If you’ve ever wondered whether cannabis can improve psychological well-being, the answer is yes. With cannabis, the effectiveness depends on a variety of factors, including cannabis quality, terpenes, and the individual’s response to the cannabis products they consume.
Generally speaking, cannabis has been shown to alleviate stress and anxiety, improve sleep, and reduce pain – all of which have a direct, positive impact on a person’s mental state. Most people can relate to feeling grumpier when in pain, but when that pain subsides they feel better.
If you’re curious about learning more about how cannabis affects mental health, here are several specific ways cannabis positively impacts psychological well-being.
High-quality cannabis can alleviate stress
Good cannabis has the potential to alleviate stress. The only caveat is that getting relief from stress hinges on consuming a high-quality, effective cannabis product. Looking for a brand that is intentional with a strain or product’s effects, too, is key.
In today’s market, that’s easy to find. For example, Verano cannabis is produced within 13 state-of-the-art cultivation and production facilities – sustainably designed to suit the unique seasonality and climate of every region they serve. Verano’s expert growers thoughtfully tend to a nationwide library of signature strains. This way, Verano can ensure each cannabis plant is exceptionally effective – every time.
While more research is needed to pinpoint the exact methods by which cannabis relieves stress, it’s something that is very personal to each individual. For instance, some people feel better consuming sativa strains, while others feel better consuming indica strains. Even specific terpenes play a role providing a vast range of therapeutic benefits, from memory retention to pain relief.
Either way, the majority of people looking for stress relief often discover that taking cannabis is extremely effective. In fact, 85% of people who use cannabis for other purposes, like pain relief, report that it also helps them sleep better. This brings up the next point about the importance of sleep.
Deep, quality sleep supports a better mood
People are naturally in a better mood when they’ve gotten a good night’s sleep. When a person is sleep-deprived, they’re more likely to be grumpy, depressed, or agitated. They’re also more likely to make mistakes and injure themselves accidentally. These situations can make a tired, grumpy person feel even worse.
Sleep deprivation occurs when someone doesn’t sleep enough, or, when they sleep without getting enough quality REM stage sleep. This means a person can be sleep deprived whether they have insomnia or sleep twelve hours a day, but never reach the restorative stages of sleep.
The good news is that cannabis has been shown to improve sleep, with 65% of people getting an immediate better night’s sleep. Cannabis restores the body’s natural sleep cycle, so it works as a natural sleep aid, and its effectiveness can beis enhanced by specific terpenes like linalool, which provide calming and sedative properties.
People feel better when they aren’t in pain
We’ve all been there before: a massive, pounding headache that seems to take over our life, making it hard to think and impossible to sleep. Headaches are fairly common, but some people experience chronic pain in ways that make it hard to perform basic tasks like standing up and moving around. Many people who experience these symptoms report that cannabis reduces chronic pain and creates a positive impact on their mental state. When people ingest or inhale THC, it stimulates the brain’s cannabinoid receptors. This activates the brain’s reward system and reduces pain levels.
When someone lives with chronic pain for years or even decades, getting relief from cannabis feels amazing both mentally and physically. Naturally, when people feel better physically, they feel better mentally, too.
Cannabis is relaxing
For those who don’t struggle with chronic pain, anxiety, or stress, cannabis is still extremely relaxing. When people feel relaxed, they’re naturally going to feel better and be in a better mood.
A low dose of THC creates relaxation by suppressing the release of glutamate in your brain, alleviating stress and anxiety, elevating a person’s mood, and energising their mind. Melting stress naturally puts people into a state of relaxation.
Of all the reasons to try cannabis, getting into a relaxed state of being is by far the best. You don’t have to be suffering to enjoy a state of deep relaxation.
Cannabis can alleviate depression
Many people choose cannabis to combat depression, and there are studies that support this. Cannabis and its suite of compounds can boost serotonin and sharpen your focus, which can help with depression, anxiety, and attention disorders. However, one study, published in the Journal of Affective Disorders suggests that cannabis relieves depression in the short term, but not necessarily in the long term.
If you’re depressed and looking for a mood booster, don’t rely solely on cannabis, though it wouldn’t hurt to try it to see how much of a benefit you can get. It would be worth noting that if cannabis does alleviate your depression, that would be an excellent time to pursue other resources while you’re feeling good and up to the task.
Looking for a natural mood booster? Try cannabis
Whether you’re suffering from pain, anxiety, stress, or anything else, getting relief will naturally improve your mood. There are many ways to accomplish this, and cannabis flower is one of the most natural options things you can use. If you haven’t already tried cannabis, consider trying it to see if it works for you.
Zuella Montemayor did her degree in psychology at the University of Toronto. She is interested in mental health, wellness, and lifestyle.
