.
Depending on the cause of your stress and your specific health needs, the solution could be anything from exercise to meditation to using natural botanicals to combat your everyday stress. And the great thing about natural botanicals is that you can use them at the same time as the other techniques.
If you do, you’ll likely find various answers such as chamomile, valerian root, CBD, ashwagandha, and much more. While all of the above have their place in the wellness community and are often found as included ingredients in various other products, what we want to focus on is ashwagandha (pronounced aash-wuh-gaan-duh) and CBD.
Of course, while you may have heard of one or two of the above-mentioned botanicals, a lot of internet sleuthing will likely leave you with more questions than answers, such as:
- What is ashwagandha?
- What are the benefits of ashwagandha?
- What could be negatively impacting your stress levels?
- Does CBD reduce stress?
- What CBD products can you use to reduce stress?
- Can you use a combination of ashwagandha and CBD for stress?
What Is Ashwagandha?
Ashwagandha is an adaptogen or natural herb which is considered a helpful substance for your body by allowing it to adapt to stress and help maintain homeostasis.
Although the term is gradually becoming more commonplace, many probably don’t know that ashwagandha is actually a shrub native to parts of the Middle East, India, and Africa. Or that its roots have been used to reduce anxiety and stress while giving you a much needed energy boost. Depending on the needs, other parts of the plant such as its seeds, fruit, and leaves have been used for a range of medicinal purposes.
Ashwagandha has a long history in India for various wellness uses. Now available in many places in the forms of powders, liquids, capsules, and gummies, ashwagandha is gradually finding its place in common western society.
With so many lifestyles, careers, and relationships changing within just the last few years, it’s no wonder that a lot of people are stressed right now. And with all that stress comes an influx of anti-stress products to the consumer market – including a surge in botanical products containing ashwagandha.
When you experience stress, cortisol production within your body increases. And when your cortisol levels increase, so do your heart rate and breathing rate. Then when the stress is gone, your cortisol levels go back to their normal level. Or rather, they should.
Unfortunately, when stress becomes consistent, so do your higher cortisol levels.
Alas, cortisol is an important hormone in your body, one which has long been essential for survival. In fact, cortisol is actually the hormone that your body produces during the fight-or-flight response, in preparation for upcoming challenges, and helps kickstart your immune activity.
Which means it would be just as detrimental to have no cortisol production just as it is to have an overabundance. That being said, when it comes to the issue of constant stress, there are a few things you can add to your daily routine to lower your cortisol levels and calm your mind and body.
Ashwagandha Benefits
Ashwagandha is a great contender for a botanical solution to your daily stress issues. As we mentioned above, ashwagandha has been used for so many issues. So what are all the supposed ashwagandha benefits?
- Reducing stress and tension
- Maintaining healthy blood sugar levels
- Increasing concentration and memory
- Supporting your heart health
- Supporting your immune system
Like we said, there are a lot of purported benefits. And while the evidence points towards ashwagandha becoming beneficial for various medical concerns, it’s important to note that thus far, the majority of testing has been done using animal or cell models. That being said, the results so far have been promising in helping people manage everyday stress and maintain good sleep.
Although this research has potential, many more studies need to be conducted with humans before determining ashwagandha’s full benefits. However, based on preliminary studies, it’s recommended that you can take anywhere from 250 mg to 1,000 mg of ashwagandha a day to reduce your stress levels.
But no matter how much ashwagandha you decide to add to your daily routine, you should always make sure to talk with your doctor before starting any supplement regimen, especially if you already have health concerns.
Always Remember That Quality Matters
No matter what supplements you’re looking at adding to your daily routine, you should always take a few minutes to look into the source of the ingredients. So just like our other products, when it comes to buying CBD gummies, or in this case ashwagandha gummies, there are a few things in particular that you should look for:
- Are their product reviews positive and consistent?
- Are the gummies infused or coated in a powder?
- Can you find the answers you’re looking for on their website?
- Is their customer service friendly and helpful?
