Dealing With the Stress of College Using Medical Cannabis

Higher education can be a tough time. Loans to pay off, balancing paid work and studying, exam anxiety – juggling all of this at the same time can be difficult. Here’s some suggestions on how best to utilize medical cannabis to deal with the grind college can sometimes be.

1. Get the basics right – diet, exercise and sleep

Eating right, sleeping right, and getting some exercise and fresh air & sunlight are all conducive to living a healthier lifestyle, and will help you get the best out of your studies. Even before you start thinking about medical cannabis, these things should be your go-to when it comes to reducing stress and anxiety. If you still feel you need medical cannabis after all of this, it can become more of a helpful addition rather than just simply a coping mechanism. Medical marijuana can help you eat more regularly, assists with muscle recovery after exercise, and is an effective sleep aid.

2. Are you using a concoction of other pills that are having a harmful effect?

If you are unfortunate enough to need antidepressants, stimulants, sedatives and/or painkillers, then medical cannabis could certainly be a better alternative to taking all of these medications, where addiction and overdose is possible.

3. Sports strains and injuries

Many people going to college live active lifestyles. College football, basketball, wrestling and many more are popular college pastimes, and for some even lead to lifelong careers. However, as good and healthy as these activities are, they can lead to injuries. Practitioners of high contact sports like American Football (which has a high incidence of traumatic brain injury (TBI), even in the college game) can potentially find some benefit in medical cannabis. This is not only because cannabis is a potent anti-inflammatory and painkiller, but also because it could help treat brain injuries to some extent.

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4. Exam stress

Although you may want to avoid taking too much tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) a week or two leading up to your midterms or finals, you can still take advantage of the stress-beating properties of cannabidiol (CBD), which doesn’t have the negative effects THC has on short-term memory. CBD could therefore be one of the better ways to deal with pre-exam jitters, and doesn’t necessarily have the “brain fog” harsher sedatives can bring about.

5. College anxiety and insomnia

Sleep problems are very common amongst college students. In between studying, extracurriculars, work and socializing, it’s not uncommon for many students to burn the candle at both ends. Despite the fact that a lack of sleep can reduce brain power significantly, cramming the night before exams and keeping the midnight oil well and truly lit is still quite common.

Other than avoiding having to cram, one of the best ways to perform well before an exam is to get a good night’s sleep. Again, you may want to avoid high doses of THC, but the less psychoactive cannabinol (CBN) may be the better option if you want to get a night of uninterrupted sleep without too much of a psychoactive effect. A combination of terpenes like myrcene, limonene, linalool and humulene can also help. Think of herbal sleep remedies containing lavender, lemon balm and hops – the terpenes present in these are also in cannabis.

Medical marijuana, when used appropriately, can be a very useful adjunct for college life, and can be a safer alternative to both prescription medications and recreational alcohol. If you’re over 18 and feel that you could benefit from medical marijuana, then get in touch with Leafwell today!