Many people have experienced the mental health benefits of marijuana. Using marijuana can decrease symptoms of several mental health issues, which demonstrates just one of the mental health benefits of marijuana. It gives those with mental health disorders the relief they need after experiencing even the most severe symptoms of their condition. Studies have shown that marijuana usage has several benefits, including the following from Mental Health Daily:
It can give you a much-needed mood boost.
When you smoke or ingest marijuana, your brain releases anandamide and dopamine. This means that it serves as an antidepressant and relaxes you. If you’re feeling stressed and are prone to anxiety and panic attacks, then marijuana could curb the side effects for you. A common mental health benefit of marijuana is to use it to boost your mood if you suffer from depression.
You could get that night’s sleep that you crave.
Mental health disorders cause a lot of sleepless nights. Your brain could be in overtime, thinking about the day’s events or stressing out about what could happen in the future. Fears tend to come alive at night, so marijuana could help tame those thoughts so you can get a good night’s sleep. Marijuana causes drowsiness and allows you to relax. Smoking or ingesting weed before bedtime could make you fall asleep faster and drown out negative thoughts.
It’s an alternative to prescription drugs.
While some may take prescription drugs like Prozac and Xanax to curb their anxiety and other mental health related issues, others do not want to take these drugs. According to some research, long-term use of prescription antidepressants could cause dementia later in life. If you have tried several medications to suppress your mental health disorder and nothing seems to work, then try marijuana. It’s a fairly universal way to help you decrease your anxiety, depression, stress and other mental health related levels.
It promotes relaxation.
If you struggle with the symptoms of a mental health illness, one the main symptoms is that you cannot seem to relax. Or you could be dealing with a Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) incident and can’t get an image or situation out of your head. Marijuana could help you get some relief and relaxation. It can cause your mind to stop spinning so fast for a little while. And according to some, adolescent marijuana use does not cause depression later in life.
It stops physical pain.
Sometimes, with anxiety, your muscles could become tense, especially after a panic attack. It’s a very physical process to go through, and it could affect muscles from head to toe. If you have chronic muscle pain (or another type of chronic health condition), smoking marijuana could help you suppress some of the pain, in addition to other medical forms of treating the symptoms.
While this isn’t a one-size-fits-all mentality, the mental health benefits of marijuana could help you. It’s on a case-by-case, individualized basis. If you want to talk with someone about your mental health issues and don’t know how to remedy them, then read some advice columns on BetterHelp. The site has resources you need; plus, you are able to talk with a licensed mental health professional whenever you need it.
Marie Miguel authored this article. She is an avid internet researcher and is fueled by her determination to answer the many questions she hasn’t been able to find the answer to anywhere else. When she finds these answers she likes to spread the knowledge to others seeking help. She is always looking for outlets to share her information, therefore she occasionally has her content published on different websites and blogs. Even though she doesn’t run one for herself she loves contributing to others.