Whether you plan to buy online or in store, you can learn a lot about a company and its products by taking a look at their website. You’ll know you’ve found a trustworthy company when their website is transparent about their manufacturing and distribution process, up front about their ingredients, and displays easily accessible third-party testing results.
Of course, you should also be sure to take a quick peek at those lab results so you can be confident in what you’re putting in your body. Like all of our other CBD products, our ashwagandha calming gummies are independently tested by a third party ISO certified lab. This is because we want to make sure you have all the information you need in order to be confident in what you’re putting in your body.
The Most Common Stress Factors
You might have guessed by now that your cortisol levels play one of the largest roles in the creation of stress within your body. A high level of stress means higher cortisol levels, which in turn can lead to lasting and even constant issues if not dealt with properly.
But cortisol doesn’t work alone. In fact, it’s part of a system called the HPA axis (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis) which includes various parts of your central nervous system and endocrine system. And when the HPA axis system is functioning properly, various glands in your brain monitor your cortisol levels and send messages to your adrenal system to lower your cortisol levels when the stressor is gone.
However, as we’ve mentioned before, the system doesn’t always work perfectly – especially if you suffer from continuous stress. As a result of a constant abundance of cortisol, you may experience a number of health issues such as:
- Anxiety
- Diabetes
- Weight gain
- Inconsistent sleep
- Fatigue
- Headaches
- Irritability
- Muscle weakness
- Cognitive issues
Basically, the list goes on and on. And in order to start getting a handle on your cortisol levels, it’s important to understand what in your life or environment is causing such high stress levels.
So what exactly can raise and lower your cortisol levels?
The Quality of Your Sleep
Have we mentioned how important a healthy, consistent sleep cycle is when it comes to decreasing your stress levels? A lot of important things happen within your mind and body when you sleep, one of those being the regulation of your stress hormone, a.k.a. cortisol. Not only does poor sleep increase your cortisol levels, but a higher level of cortisol stimulates your body and negatively impacts your sleep. It’s a vicious cycle.
Remember that HPA axis we mentioned earlier? Cortisol and the HPA axis play such an important role in our sleep cycles that scientists have begun to intently study the connection between sleep and cortisol.
Your Current Mental State
There’s a reason anxiety, stress, and depression go hand in hand. But did you know that depression also negatively impacts your cortisol levels? For those who don’t suffer from depression, a normal cortisol cycle usually peaks in the morning, typically around 9 AM, to get you awake and ready for the day, then tapers off as the day goes on.
What scientists have discovered is that when someone suffers from depression, their cortisol levels spike in the early morning but don’t decrease later in the day. In fact, their cortisol levels actually rise a number of times throughout the day.
Not only is being in a constant state of awareness exhausting but experiencing a constant surge of cortisol can actually make you resistant to cortisol in the long run, including both its negative and positive impacts on your mind and body.
But enough talk about stress inducers – it’s time to get to the stress reduction part.
Does CBD Reduce Stress?
You bet it does!
In fact, reducing everyday stress and promoting a sense of calm and relaxation are two of the best benefits of CBD – followed closely by the ability to improve and help stabilize your sleep cycle. So much so that it’s listed as a benefit on almost every single product we make. But two product lines especially – CBD oil tinctures and our range of brand new gummies – were developed with these qualities in mind.
By interacting with your endocannabinoid system (ECS), CBD can help your mind and body maintain homeostasis. Which means that when you take CBD for stress, especially common everyday stress, CBD helps to level out your mood and regulate your sleep cycle by promoting a sense of calm and relaxation.
There are a couple of different ways you can use CBD for stress, but our top two picks are CBD gummies or CBD oil tinctures, both of which have their own advantages. While using CBD gummies for stress will definitely taste better, you may not see the benefits for another hour or two. So while they won’t be the best answer for a sudden onset of stress, they’re great if you plan ahead for that afternoon presentation or meeting.
