Fatigue is a fact of life for many in our modern society. Whether patients experience tiredness from overwork, disorders like anxiety or insomnia causing lack of sleep, or chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), it’s a very common condition.
There’s no specific treatment for this condition since there are not many positive medical findings to help point patients towards an optimal treatment plan. Every individual experiences fatigue differently, which is why doctors often prescribe things like antidepressants and sleeping pills to patients. But with drug overdose issues affecting Canadians across the country, it can be dangerous to rely on pills alone to fight symptoms.
Cannabinoids, the compounds found in the cannabis plant that includes medicinal ones like tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), can regulate and modulate your body’s mental and physiological reactions. Cannabinoids can initiate this regulation and modulation process because our bodies have an inherent endogenous cannabinoid system.
When we consume medical marijuana, whether in the form of smoke, vapor, or edibles, cannabinoids attach themselves to special receptors in our brain and throughout our nervous system. If you are taking specific strains of marijuana to fight CFS, the cannabinoids within these strains will most likely have a higher concentration of CBD which is known to keep energy high.
When you’re using marijuana to treat CFS or overtiredness from crazy work schedule versus using prescription pills, you can experience a more immediate boost, naturally. When you inhale marijuana, cannabinoids reach the brain faster, although ingesting the plant can give you effects that last for a longer period as cannabinoids are metabolized in the liver.
There are different strains, or types, of marijuana plants that can be used to treat an assortment of ailments. Marijuana can treat anxiety, muscle spasms and neurological pain, as well as reduce nausea and vomiting as side effects of chemotherapy, but only when you’re using the right strain for the ailment or condition in question. When you plan to use marijuana to treat your tiredness, you should be clear on what the best strains are for that condition.
As mentioned above, high-CBD strains of marijuana are good for regulating energy levels. As well patients should keep in mind that sativa plants are better for energy than indica plants are. There are few differences between sativas and indicas, but the main one relates to their cannabinoid ratios. Sativas have a high CBD-to-THC ratio, while indicas have a high THC-to-CBD ratio.
More on MMJ and Fatigue at The Medical Marijuana Association
