Along with stress and depression, anxiety is the epidemic of modern life. With over 40 million affected adults, it’s one of the most common mental disorders in the United States.
If you’re one of them you may be considering taking kratom for anxiety relief.
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What Is Anxiety?
Anxiety is your body’s natural response to stress. It’s the feeling of fear, worry, or apprehension about something in the future.
You may feel anxious before a job interview, your first date with someone, an important presentation, test or exam, and similar situations.
Similarly to stress, anxiety in itself it isn’t bad. It can actually motivate you to be more attentive, work harder, or pay attention to details you normally won’t.
In one-time situations like the ones described above, anxiety comes and goes. It feels uncomfortable but does not deteriorate your overall quality of life.
The Dangers of Anxiety
However, if you experience anxiety all the time and longer than 6 months, you may suffer from an anxiety disorder. It can interfere with your everyday life and lower your overall quality of life.
Anxiety can prevent you from enjoying the simple things that you would normally do. In more serious cases, anxiety can even be debilitating and make you miss out on opportunities.
It can even affect the lives of your loved ones in a negative way.
Different Types of Anxiety
Not everyone experiences anxiety in the same way. It can also be a part of a different disorder.
There are various kinds of anxiety. Some of the most common ones are:
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder – a permanent state of fear or worry even if the person isn’t experiencing anything that could provoke it.
- Illness anxiety disorder (also known as hypochondria) – constant anxiety about the state of one’s health.
- OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder) – an anxiety disorder when a person experiences unwanted repetitive thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors or rituals (compulsions). The person performs the rituals to get rid of the obsessive thoughts. He or she then experiences a short temporary relief from anxiety. Or, on the contrary, an increase in anxiety levels if the ritual is not performed.
- Panic Disorder – an anxiety disorder when a person experiences periods of intense fear. During these moments, they may have a shortage of breath, increased heart rate, dizziness, chest pain, and more.
- PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder)– it’s anxiety that a person suffers from after witnessing or experiencing a traumatic event such as combat, natural disaster, abuse, assault, or trauma.
- Social Anxiety Disorder (also known as Social Phobia) – extreme anxiety and self-consciousness when being or doing things in front of other people.
The Symptoms of Anxiety
As there are different types of anxiety, the symptoms and their intensity can vary from person to person.
You can experience mild anxiety or be completely out of control. Some people may also experience nightmares, painful thoughts, and flashbacks, or panic attacks.
However, some of the most frequent symptoms include:
- difficulty concentrating,
- faster heart rate,
- much harder time falling asleep,
- rapid breathing,
- restlessness.
Regardless of how intense your anxiety is, it’s making your life harder and less enjoyable. And natural for you to seek ways to relieve it.
Can You Use Kratom for Anxiety Relief?
The good news is that there are ways of treating anxiety. In mild cases, doctors usually only recommend lifestyle changes.
This can include adding healthy habits and limiting or eliminating unhealthy ones, as well as taking a better care of one’s body.
Sometimes that can be enough.
However, in more severe cases, doctors normally prescribe medicine and psychotherapy.
Fortunately, there are also various natural ways of dealing with anxiety. Kratom is one of them. It contains a variety of alkaloids, each with their unique properties.
7-hydroxymitragynine is one of the most abundant alkaloids in kratom, and it’s responsible for its painkilling, relaxing, and sedating properties.
Best Kratom Strains for Anxiety
There is a large variety of kratom vein and strain types. Not each of them provides the same effects. Below are some of our favorite strains of kratom for anxiety:
1. Red Strains
Reds are often called slow strains. They have lower levels of mitragynine and higher levels of 7-hydroxymitragynine.
As a result, red vein kratom normally relieves pain, relaxes and can help you to fall asleep.
Yet, some red strains such as Red Sumatra and Red Thai are more stimulating, so be sure to check out their specifics before ordering.
2 Bali Strains
Bali kratom is the most widely available strain and one that’s popular with buyers. It also tends to be one of the most economic strains, primarily because of its availability.
Bali strains are high in 7-hydroxymitragynine produce relaxing effects that can relieve anxiety.
Depending on which strain you choose to take, you may experience side effects such as wobbles and nausea. This may not be pleasant if you’re going through an anxiety attack.
Therefore, measure your doses carefully to monitor the effects. Start with a lower dose and gradually build up until you experience the desired results.
3. Borneo Strains
Among users, Borneo is one of the most popular strains of kratom for anxiety.
Similarly to Bali strains, it is high in 7-hydroxymitragynine. As a result, it’s excellent for relaxation and anxiety relief.
But, Borneo strains tend to be quite sedating. So, taking Red Borneo right before you go to work may result in you falling asleep. Green Borneo may be a better choice here.
Some users also recommend White Borneo because of its mood-enhancing properties.
So, try different doses and strain colors to see what delivers the best results.
4. Indo Strains
Indo kratom has similar effects to those of Borneo kratom, yet with slightly less intense sedating effects.
Try reds to relax and fall asleep easier and greens or whites to boost your mood.
5. Malay Strains
Malay strains are another option for those suffering from anxiety. They calm the mind, improve the mood and produce euphoria. They may be more suitable if you have a busy day ahead.
However, we advise you to start off with Red Malay and try Green Malay next. Stimulating and mood-enhancing effects work for some people while others feel like they cause or make anxiety worse.
Best Dosage of Kratom for Anxiety
Usually, lower doses of kratom result in energizing effects while higher doses tend to be more relaxing and sedating.
Until you know what your body responds to best, always start with taking lower doses. Since 2-3 grams is usually stimulating, 3-4 grams is where relaxing and sedative effects normally start.
Use a sensitive digital scale to measure your dose of kratom for anxiety well. That will help you know how much kratom exactly you need and avoid unpleasant side effects.
What Should You Avoid if You Want to Take Kratom for Anxiety Relief
Generally, most white strains are best to avoid because they are stimulating and can increase your anxiety instead of helping you treat it. Same goes for Thai, Maeng Da, and Vietnamese Kratom.
However, kratom is a natural substance and it may interact differently with individual bodies.
Thus, results may vary per person. Because there are multiple types of anxiety disorders, each of them may also require different effects.
Some users report green and yellow strains to be the best ones to relieve anxiety for them.
Others say that white strains work for them in terms of lowering anxiety levels. That is because they make them feel more positive and upbeat this increasing their overall satisfaction with life.
So, we advise you to start with the reds and experiment with other strains to see what effects they produce on you.
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