As a working father in his 40s, my body and mind are under a significant amount of stress. I manage it in numerous ways - regular exercise, healthy eating, mindfulness and dialectical behavioral therapy - but I’m never going to turn down a little extra help.

When CBDistillery reached out and asked if I would be interested in sampling some of their products, I immediately agreed. Friends had been telling me very positive stories about their experience with the cannabinoid, and I was curious to try it myself.

CBD is a naturally occurring compound derived from the Cannabis sativa L. plant. Unlike THC (the most prevalent active ingredient), CBD does not provide give users a “high” sensation. Instead, the most common reported effects of CBD are relaxation and calmness. Many scientific studies have been performed to gauge exactly how it interacts with the brain and nervous system.

While more research needs to be conducted, the FDA has already approved one prescription medication for use. However, CBD products are legal over-the-counter in many states, in a variety of formulations.

Courtesy of CBDistillery, I was given access to a panoply of different CBD products to sample over the course of a month. They provided me with several different products, both oral and topical, and let me decide how best to use them.

Of course, this is just one person’s experience. Other people might find CBD more or less effective, depending on their own individual needs. But I hope these testimonials give you more data to move forward with an informed perspective on CBD.

One of the biggest issues in my life is lack of sleep. I traditionally find it pretty hard to fall asleep, despite refraining from screens before bed, eating healthy meals and avoiding alcohol. For some reason, when the lights go out my mind starts racing, and it can take as long as an hour before I lose consciousness.

To compound this, my sleep is often disturbed. My son Henry has type 1 diabetes, and is outfitted with a continuous glucose monitor that reads his blood sugar. When it dips above or below a level that would be dangerous, it triggers an alarm and I get up to assist him. When his blood sugar is low, I give him a little juice; when it’s high, a little insulin.

One concern I had with using CBD for better sleep was whether I’d be able to quickly and easily wake up if that alarm went off. I made sure my wife knew that my sleep might be affected, so that if I did not get up she would be able to give my son what he needed.

I’m happy to report that I never missed an alarm. For the 18 days I used CBDistillery’s PM Gummies with Melatonin, I was able to drift off to sleep quicker, wake just as fast, and - more importantly - return to sleep after getting up to treat my son.

CBD oil
CBD oil from CBDistillery

Previously, getting up to deal with his diabetes meant five minutes on my feet and then 30-45 minutes lying in bed, waiting for the adrenaline to fade so I could get back to my evening rest. While taking the PM Gummies, not only did I fall asleep faster at bedtime, but it was significantly easier to return to rest after getting up.

One of the things I found most intriguing about CBD was its multiple different dosing mechanisms. It can be smoked, eaten, and even used topically. CBDistillery sent me a pair of their broad spectrum hemp extract “relief sticks,” which contain a compound of CBD and cooling menthol to be used on aches and pains.

I needed exactly that, as I overdid it one day. After a particularly hard-charging rowing class, I got home and decided to move the washing machine so I could clean underneath it. In the process, I twisted awkwardly and strained a muscle in my lower back. I was still mobile and able to go about my day, but having pulled a similar muscle before I knew that I was in for at least a week of extremely unpleasant aches and pains.

After I took a shower, I rubbed the Relief Stick over the area. I could already feel the pain begin to sink deep into the core of my muscles, but the menthol’s cooling sensation quickly pulled it away as the CBD extract took effect.

While the CBD Relief Stick didn’t aid in the actual healing of the muscle, I did feel significantly less tight and achy in that area over several days of application. It could be argued that feeling less stress from that pain allowed me to relax the muscle and let it return to normal faster.

CBD oils and gels
CBD oils and gels from CBDistillery

Anxiety is another issue in my life. I suffer from a condition called sensory processing disorder, an autism spectrum disorder that makes my brain unable to cope with certain stimuli. In my case, crowded rooms are a powerful trigger, causing multiple conversations to blur together into a field of white noise as loud and unpleasant as standing on an airport runway while jets take off around me.

That condition makes me not very fun at parties, as the stress and anxiety I feel because I can’t easily talk with people in a crowded room quickly overwhelms me. I can’t count the number of times I’ve had to leave a party early, often to the disappointment of friends, simply because my SPD was too much to deal with.

My wife suggested that I try a dose of the CBDistillery full spectrum CBD oil before we went to a Super Bowl party. This wouldn’t be an easy one to leave, because the house it was held at was on a small island only accessible by boat.

Following the instructions on the package, I loaded the dropper with the tincture and held it under my tongue for 30 seconds before swallowing. The taste wasn’t anything I’d rave about, but I was more interested in the mental effects.

By the time we got to the party, I noticed an appreciable sense of well-being. I was able to tolerate and even enjoy the whole evening, never feeling so anxious that I would need to make an early exit. We brought the bottle of tincture in case I felt like I needed a second dose, but it wasn’t necessary.

man with CBD gummies
man with CBD gummies from CBDistillery

It’s important to note that the CBD tincture did not do anything to alter or alleviate the symptoms of my sensory processing disorder. What it did do, however, is lighten the temporary anxiety I felt around it. I still had trouble isolating conversations, but instead of letting the situation spin me into an anxious wreck, I was more able to accept the situation and find ways to make it better - moving into a smaller, quieter space, or simply excusing myself.

This was a revelation to me. Even without the sleep and pain relief aspects, the temporary anxiety alleviation would be enough to make me a convert. It was a fantastic feeling - I was completely lucid and clear-minded, but simply not worried about it.

My experiences with CBD over the course of 30 days were unanimously positive. I can’t promise others will feel the same, but I came away convinced that these products can provide relief for many of the problems of modern life.

For more information on CBDistillery products visit https://www.thecbdistillery.com/cbd-shop/.

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