CBD oil for stress, on the other hand, typically goes into effect within 30 minutes to an hour, at least if you hold it under your tongue for at least 30 seconds before swallowing. That makes it the perfect thing to keep in your bag or pocket just in case something pops up. The downside, of course, is that it doesn’t quite taste as good as those yummy gummies.
Whatever you end up choosing (even a combination of both), we recommend taking a consistent serving for at least 30 days so that you can see the benefits of a constant stream of CBD before you decide to change your serving size, concentration, or frequency of use. Typically we find that when consistent, one or two servings of CBD a day should be more than enough.
CBD Gummies for Stress
While we already produce general wellness CBD gummies, there’s something to be said for specialty wellness gummies – especially if that benefit can help maximize your stress reduction.
Debuting soon are our specialty CBD gummies which include our calming gummies, sleep aid gummies, apple cider vinegar gummies, and immune boost gummies. But when it comes to using CBD gummies for stress reduction, the focus should be placed entirely on our new calming and sleep aid gummies, both of which contain ashwagandha.
cbdMD’s calming CBD gummies have been specially designed so that ashwagandha stands out as the key active ingredient, with 300 mg of it in every serving. We’ve also included a blend of natural botanicals such as lemon balm, chamomile, and valerian root extract to boost the relaxation properties of our gummies.
While making sure ashwagandha remains the star of the show, our calming gummies contain 12.5 mg of CBD in every gummy, or 30 mg in a two-gummy serving. And like most of our other CBD gummies, we recommend taking them twice a day or as needed for at least 30 days.
Our sleep aid gummies, on the other hand, contain just 100 mg of ashwagandha in a single serving. Like our calming gummies, our sleep aid gummies contain the same natural botanicals as well as the same amount of CBD in every serving. What sets them apart, however, is the melatonin we blend into the formula to help you fall asleep faster and maintain a more regular sleep cycle.
Both specialty CBD gummies come in a delicious raspberry flavor, are sweetened with organic cane sugar, and are vegan and gluten-free. When combined with our Superior Broad Spectrum CBD formula, either variety would make a great addition to your stress-relieving and self-care routine!
Our original, sour, and vitamin C CBD gummies, on the other hand, can also help you mitigate your general everyday stress by focusing more on the stress-relieving benefits that CBD can bring you, as they don’t contain ashwagandha. That being said, it’s important to note that the stronger concentrations of our original CBD gummies do contain more CBD than our new specialty gummies.
CBD Oil for Stress
Just like CBD gummies, you can use CBD oil for stress with one major benefit: because it’s in tincture format, the CBD doesn’t have to go through your digestive system before reaching your bloodstream. Which means it actually goes into effect helping to balance your natural homeostasis within 30 minutes of placing the dropper under your tongue.
While our standard broad spectrum and full spectrum CBD formulas don’t contain any ashwagandha, they provide a stronger concentration of CBD in every serving, which means a bigger boost in terms of the entourage effect.
In layman’s terms, the entourage effect is the ability of the various cannabinoids contained in a CBD formula to interact with and magnify each other’s benefits. Essentially, what that means is that when you use a CBD product that contains more than one cannabinoid, the effects, and benefits of those cannabinoids will be stronger.
So whether you decide to try out our new full spectrum CBD tinctures, stick with the tried and true broad spectrum formula, or need that extra little something to help you get to sleep at night, you won’t be disappointed.
How You Can Use Ashwagandha and CBD for Stress
Like we mentioned above, our new calming CBD gummies and CBD sleep aid gummies, both of which include ashwagandha, would make a great addition to any wellness routine. And because we’re upfront about what we put into them, you can be confident that you know exactly what you’re buying.
By combining the amazing benefits of ashwagandha and CBD for stress, we’re making sure that our calming CBD gummies will get the job done so that nasty everyday stress doesn’t rule your life!
Still not convinced? For more information on how you can use ashwagandha and CBD for stress, or more specifically the powerful benefits you’ll see when you use our new line of CBD gummies for stress, keep an eye on our frequently updated blog. Interested in staying up to date on the latest CBD news and cbdMD’s upcoming special offers? Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, or chat with someone live today!