Whether you can believe it or not, the holiday season is almost upon us. Every year, the holidays seem to slowly creep up and then, in what seems like an instant, they’re here. With this season often comes a break in our normal routine, traveling across the country, seeing family we haven’t seen in a while, finding the perfect gift for our loved ones, and planning feasts for large groups of hungry family members. In addition to the travel and the planning that this time of year brings, there’s normally also lots of food and drinking to help cultivate that holiday cheer.

Although the holiday season is a time for fun and celebration, all of the factors we listed above can also cause it to come packed with stress, anxiety, hangovers, and indigestion. In order to enjoy the upcoming months to the max, we recommend starting to take CBD now to prepare your body for the merry trials that you’ll have to face in the coming season.

CBD for Anxiety and Stress during the Holidays

As we mentioned in a previous article of ours, Why Try CBD this Winter, the holidays can be fun, but the break in your routine and all the extra pulls on your time can lead to stress and anxiety. CBD products are thought to help because of how they interact with our body’s endocannabinoid system, a biochemical communication highway that plays a critical role in our mood, physiology, and day to day experience and well being.

In a number of studies, CBD has been shown to reduce anxiety and stress in both humans and animals. One study by the University of São Paulo found that CBD’s effects on activity in the limbic and paralimbic brain areas reduce subjective anxiety. CBD can also boost signaling through serotonin receptors, which helps reduce holiday stress and anxiety, as well as improve your mood.

To give your body a fighting chance against holiday stress, it’s a good idea to start consuming CBD sooner rather than later so it can build up in your system. You’ll be amazed how calm and collected you stay when the Christmas Eve plans start going awry!

CBD and Holiday Travel

The fear of flying keeps many would be travelers firmly on the ground. However, during the holidays flying is often a necessary evil to reunite and celebrate with loved ones. Flying anxiety can lead to nausea, sweaty palms, difficulty breathing, and intense feelings of fear. If you have a fear of flying, it’s likely that your body lacks serotonin or that its levels are out of balance.

CBD may alleviate many of the symptoms of anxiety associated with the fear of flying, making it much easier for you to finally enjoy a plane ride and make it to your holiday destination. It may provide relief to your fear of flying because it acts on your brain's receptors to better control your response to fear. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that significantly affects a person's mental health and plays a role in your fight or flight responses.

Worried about bringing your CBD on a plane with you? The TSA says that as long as your CBD product contains less than 0.3% THC on a dry weight basis, you are fine to travel with it on airplanes. However, they also point out that the final decision as to whether something is admissible or not rests with the individual TSA officer.

CBD and Digestive Problems

One of the best parts of holiday celebrations is all the delicious food. But shoveling in mountains of delicious Christmas cookies and turkey smothered in gravy might lead to some digestive problems later that night or the next day.

Although the exact root causes are not completely understood, conditions like diarrhea and constipation are often the result of inflammation in the gut, large intestine, and other organs throughout the digestive tract. CBD is thought to possibly help certain digestive issues because of its widely reported ability to alleviate inflammation.

Put simply, inflammation is caused by your immune system and CB2 receptors (one of the key receptors found in the endocannabinoid system) are found throughout your immune system. When those receptors are activated they actually help by reducing an overactive immune response. Sometimes our bodies react too strongly or its response causes us discomfort. When it comes to our digestive systems, an overactive inflammatory response can cause abdominal pain, diarrhea, and Crohn’s disease. By activating the CB2 receptors, CBD may help these digestive conditions. 

According to numerous pharmacological studies, there are thought to be high levels of endocannabinoids (specifically, anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol), CB1 receptors, and enzymes related to the endocannabinoid system throughout the digestive tract. Studies have also shown that CB1 receptors produce the relaxation of the sphincter at the bottom of the esophagus, the inhibition of gastric motility (the movement of food through the digestive tract), and the secretion of acid.

At Urban Roots, our CBDigest capsules combine the anti-inflammatory and mediating effects of CBD with essential oils, ginger, and other ingredients designed to aid digestion.

CBD for Hangovers

From eggnog to wine to cocktails, holiday feasts are often accompanied by large amounts of alcohol. Afterall, the holidays are a time for cheer and being merry! But the hangover that inevitably follows is not very pleasant.

“Hangover” is essentially a catchall or umbrella term that describes the combination of all the symptoms typically associated with decreasing amounts of alcohol in the blood after drinking. Other than time, sleep, and maybe water, there is no way to “cure” a hangover overall. The best we can hope to do is treat the various symptoms.

This is why CBD shows so much potential with easing the ill effects of a fun night out. Because there is ample evidence that it may have the ability to treat essentially all the painful symptoms of hangovers. These include:

• Headache relief
• Nausea relief
• Anxiety relief
• Antioxidant properties
• Liver damage

Although there have been limited studies related directly to alcohol, there have been ample studies which have looked into the effect CBD can have on most of the symptoms related to alcohol. People who try CBD for hangovers have reported that the best time to take CBD for hangovers is a double dose (usually 50-75mg) once they start drinking or before their evening ends.

Where to Start with CBD Products?

The fact of the matter is that the amount of time it takes for an individual to notice the benefits of CBD will vary from person to person. If you want to give it a try to help alleviate any health condition, holiday related or otherwise, it’s a good idea to begin experimenting now. How quickly you feel CBD depends on a variety of factors. Here’s where we suggest starting:

• Determine what type of CBD product works best for you. Everybody’s body is different, and that means that different people respond differently to certain modes of consumption. CBD products can be ingested orally, inhaled, or applied to the skin in the form of creams or lotions.
• Find the right dosage. Many CBD products will come with a recommended dosage, but it really depends on your own particular body. For that reason, it is necessary to experiment; start with a low dose and slowly increase it over time until you find your “sweet spot.”
• Give it time. Like we mentioned, for most people feeling the positive effects of CBD requires time. Think of consuming CBD like a commitment—users typically report that they need to ingest it for several weeks or even several months before they see a difference with whatever health issue they are trying to improve.

If you have any questions about our CBD products and how they may benefit you during this holiday season, then contact the Urban Roots Hemp Co. team today!