Whether on the course or simply juggling the demands of daily life, focus and concentration are crucial. Needless to say, staying focused isn’t always easy.
If you find your attention fading fast in any area of your life, you’re likely open to solutions that can help you get your head back in the game. CBD is one of these solutions, offering some serious promise for supporting focus and concentration. Here we’ll take a look at how CBD may help with focus and concentration and how it just might be the answer to increasing your capacity for sustaining your attention.
How Does CBD Help With Focus And Concentration?
Before we look at how CBD may help with focus and concentration, it’s important to understand why staying focused and concentrated might be difficult in the first place. Keep in mind that everyone is different, and some people have can have a harder time staying focused than others.
That being said, if you find yourself struggling to concentrate when you swear your focus used to be laser sharp, it could very well be that your lack of focus and concentration stems from an underlying condition like anxiety or depression.
Difficulty concentrating can also be attributed to certain lifestyle factors such as stress, sleep problems, lack of exercise and an unhealthy diet. People also tend to become more distracted with age.
Difficulty focusing and concentrating can take a serious toll on pretty much every aspect of your life. Can CBD really help? It just might.
How CBD Works For Focus And Concentration
How CBD might work for focus and concentration all comes down to how CBD works in the body and the way it influences the endocannabinoid system (ECS). Considered by many to be one of the most important physiological systems that exists, the ECS supports several different functions throughout the body and mind. It’s primary role is to provide homeostasis to these functions, which include memory, mood, stress, sleep, immunity and more.
The ECS consists of three main components including two naturally occurring endocannabinoids produced by the body, two cannabinoid receptors and two enzymes that break down endocannabinoids once they’ve been used by the body.
Cannabinoids like CBD are very similar to the body’s naturally occurring endocannabinoids and can be used to supplement any potential endocannabinoid deficiencies.
It’s believed that CBD can help with focus and concentration because of its influence on the ECS. It’s suggested that one of the reasons CBD is beneficial for increasing focus and concentration is because of its influence on the body’s stress response.
Known to elicit feelings of calm and relaxation, CBD may help with focus and concentration by alleviating stress and anxiety. As we all know, it’s far easier to focus when stress levels are low.
Another way CBD may help with focus and concentration is through the way it influences certain receptors in the brain, specifically dopamine and serotonin.
When dopamine levels drop, so does our focus, concentration and motivation. Here’s where CBD might help. Because it shows to influence dopamine neurotransmission because of the way it interacts with the ECS, CBD may help balance dopamine levels which can help immensely when it comes to focus and concentration.
Commonly referred to as the “feel-good” chemical, serotonin is also strongly connected to energy homeostasis. When serotonin levels are low, we tend to feel fatigued which can have a serious affect on how much focus we can sustain. Because CBD contains an indirect influence on serotonin receptors, it could help us harness the energy we need to stay focused and increase our concentration.
Does Research Support CBD For Focus And Concentration?
While research on CBD is slowly moving forward, clinical evidence of how CBD can help focus and concentration is still in its infancy. There have, however, been a few studies that show CBD holds some serious promise for increasing attention and positively influencing brain function.
In a 2018 review, researchers noted that studies show CBD has “numerous therapeutic properties for brain function and protection.” Because CBD shows to contain neuroprotective properties, it’s suggested that this why CBD could help focus and concentration.
In a more recent review, experts highlighted that CBD contains significant influence on brain activity during both resting states and when performing cognitive tasks.
While more research is certainly needed, CBD shows some serious potential when it comes to one’s attention span.
Should You Try CBD To Help You Focus?
If you find it difficult to focus on your game or get through the day without distraction, CBD could be just what you need. Keep in mind that everyone is different and what works for one person might not work for the next. With its influence on the ECS and research supporting its efficacy for cognitive function, however, CBD may help.
If you’re interested in seeing if CBD can help with your focus and concentration, it’s important to find the product that works for you. You might consider starting with a CBD oil tincture twice daily for 7-10 days and notice how you feel. You might have to adjust your serving size a bit until you find what supports your individual needs. When you do find your personal sweet spot, consider taking CBD every day very much like you would a regular daily supplement. This gives CBD time to build up in the body and positively influence ECS function. It’s important to keep in mind that CBD shouldn’t be considered a “cure-all” for anything, focus and concentration included. While CBD certainly shows to help, it’s important to live a healthy, well-balanced lifestyle to maintain healthy cognitive function.
Aside from adding CBD to your regular routine, making time to exercise, eating a healthy, well-balanced diet, getting good sleep, avoiding excess caffeine, taking regular breaks and practicing meditation and mindfulness are all ways to naturally help improve your focus and keep your brain sharp.