CBD and Meditation

Joking aside, it’s best to start in small increments of time, even 5 or 10 minutes, and grow from there.

“Sit consistently for 20 minutes a day and do this for 100 days straight,” recommends Pedram Shojai, author of “The Urban Monk” and founder of Well.org. “Couple that with an additional 2 to 5 minutes of meditation throughout the day to break up the chaos, and you will soon be feeling the benefits.”

There are many ways to meditate; dynamic meditation is practised through movement such as walking, martial arts, yoga, even running; static meditation practised sitting or laying still, mantra meditation, visualisation meditation are but a few..
Practically, try to aim to meditate each day for 1 week, taking each day at a time, at the end of the 7 days it will be evident you have made time in your schedule.  Repeat the practise for another 7 days, the benefits you experience daily will start to improve your wellbeing.  Keep going with another 7 days, you are on path to making meditation a positive habit in your life.

WHY MEDITATION IS BENEFICIAL

There’s plenty of evidence supporting the numerous benefits of meditation.

Meditation can offer general health and mental/emotional benefits, including:

• lower blood pressure
• reduced stress
• better sleep
• improved emotional regulation
• increased focus
• enhanced mood
• reduced aggression
• greater adaptability
• healthier aging process
• a greater sense of empathy and connection with others

A 2017 review noted that non-transcendental meditation may be a “promising alternative approach” for lowering systolic and diastolic blood pressure, while a 2019 review found that mindfulness-based interventions reduced levels of the stress hormone cortisol in employees participating in workplace mindfulness programs.

It’s also been shown to encourage prosocial emotions and behaviours, enhance focus and mood, and reduce aggression while also encouraging positive coping strategies in times of stress.

A 2018 review suggests that meditation may contribute to healthy aging.

Meditation may also help with symptoms of specific conditions, including:

• depression and anxiety disorders
• cardiovascular disease, such as arterial hypertension
• dementia and Alzheimer’s disease
• Parkinson’s disease
• insomnia
• attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• chronic pain

When it comes to depression, a 2019 review noted that mindfulness-based meditation has positive effects that may last up to 6 months or more. The same review notes that the lack of negative effects of mindfulness-based interventions makes them a promising supplemental therapy for depression and anxiety disorders.

A 2018 review found that meditation resulted in reductions in cognitive decline and perceived stress as well as increased quality of life, connectivity, and blood flow to the brain.

WHY ARE CBD AND MEDITATION A GREAT COMBO?

Let’s take a look at the body’s own naturally produced endocannabinoid, Anandamide. Named after the Sanskrit word for ‘bliss’, Anandamide is a fatty acid neurotransmitter and plays a vital role in meditation. 

ANANDAMIDE

This neurotransmitter is released by the body as needed, which can be in times of exertion, pain, during intense exercise or intense focus like meditation. It then makes its way to the brain where it attaches itself to cannabinoid receptors to induce a sense of tranquillity. 

Scientists believe that higher levels of Anandamide equate to increased happiness and reduced cortisol, as well as a fight or flight response that’s kept properly in check. This endocannabinoid is an essential part of the endocannabinoid system (ECS) which works constantly to bring a state of balance to the mind and body.

When you enjoy a meditation session, it’s quite normal to find yourself in a state where you have become so engrossed in the practice that time flies by. Your focus is entirely on the task at hand, you allow your mind to release any busy thought, you are still and content. Eventually parts of your frontal brain temporarily switch off, leaving you without a sense of self, will and self-criticism. This mindset has been dubbed ‘a state of flow’ by Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, who explained during his 2004 TED talk that becoming totally absorbed in a creative task is the ‘secret to happiness’. 

Existence outside that activity becomes temporarily suspended and for a short while, anything feels possible. When you are in a state of flow, your body naturally begins to produces higher levels of Anandamide for a whoosh of bliss – just one of the reasons why meditation is so good for you!

But not all of us produce healthy levels of this endocannabinoid. In fact, cannabis expert Dr Ethan Russo coined the term ‘endocannabinoid deficiency’ which he believes can occur as a result of things like chronic stress, lack of quality sleep and poor diet. Meditation is one of things we can employ to naturally boost endocannabinoid levels – and so is CBD.

If you take a dose of your CBD half an hour or so before starting your meditation, you will give your body a head start on Anandamide production. The CBD molecule supports the release of Anandamide and inhibits the enzyme which breaks it down, meaning it lasts longer and builds up faster than it would without the help of Cannabidiol.

THE MEDITATION COCKTAIL

Anandamide isn’t the only pleasure and performance enhancing neurotransmitter released during meditation – serotonin and dopamine come out too! All of these are responsible for blocking pain, feelings of happiness and satisfaction. 

Incredibly, CBD also directly activates these receptors, meaning a dose of CBD works in synergy with your body’s natural response to meditation. 

Sources –
Cbd to Enhance Meditation
https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/types-of-meditation

Which Type of Meditation Is Right for Me?
https://www.kloriscbd.com/blogs/cbd-information/cbd-to-enhance-meditationJokn