CBD For Grief – Can It Help?

Grief is something that we don’t like to talk about much or take time for until we are affected by it. Despite the discomfort, learning about grief and identifying how to deal with these emotions is important. Using CBD for grief is starting to gain some attention.

 

Grief is the response to loss, particularly to the loss of someone or something that has died, to which a bond or affection was formed. Grief is not a finite experience but an ever-changing and continuous journey. It is mourning and processing, analysis, and emotional digging. If you have ever experienced grief – whether it is the death of a loved one or a pet, the loss, or perceived loss of any kind – you know how devastating it can be to your brain, body, and spirit. 

 

Grief is complex and different for every person, although some common effects of grief can include:

• The release of stress hormones
• High anxiety and panic attacks
• A rollercoaster of extreme emotions
• Compromised immune system
• Physical inflammation and pain

CBD for Grief

You may not initially think about using CBD at any stage of the grieving period, but when you understand how it interacts with the human body and brain, you may reconsider. The cannabinoids and terpenes found in CBD interact with our bodies and brains in specific ways and have therapeutic effects. This can be helpful in relieving some of your emotional – and even physical – pain caused or exacerbated by grief. We’ve discussed several of these effects before, but particularly in relation to grief, CBD has been found to:

 

Ease Anxiety

CBD is widely known for calming nerves and easing anxiety, and this can be very helpful when dealing with a loss. As educator Mickey Nulf notes, “CBD kept my anxiety down while the grief hit and encouraged me to actually deal with the grief instead of just burying it,” making it a helpful tool in the grieving process. 

 

Reduce Physical Pain

The experience of grieving a death can induce genuine feelings of pain or discomfort in our bodies, such as headaches, heart pain, heaviness in the limbs, and overall aches. CBD has been shown to have anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving effects when used topically. How many times have you heard someone grieving say that their chest or heart physically hurts?

Providing a cream or balm to help relieve that pain as needed, helps to reduce overall stress and anxiety during the mourning period.

 

Promote Sleep

 CBD can act as a sedative. During stressful times and when grieving, getting restful sleep can be one of the most powerful, healing things we can do. 

A common side effect is a change in the sleeping pattern in the days, weeks, and months following the loss of a loved one. Either falling asleep or staying asleep are the two most common issues experienced. Some have difficulties staying awake which can lead to anxiety, depression and exhaustion. Reasons why a griever might have difficulty sleeping after a death include:

• Ruminating about intrusive thoughts
• Worries and anxieties about stressors that have occurred as a result of the death
• Bad dreams, or anxiety about having bad dreams
• Trouble sleeping in the bed alone that they shared with their partner
• Disorders such as depression, insomnia, and/or PTSD

For some grievers, lack of sleep is so pervasive that it’s impossible to ignore its impact. But for many, the loss of sleep seems marginal and, when you’re dealing with more obvious and painful stressors, it’s easy to overlook the impact fatigue might have on your emotional outlook. Sleep often is overlooked as part of the entire grieving process.

 

Help the Immune System

Studies have shown that people are more immune compromised when grieving. Due to its anti-inflammatory effects, research has found CBD to work as an immunosuppressant and immunomodulator, strengthening our immune systems. One of our must vulnerable times for sickness, can be the immediate period following a loss of a loved one. We are very susceptible to fluctuations in sleeping, eating, physical activity and this can lead to the body working harder, with little success, in fighting off bacterial and viral infections.

 

Though grief will never be easy, CBD is shown to help ease the pain and help people get through the grieving process. As a user once said, with CBD, “I am able to see some light through the darkness. It reminds me that the light is always there, even if we can’t see it.”

Products to Help With Grief:

Sleep:

Anxiety & Stress:

Pain and Inflammation: