CBD is still the supplement of the moment, but why? Alexandra Dunhill – founder of premium CBD brand Lady A, reveals that better sex & blissful sleep await those who try it
CBD is literally everywhere.
In fact, a CBD Usage survey carried out by the Centre for Medicinal Cannabis (CMC), found that 6 million people in the UK have used CBD in some form.
It doesn’t just show up in oil or capsules anymore, you can now buy CBD coffee, CBD bath bombs and even CBD infused food – we’re not even joking.
Its popularity continues to skyrocket, even the A-listers are known to have used it.
Jennifer Aniston takes CBD for pain, stress and anxiety, meanwhile Victoria’s Secret model Alessandra Ambrosio uses it to relax and unwind before stomping down the runway.
The reason for CBD popularity is the mounting evidence that shows how it can help with a whole heap of wellness issues, including joint pain, mood, arthritis, insomnia, anxiety, stress and even your sex life.
Indeed, there are over 2100 published studies relating to CBD on the website of the US National Library of Medicine, which compiles peer-reviewed medical journals with over 900 of them relating to human studies.
That’s some pretty impressive study statistics.
What is CBD?
For those who aren’t sure, Cannabidiol or CBD oil is naturally sourced from hemp plants and one of the fastest growing well-being supplements in both the US and the UK.
Oh and it’s perfectly legal to take. Despite connotations from the assumption that CBD oil stems from cannabis, CBD oil will not make you ‘high’.
hemp plants have been bred to contain only trace amounts of THC
THC is the ingredient in marijuana that makes you feel ‘high’ and THC is not present in large enough quantities in CBD oil extracted from industrially produced hemp to initiate this reaction.
Finding the right CBD brand…
As long as you are buying your CBD from a reputed supplier who can produce certification on the products’ safety and ingredients it should be perfectly safe.
A World Health Organisation report on CBD confirmed that ‘CBD is generally well tolerated with a good safety profile’.
At premium CBD brand Lady A, CEO and founder Alexandra Dunhill says that their mission is to bring the natural healing powers of CBD into the everyday lives of people everywhere.
‘We have partnered with one of the most reliable suppliers in France and Europe, who grows their hemp organically in Colorado, providing us with third party testing and quality assurance so that we can be certain of the quality of the products made from their CBD,’ explains Alexandra.
‘Triple tested in France, each batch of finished products is then tested in the UK.
‘The CBD is organic, vegan, gluten free and THC free, and is used in a variety our products – from lubricant to vape pens – to enable the customer to self-tailor how they get their fix of CBD.
‘The products also have a range in percentage of milligrams to allow those who are new to CBD to work up their dosage bit by bit’.
How can CBD help?
Overall, CBD will likely make you feel more positive, with improved feelings of general wellbeing.
This is because CBD works directly on the endocannabinoid system in the brain, enhancing the effects of brain chemicals and receptors, such as serotonin and anandamide (our feel-good, happy hormones).
Cannabinoids are produced naturally in the body and help to promote wellness, balance and a sense of calm, as well as regulating appetite, sleep and our immune system.
When taken daily, CBD helps to prevent the rapid breakdown of these cannabinoids, which means they stay around longer to support our bodies internal systems and functions, such as:
- Body movement
- Pain control
- Gut regulation
- Immune system function
- Mental health/ mood
- Sleep
- Brain protection
Supplementing with CBD also improves our receptors which communicate with these systems/functions so that we are finely tuned to respond to the challenges our body faces day to day.
Reason #1 Experience less stress and anxiety
12 million adults in the UK see their GP with mental health problems each year, research from the The Mental Health Foundation has found. Most of these suffer from anxiety and depression and much of this is stress-related.
‘CBD has long been used in the battle against stress and anxiety, as it helps to lift mood and promotes general feelings of well-being,’ says Alexandra.
‘It’s interactions with CB1 and CB2 receptors in the central nervous system are believed to positively impact our serotonin levels, which when low is a leading cause of stress.
‘When visiting my son Piers in LA, I noticed a huge change in him, compared to when he was living and working in London where he had been very stressed and tired from his job.
‘Once he told me the change had come from him discovering and taking CBD I just had to find out for myself and quickly notices my stress levels had decreased too’.
taking CBD supplements before a public speaking engagement reduced anxiety
While CBD oil is by no means a cure for any form of stress, anxiety or depression, it can significantly assist with symptoms and provide support to improve mood and wellbeing.
Indeed one study involving people with social anxiety, taking CBD supplements before a public speaking engagement reduced anxiety, muddled thoughts, social discomfort and anticipatory anxiety significantly more than placebo.
