When it comes to the benefits of CBD, the two advantages that are most often mentioned are “calm” and “relaxation.” But that’s not even close to all that CBD can do. With the first finals of the year fast approaching, many students are wondering if they can use CBD for focus and concentration. Not just as a way of helping them study, but to keep them calm under the intense pressure of exams as well.
So let’s cut to the chase. It’s true: CBD can actually help you maintain your concentration and focus.
But how?
How CBD Works Within Your Body
Some of the most important benefits of CBD oil involve promoting a sense of calm and relaxation as well as improving your mood. Keeping these two things in mind, it wouldn’t be a far stretch to say that you can also use CBD for focus and concentration. All of which have to do with your innate endocannabinoid system, one that all vertebrates – including mammals, reptiles, and birds – have.
But what is this oh-so-important system that can help regulate your mood, stress levels, and ability to focus?
The Endocannabinoid System
In the simplest terms, the endocannabinoid system, or ECS, consists primarily of neurotransmitters and two types of cannabinoid receptors: CB1 receptors which are most often found within your central nervous system, and CB2 receptors consisting of nerve fibers located in your peripheral nervous system. These form a complex network that runs throughout your entire body in order to maintain your overall health and wellness.
Using a complex system of neuron signaling and transmission, your endocannabinoid system connects and encompasses several parts of your body, including your brain, nerves, skin, bone, biological structures, and so much more. In doing so, your ECS plays a part in various psychological and biological functions such as your mood, stress levels, and sleep patterns.
Your body naturally produces endocannabinoids, known as endogenous cannabinoids, which in turn attach to and activate your CB1 and CB2 receptors. On the other hand, phytocannabinoids are those that are naturally synthesized from plants like the Cannabis sativa. Cannabidiol (CBD), cannabigerol (CBG), cannabinol (CBN), and other cannabinoids derived from sources other than your body all fall under the category of phytocannabinoids.
So why does this matter when it comes to the question of using CBD for focus and concentration?
Because your endocannabinoid system is responsible for maintaining homeostasis within your body, when you are stressed, anxious, and unable to focus, your body responds in kind. Have you ever gotten home after having a bad or stressful day at work only to find that you didn’t have the energy to do the things you enjoy doing in your time off? A lot of that physical response is linked to your mood throughout the day thanks to your endocannabinoid system.
All of this to say that when your mind or body is out of whack, a.k.a. lacking in homeostasis, this imbalance can easily impact other aspects of your life, such as your ability to focus or concentrate on a task. Although the exact ways that CBD interacts with the ECS is still being studied, the evidence indicates that it supports your body’s ability to maintain homeostasis.
Utilizing the Benefits of CBD for Focus
If CBD excels at anything, it's calming your mind and body and relaxing your mood so that you can focus on other, more important things. No matter your preference for gummies, tinctures, softgels, or other forms of CBD, you can use CBD for focus in a variety of ways and areas in your life, such as:
- School
- Work
- Centering yourself before a stressful day
- Getting a restful night’s sleep
None of which can be done if you have a restless mind. Because unless you can get to the root of the problem, it doesn’t always matter how much effort you manage to put in. But by working with your endocannabinoid system, CBD can help create the perfect environment for a calm mind and relaxed body. Once you have those, a concentrated focus will follow.
Buckle Down and Study for that Upcoming Test
Sometimes it’s like no matter what you do, you can’t focus on the task at hand when you know how paramount it is. Be it a test, exam, or senior project – somehow your body seems to know that when you need to buckle down and focus on something, it feels like you can do everything but.
Which is where CBD comes in.
By allowing your mind to relax and your body to settle, you can create a more productive environment for yourself in order to do what you need to do. Of course, CBD isn’t only good for studying – it can also make the perfect companion for test or presentation-day jitters.
Get Through the Work Day
Let’s be honest: once you make it through school and you’re finally a part of the working class, having a job definitely doesn’t feel like all that it was cracked up to be.
Most jobs can get quite repetitive over time, and sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you just can’t seem to put all your focus into what you’re doing. Whether that’s because a specific task is boring and feels like busywork, or you’re just struggling with burnout – it happens to all of us at one point or another.
If that sounds like you, then CBD, or better yet CBD with coffee, might be just what you need. In fact, researchers are now discovering that not only can CBD help mellow your mood and calm your mind, but it can actually smooth out caffeine-related jitters. What this means is that by combining CBD with your morning tea or coffee, you can reap all the focus-inducing benefits of caffeine without getting too wound up.
This can be done in a couple of ways: you can either make CBD a part of your normal daily routine in combination with your morning cup of coffee, or you can actually mix your CBD oil tinctures right into it. Because why not kill two birds with one stone, right? If you prefer to mix your CBD and caffeine in the morning (or any other time of the day), then you’ll want to make sure you’re using a water soluble CBD formula.
But CBD oil tinctures don’t just pair well with coffee. If you’re someone who needs a constant boost throughout the day, try mixing a dropper of CBD into your smoothie, kombucha, or lemonade to maintain focus through your daily stressors.
Get a Good Night’s Sleep for the Day Ahead
Without a good night’s rest, you may find you have a hard time focusing throughout the following day. Maybe you’re zoning out or struggling to concentrate on what you’re doing. Whatever it is, oftentimes a solid night’s sleep can go a long way. This is why when you combine all of the benefits we mentioned above with melatonin and other natural herbs, you get a CBD product specifically designed to help regulate your sleep cycle.
No matter your preference, our CBD sleep-aids come in a variety of forms, including CBD oil tincture, CBD softgels, and even CBD bath salts. Plus, we will soon be debuting a line of CBD gummies for sleep! Our new CBD sleep-aid gummies can help reduce next-day fatigue by encouraging a restful night’s sleep.
So whether you want to kick it old school with tinctures, relax in a hot bath to calm your senses, swallow a softgel and hop in bed, or enjoy a yummy raspberry gummy at the end of the night, we’ve got you covered.
How You Can Use CBD for Focus and Concentration
While it’s true that almost all forms of CBD have roughly the same benefits, there are a few key differences, especially when it comes to choosing CBD oil tinctures or CBD gummies. The biggest differences between the two are of course how fast you receive those benefits followed closely by personal preference. But when it comes to using CBD for focus, those differences can make a big impact.
CBD Oil for Focus: Simple and Quick
One of the easiest things you can do when you need to focus is to take a daily CBD oil tincture. When placed under your tongue for 30 to 60 seconds before swallowing, CBD oil is absorbed through the mucous membrane and starts interacting with your ECS within 30 minutes. Whereas other forms of CBD have to pass through your digestive system first before you can reap the benefits.
So if you need a quick pick-me-up at midday, CBD oil tinctures will help see you through till five o’clock. Or maybe you just got assigned a big last minute project for the next day and you need to quickly wind down before bed, then you’re going to want to ensure a good night’s sleep with CBD PM so that you can be focused the next day.
Using CBD Gummies for Focus with a Gradual Release
CBD gummies are definitely more for the slow and steady approach when it comes to needing to focus throughout the day. This is because while delicious, CBD gummies don’t hit your bloodstream quite as quickly as CBD oil tinctures, and therefore aren’t always the best option when it comes to that “out of nowhere” stress. Although they make the perfect companion when you know you’ve got a stressful day coming up.
For more information on how you can use CBD for focus and concentration, as well as to find out more about our current and future products, check out 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!