Why are our stress levels higher than ever?
This Mental Health Awareness Week, Dragonfly wanted to shine a light on 2 aspects – stress and anxiety – that appear to be more common than ever – and no wonder. According to a recent Dragonfly CBD poll of over 1000 Brits, almost a quarter (24%) of respondents felt stressed three to five times during the last month, while 23% have been stressed more than 10 times.
The pandemic definitely hasn’t helped. Nearly six in 10 (57%) surveyed describe their life as more stressful since the recent pandemic began. Younger people are most likely to admit the pandemic has taken its toll on their mental health.
GP, Dr Nisa Aslam says: “Short- term stress is a good thing – for example urging you to meet a deadline or keep your focus while you drive at night. But chronic stress can be harmful as it boosts blood inflammatory markers and disrupts sleep and crucial relaxation”
What are the common signs of stress?
Signs that you’re stressed include anxiety, depression, irritability, finding it hard to make decisions, feeling overwhelmed, not sleeping well, racing thoughts, constant worry and loss of sex drive.
Dr Nisa Aslam adds…“You may also suffer from aches and pains, headaches, exhaustion, muscle tension, racing heart, high blood pressure and stomach upset.”
The stress response is triggered by physical and emotional demands and has the effect of boosting stress-related hormones. These include cortisol and adrenaline, which increase heart rate, pulse rate and sweating, and vasopressin which affects blood pressure. With chronic stress, these hormones can have longer-term effects like reducing appetite and causing irritation to the stomach lining.
How does increased stress impact our day-to-day lives?
Stress has a significant effect on our ability to function. Almost half (47%) of respondents in the Dragonfly CBD poll admit they get grumpy when they’re stressed, while 39% say they get angry at the smallest things, and 38% don’t want to speak to or see anyone. We also take time off work due to stress.
On average, respondents took two sick days last year due to stress. This increases to three days a year for respondents aged 18 to 44 years.
Pharmacist Sultan Dajani says: “Physical health is commonly impacted by stress. In fact, eight in 10 Britons agree that stress can affect physical health with most experiencing headaches, tiredness, low energy and poor sleep”.
How are people managing their stress?
According to the Dragonfly CBD research poll, people are not clued up about stress management. In fact, doing nothing or not knowing what to do is the first or second response from more than half o people surveyed(53%).
Amongst respondents who do tackle stress, one third say prescription medicine is their number one solution, 27% light up a cigarette, while 26% say they use sex to deal with stress.
The good news is that almost two thirds (62%) of respondents would try a safe, natural therapy to reduce stress.
Dr Tim Bond notes: “A product like Dragonfly CBD would tick the box for consumers wanting to use solutions born out of nature. But there seems to be significant misunderstanding about CBD overall. While two-thirds have heard of it and almost half think it’s helpful for stress and anxiety”
Can CBD target stress and anxiety?
There is a growing body of clinical research to suggest that CBD oil can help.
Studies show that CBD interacts with a number of our body’s receptors but, in terms of stress, CBD seems to specifically target the cardiovascular response to stress (e.g. lowering blood pressure and heart rate).
CBD interacts with a number of receptors, but with regards to stress, CBD seems to act significantly to reduce the cardiovascular response to stress (e.g., reducing the increased blood pressure or heart rate). In blood, CBD influences the survival and death of white blood cells, white blood cell migration and platelet aggregation, which are important in immune function and can be harmed by chronic stress.
Why choose Dragonfly CBD?
Dragonfly CBD is an award-winning UK-based CBD company that creates all of its products from seed to shelf. You can buy Dragonfly CBD online or in leading pharmacists and high-street retailers like Boots, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Amazon.
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