As the year starts up again after the holiday season, so does school, work, and responsibilities. The busier our lives get, the more important it is that we’re well-rested, energized, and focused. Trying to get through assignments, meet deadlines, or finish tasks is a lot harder when we’re unable to maintain focus and concentration or get into the zone. Although things like caffeine can help, the crash that follows isn’t desirable, and many people prefer to abstain from coffee because of its side effects.

Growing in popularity, of course, is the search for home remedies – those that can sometimes be easier on our bodies than consuming five cups of coffee or an energy drink daily. One option many people are turning to happens to be CBD, and we’ve seen people from the community reporting that it’s helped them maintain concentration and focus while at work. Given this trend, we wanted to take a step back and explore some of the science and what we know so far about CBD and focus.

The State of the Science

Although we’ve touched on this many times before, research into CBD and the effect it has on our bodies is greatly limited. Much of this is due to how recently CBD was legalized in Canada. What research we do have is very often preliminary and focused on animal trials, which means that we can’t yet say anything for certain its effect on humans. That being said, studies are expanding and building upon each other quickly. Within the next few years, we should know a whole lot more than what we know now. Thankfully, however, the research that has been conducted so far seems both promising and exciting.

Nevertheless, when it comes to CBD and focus, few studies seem to have been conducted. Most CBD research focuses on other things, such as sleep, anxiety reduction, or pain management, with any potential effects related to increasing concentration being less studied. This means that we have little to draw on besides anecdotal evidence. While we don’t want to discredit or disregard community voices, we also think it’s important to ground our claims in what reliable scientific sources can prove.

What We Do Know

Currently, there’s been a study published that investigates CBD’s potential as a wakening agent. Although it’s more common to see CBD discussed as a way to help with sleep, this study suggests that it may also be able to help with wakefulness. This aligns with an idea we’ve previously seen around CBD dosage, with higher doses potentially being more relaxing while lower doses may be more stimulating.

This may also have something to do with a product’s unique cannabinoid, terpene, or flavonoid profile. It appears that specific compounds present within a product may help to promote either wakefulness or relaxation depending. One commonly discussed cannabinoid for wakefulness, for example, is CBG. While we’re glad people within the community are finding some success with it, we haven’t seen a lot of research yet to substantiate these anecdotal claims. Since this product composition is a larger topic, we’ve spoken more about specific cannabinoids, flavonoids, terpenes, and their effects in previous posts.

Research has also suggested that CBD may help support the body’s sleep/wake cycles through the endocannabinoid system (ECS), which is something we’ve discussed more here. Additionally, there’s been research to suggest that the ECS may help with dopamine regulation, a neurotransmitter that’s not only associated with mood regulation, but also cognition, movement, sleep, and motivation.

Aside from concentration specific research, there are some studies done that suggest CBD may help with sleep quality, which can greatly impact our ability to concentrate and focus. More specifically, CBD may be able to minimize anxiety and treat pain, two things that can make sleeping and concentration much more difficult. For more information about CBD and sleep, anxiety, and pain, check out our previous posts.

Some of the most promising research, however, comes from a few studies conducted into CBD’s effect on our brain functioning. CB1 receptors, a part of the ECS, are largely found within the brain and nervous system. More specifically, these receptors seem to be concentrated within the hippocampus, basal ganglia, and prefrontal cortex; areas of the brain associated with memory, motor control, and mood. One research review found that while CBD does appear to have an impact on memory functioning, depending on dose, compound, and application, effects varied. Another study suggested that CBD can help improve facial recognition, which may imply that CBD can help with cognitive functioning. However, until more research is done, we don’t know anything for certain.

TL;DR

Although we have little research specifically investigating CBD’s impact on concentration, what we do know suggests that CBD may impact our focus. More specifically, CBD may help with sleep, anxiety, and pain management – things that contribute to our ability to concentrate. The ECS may also play a role in cognitive functioning and dopamine regulation. Hopefully in the future, we’ll see more focus related research and we can say more for certain.