Does CBD Really Improve Anxiety? Feeling anxious? You’re not alone. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, in the past year, 19.1% of U.S. adults had an anxiety disorder, and 31.1% will experience one at some point in their lives. Women are more likely to be affected than men, with 23.4% of women and 14.3% of men experiencing an anxiety disorder in the past year. It can be debilitating. Those who experience anxiety disorders have intense and excessive worry and fear about everyday situations with symptoms including:
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Feeling nervous, restless or tense
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Having a sense of impending danger, panic or doom
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Having an increased heart rate
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Breathing rapidly (hyperventilation)
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Sweating
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Trembling
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Feeling weak or tired
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Trouble concentrating or thinking about anything other than the present worry
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Having trouble sleeping
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Experiencing gastrointestinal (GI) problems
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Having difficulty controlling worry
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Having the urge to avoid things that trigger anxiety
If anxiety is an issue for you, seeing a doctor is the first step to diagnosis and recovery. In our personal experience, we’ve turned to CBD to help ease some of our symptoms and improve our mood. But does it really make a difference? Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Massachusetts looked at a very specific scenario, exploring whether cannabidiol (CBD) can reduce anxiety levels, specifically among patients with advanced breast cancer before a scan assessing tumor burden. In the study, they found that while it did not significantly lower scan-related anxiety, it did significantly reduce overall anxiety levels. These results opened the door for more CBD testing, especially among cancer patients.
"Our results lay the groundwork for larger, more definitive trials testing CBD in patients with breast cancer and other cancers as a way of reducing anxiety," said Peter Chai, MD, of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital.
Other major institutes have had similar findings. In 2020, the National Institute of Health discovered that CBD helped ease symptoms among patients with anxiety disorders and PTSD, and in 2024, Harvard Health reported CBD having positive effects on sleep, as well as improving chronic pain and anxiety.
Beyond the science, our co-founder’s personal experience with cancer and CBD led us to create Upstate Mary and integrate cannabidiol in our collection of our lubricants. CBD’s relaxation-promoting effects can be a sex life gamechanger. We found full spectrum CBD has the power to set the mood, lower intimacy anxiety, and increase blood flow for more pleasure.
To learn more about CBD and reclaiming your pleasure, join us IRL at events, follow us on social media, and here on Between the Sheets.
ABOUT UPSTATE MARY
At Upstate Mary, we're all about the power of plants. Formulated with full-spectrum CBD + MCT coconut oil and a blend of organic botanicals, our products offer soothing and stimulating effects. Like your gut, your vagina has its own microbiome and it can be very sensitive. We use organic botanical ingredients, so no disruptors here!
Our Farm to Bedroom™ collection isn’t just for special occasions, one-night stands or mind-blowing orgasms; although we’re here for all of that! We're committed to being the new go-to for our perimenopausal and menopausal friends too. Our collection of CBD lubes and suppositories can help address a range of needs, from relieving pelvic floor pain to enhancing blood flow + daily lubrication to offering postpartum care. We're here to support every body.