Your mood affects every aspect of your life. If you’re sad, anxious, or depressed, you might withdraw from friends and family. You may start to avoid social situations. Whether it’s a physical ailment affecting your mood or you’re dealing with a mental health disorder such as anxiety or depression, cannabis may be able to help. Here are some of the benefits of weed for your mood.
What Benefits Does Weed Have on Mood?
Being in physical pain can have a substantial impact on your mood. If you’re hurting, you’re not likely going to feel happy. After all, performing certain tasks or movements may be excruciating.
Cannabis is becoming a popular alternative treatment for pain. When the cannabinoids interact with your cannabinoid receptors, they can help to dull the signals sent to the brain, providing you with some much-needed relief.
Cannabis can also help to improve your mood if you’re dealing with anxiety, depression, or PTSD. Like pain, all of these mental health conditions take their toll on your mood. Certain strains of weed can help to decrease feelings of anxiety, help you to relax, and feel better overall. As the cannabinoids interact with your cannabinoid receptors, they can help to stimulate your dopamine production as well.
How Terpenes Help
It’s not just THC and CBD that can help boost your mood. Different strains of cannabis have a variety of different types of terpenes. While their main function is to provide the plants with their scent and taste, certain ones can also impact your mood. For instance, linalool can help to promote relaxation. Myrcene, one of the most common terpenes, is also known to help encourage calmness. These compounds also work in tandem with cannabinoids to enhance the effects.
Avoid the Side Effects of Conventional Treatment
When it comes to treating pain, anxiety, and depression, prescription medications tend to be the most common solution. While they may provide relief for some, they’re not effective for everyone. Not only that, but these medications often come with unwanted side effects. Some can become addictive, too.
Cannabis provides an alternative to conventional treatment. It does not produce the same harsh side effects. Nor is there the same risk of dependency.
Getting the Right Dose
While cannabis is an effective therapy for helping to improve your mood, you need to make sure that you get your dose right. Taking too much (particularly of a THC strain) can have the opposite effect of what you’re looking to achieve. For instance, if you’re using weed to counteract anxiety, too much THC can worsen your symptoms rather than provide you with relief.
One of the best ways to find your ideal dose is to start small. You can begin with as little as 1mg of THC. Gradually increase your dose until you start to feel the effects you want. You may find it beneficial to keep a journal noting the strain you’re using and how it makes you feel.
Weed may help to boost your mood, which can then help to improve your overall quality of life. If you’re interested in trying cannabis to improve your mental state, speak with your physician. You can also visit your local dispensary and consult with a budtender for helpful information.