The authors of the research, published in 2011 in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology observed, ‘Pre-treatment with CBD significantly reduced anxiety, cognitive impairment and discomfort in subjects’ speech performance’.
What’s more, a review of the evidence for CBD and panic attacks published in 2017 in Current Neuropharmacology looked at the animal and human research available and concluded that ‘CBD was a promising drug for the treatment of panic disorder.’
CBD based products, such as Lady A’s award-winning Daily Fix capsules are a popular option for daily stress management.
‘The greatest advantage we find with stress management through the Daily Fix Capsules is that there’s a slower release than to the tinctures, therefore proving a great choice for people looking to experience a more gradual effect throughout the day,’ explains Alexandra.
Reason #2 Better sex
Stress and sex do not mix – fact.
When stress is chronic or long lasting, the body uses up our sex hormones to meet the increasing demands for higher cortisol production, this diminishes sex drive leaving you with absolutely no interest in having sex.
In fact, cortisol can completely rob a woman of her sex drive and can make it difficult for men to get an erection.
So, in order to help increase your sex drive you’ll need to lower your stress (cortisol) levels, which is where CBD will help to save the day.
Incorporating CBD into your daily routine rather than a glass of wine could be far more beneficial in reducing your stress levels and therefore your sex drive.
What’s more, CBD naturally enhances sensitivity by increasing blood flow and encouraging natural lubrication. This enhanced sensitivity and natural stimulation can increase pleasure and arousal.
‘At Lady A, we have looked at some of the most common issues impacting people in the bedroom, and looked at how CBD can help tackle these issues head on,’ reveals Alexandra.
CBD naturally enhances sensitivity by increasing blood flow and encouraging natural lubrication
‘Our Oil based lubricant for example, provides a sensual blend of Broad Spectrum CBD, combined with warming ginger, cinnamon and cardamom essential oils, designed to enhance both pleasure and arousal.
‘It also helps with vaginal dryness and itching which comes from your traditional lubricants or sex without lubricant and is suitable for every skin type.
‘A more relaxed atmosphere in the bedroom can also help to improve your sex life, try giving your partner a massage with some of our CBD Body and Massage Oil.
‘Massage has the potential to stimulate pleasure receptors (sensory neurons that are selectively activated by pleasant touch) that can help you to reach climax and orgasm’.
Reason #3 Sleep soundly
A staggering 40 per cent of us don’t get the recommended six to nine hours sleep a night, research by The Sleep Council has found.
Only recently has it become clear that our circadian rhythms – internal body clocks that control the times of day we feel sleepy or wakeful – have a huge impact on the entirety of our health, as opposed to just the low energy levels we might experience after a bad night’s sleep.
It has been suggested that CBD helps to regulate the circadian rhythm and is now a popular treatment for insomnia as it also promotes refreshing REM sleep.
CBD helps to regulate the circadian rhythm
REM sleep means Rapid Eye Movement, and is essentially the term for when we enter a deeper phase of sleep, usually when you dream. It’s also the kind of sleep you hope to get several times during the night as it helps process emotions and memories and is essential to long-term wellbeing.
CBD is also particularly helpful for sleep disorders in people with neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, a small but significant study published in 2014 in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacological Therapies found.
Try: Lady A’s Evening Tincture CBD Oil to help with a restful night’s sleep.
How and when to take CBD
Decide what the reason is for taking CBD and then look for a product that will help you. Make sure to research the product and find out how many milligrams of CBD is in the product.
A good way to start is to begin taking a low dosage and slowly build towards a higher dosage.
‘When you first start going to the gym, you would go straight for the 50kg weights, you start low and build up your strength, it’s the same with CBD,’ explains Alexandra.
‘Try taking a CBD supplement with your morning coffee, or with any other vitamins or supplements you may take as this will help make taking CBD a habit. Or, if you have an evening skin care routine, why not add a few drops of evening tincture into that routine’.
Lady A CEO and founder Alexandra Dunhill first came across CBD in 2017 whilst visiting her eldest son in Los Angeles. Amazed at how different he was after taking CBD products for his anxiety, she wanted to bring the power of this plant to as many people as possible.
Determined to create a trusted premium brand to help change lives for the better, after two years of intense research and development with her team of scientists and experts, Lady A was born.
Having witnessed the transformative, healing properties of CBD first hand, Alex’s mission is to make products that champion the natural healing benefits of CBD, improve our wellbeing and ease the stresses and strains of everyday living.
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