The stages of study and the processes prior to submitting our knowledge on a certain subject to judgment are vital for our personal and professional growth. For days, weeks, or months we strive to internalize data, dates, and stories, and concentration becomes imperative for success. There are several agents that improve our ability to study. Could CBD be one of them? Does cannabidiol help improve our ability to study?
Why can concentrating when working or studying be so difficult?
The first obstacle to overcome when we study is concentration. If we are not able to focus our attention, it will be impossible for us to delve into a certain subject. And even so, concentrating is the most complicated thing. Numerous external and internal agents hinder our ability to concentrate.
Stress, nerves and anxiety are some of the most common detractors of concentration. And during the study process, when we put pressure on ourselves to internalize a certain topic, or to devour extensive information in a short period of time, that nervousness only hinders our ability to concentrate.
In addition, today, we are exposed to an endless number of external stimuli that encourage our agitation. The constant exposure to screens, the unbridled consumption of information or the noises of the city constantly push us to dispersion. To be a thousand things at once, and none at the same time. Not being able to fix, from tranquility, our attention on a single focus.
How Does CBD Work in the Brain?
CBD, a non-psychotropic cannabinoid produced by the cannabis and hemp plants, interacts with our bodies through the endocannabinoid system. Through this neurotransmission system (similar to the nervous system, but with other functions), when we consume CBD, some responses are activated in our body and brain.
These responses that cannabidiol awakens in our body and brain have to do with many of our physiological processes. The consumption of CBD, for example, modulates our pain, stress, mood, anxiety and even mobility processes.
Benefits of CBD for studying
The main benefit of CBD for studying is to reduce anxiety and stress, which will allow us to concentrate more easily. Cannabidiol also has mood-improving, pain-soothing, and inflammation-reducing properties. And the happier we are, and the less our body “bothers” us when studying, the better performance of the study process we can obtain.
Trouble falling asleep
Rest is vital to be able to concentrate, and therefore to be able to study. If we have insomnia problems and do not give ourselves a restful sleep, tiredness will be one of our worst enemies when it comes to concentrating. In this sense, some clinical studies have been carried out, during which it has been proven that the consumption of CBD not only prolongs sleep time, but also improves its quality, and therefore offers a more restful rest, because it reduces the REM phase of sleep (that first stage when we fall asleep during which most dreams and nightmares occur).
Chagas, M. H. N., Crippa, J. A. S., & Zuardi, A. W. (2013). Effects of acute systemic administration of cannabidiol on sleep-wake cycle in rats. PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23343597/
Anxiety and stress
Anxiety and stress are some of the worst enemies of concentration. Unbridled thoughts and overwhelm almost completely block our ability to concentrate. And, as mentioned above, thanks to the endocannabinoid system, CBD is able to modulate our states of anxiety and stress. In the absence of larger clinical studies, it is already known that cannabidiol has properties to modulate anxiety and stressful episodes, thanks to its anxiolytic properties.
Esther M. Blessing et al. “Cannabidiol as a Potential Treatment for Anxiety Disorders.” 2015
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4604171/?ref=3egect2mop
Less pain leads to greater concentration
Pain is a great enemy of concentration, because it is able to fix everything in the same point. When we are in pain, we cannot think about anything other than that part of our body that hurts and it is very difficult for us to divert our attention to another point. That is why it is so important not to be suffering discomfort of any kind in order to concentrate and study. On this point, CBD can positively affect our ability to concentrate thanks to its analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties, which will help mitigate our pain.
How to use CBD for studying?
The use of CBD for human consumption, or as a food supplement, is not yet regulated in Spain; nor is its use in medical cannabis programs yet contemplated. Even though the World Health Organization, through an Expert Committee on Drug Dependence, already concluded in 2017 that “CBD is not addictive”, “does not produce adverse psychoactive or cardiovascular effects”, and that it has “promising therapeutic uses”, medical guidelines on how to consume cannabidiol to improve the study processes have not yet been set.
While it is true that CBD can be used topically (for muscle inflammation, for example, and to mitigate pain), also by ingestion via CBD oils or by inhalation through CBD flowers, how to use it to study does not have scientific or medical guidelines, yet.
Practical tips to help you improve in your study
Here are some practices that you can easily carry out, which will help improve your ability to study and concentrate. Consuming cannabidiol before sleeping, resting during the day, following a healthy diet, playing sports or breathing consciously are some of them.
CBD at night
Due to its relaxing and anxiolytic properties, CBD can be a good ally for falling asleep. This cannabinoid could reduce our anxiety, so consuming cannabidiol at night would be a practice that would help us sleep, and that would act against our insomnia problems.
Alhola, P., & Polo-Kantola, P. (2007). Sleep deprivation: Impact on cognitive performance. NCBI. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2656292/
Take regular breaks
Taking breaks during our daily activity, and stopping our activity for a moment helps us reduce stress, and will allow us to fall asleep more easily during the night. Clear your view of the computer for a few minutes, get up from your chair and stretch your legs for a while, put your mobile away and don’t be productive without pause. Resting, even if little, will often keep us more focused.
Take care of your diet
We are what we eat and depending on whether we ingest nutrients that feed our body, or we eat things that only satisfy our hunger, we will be able to respond in a more energetic, and therefore productive, way to our day-to-day tasks. In times of study, feeding our brain with a healthy diet is vital to obtain good results.
Exercise regularly
Physical exercise not only improves our physical condition and helps us to load up on oxygen, but it also helps us to produce hormones such as dopamine, serotonin or endorphin that improve our mood and allow us to be happier and calmer. Depending on our physical form, we can practice one discipline or another, at different intensities. From a quiet walk to a long run, depending on our ability, it will help us to be more relaxed and to concentrate more easily.
Breathing exercises
Breathing is a very important mechanism to help calm us down. Not unconscious breathing, those inhalations and exhalations that we constantly exert without realizing it in order to survive, but conscious breathing. Focusing our attention on how the air enters our body and how our lungs fill and inflate the diaphragm can be a very relaxing exercise. Taking long, calm breathing for a few minutes decreases anxiety in most cases.
Frequently asked questions
How can you increase concentration in learning?
To increase concentration during learning, relaxation can be practiced since a calm mood will help us focus attention more easily. Playing sports, resting regularly or getting quality sleep at night will increase our ability to concentrate while we study.
What increases concentration and performance?
A clean work environment, a to-do list or focusing on a single job, and not practicing multitasking, increases the ability to concentrate since it allows you to focus your attention more easily, and thus improves performance.
Bibliography and Digital Sources
- Cannabinoid receptor CB1 mediates baseline and activity-induced survival of new neurons in adult hippocampal neurogenesis https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Reggio PH. The Cannabinoid Receptors. Greensboro: Springer Publishing; 2009. 402 p.
- Shenglong Zou and Ujendra Kumar. Cannabinoid Receptors and the Endocannabinoid System: Signaling and Function in the Central Nervous System.
- Valdeolivas S, Satta V, Pertwee RG, Fernandez-Ruiz J, Sagredo O. Sativex-like combination of phytocannabinoids is neuroprotective in malonate-lesioned rats, an inflammatory model of Huntington’s disease: role of CB1 and CB2 receptors. ACS Chem. Neurosci. 2012; 3 (5):400-406.
- A simple guide to Endocannabinoid System. Healthline
- Dopamine | Psychology Wiki | Fandom https://psychology.wikia.org
- Ravi, D., Sunjeev, K., Mayurun, R., Kishoj, Y., Vivek, G., Redman, E., Curran, V. & Morgan, C. (2013) “Cannabidiol enhances consolidation of explicit fear extinction in humans” Psychopharmacology 226.
- “Can CBD Help with Anxiety?” American Association of Anxiety. 2019
- Nature. 2011. Cannabidiol Reduces the Anxiety Induced by Simulated Public Speaking in Treatment-Naïve Social Phobia Patients https://www.nature.com/articles/npp20116
- Esther M. Blessing et al. “Cannabidiol as a Potential Treatment for Anxiety Disorders.” 2015
- Scott Shannon, MD et al. “Cannabidiol in Anxiety and Sleep: A Large Case Series,”2019
- Springer. 2013. Cannabidiol enhances consolidation of explicit fear extinction in humans. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00213-012-2955-y
- Vanessa P. Soares and Alline C. Campos. “Evidences for the Anti-panic Actions of Cannabidiol,” 2017
- Nobuo Masataka. “Anxiolytic Effects of Repeated Cannabidiol Treatment in Teenagers With Social Anxiety Disorders.” Primate Research Institute. Japan. 2019
- Bergamaschi, Mateus M., et al. “Cannabidiol reduces the anxiety induced by simulated public speaking in treatment-naive social phobia patients.” Neuropsychopharmacology 36.6 (2011)
- Peter Grinspoon, MD “Cannabidiol (CBD) — what we know and what we don’t.”Hardvard Contributor. 2019
- Skelley JW, Deas CM, Curren Z, Ennis J. Use of cannabidiol in anxiety and anxiety-related disorders. J Am Pharm Assoc (2003). 2020.
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