10 Health benefits of growing cannabis
Cultivation can be an incredible hobby offering a wide range of benefits, from a steady supply of product to significant financial savings, but it can also be a healthy lifestyle choice that may improve your quality of life in ways you never dreamed possible.
1. Mood enhancer
Gardening helps to make you feel at peace with the world, resulting in a prolonged state of contentment. This level of focus distracts the mind from stressful thoughts, leaving those who partake feeling much better in the moment. Some research indicates that getting your hands dirty by digging in the soil and coming in contact with Mycobacterium, a special bacteria that triggers the release of serotonin in the brain, is enough to experience anti-depressant-like benefits.
2. Lose weight
Bending over, digging up flower beds, creating holes, and carrying water and plants is a lot of physical work, and it tends to help gardeners to lose weight fast, a benefit that lasts throughout the course of the growing season. Of course, not everyone needs to drop pounds, but those that wish to may see a significant difference after picking up this healthy hobby.
3. Fresh organic cannabis
One of the many perks of growing is that you can have a constant, fresh supply of products at a reduced cost, and the best part about this is the quality that can be achieved when you’re in full control. Organic cannabis is just one more step in the right direction for those who are looking to live a healthy lifestyle.
4. Work those muscles
All that working, digging, folding, carrying, and extra walking will do wonders for your muscle tone, tightening up what are often problem areas caused by a lack of physical exercise. You could lose the muffin top and work those stomach muscles into a 6 pack, all while doing what you love. It really doesn’t get much better than that.
5. You’ll enjoy the therapeutic benefits of nature
According to research into ecotherapy, spending time in the great outdoors can help to reduce the severity of a host of mental health problems, including anxiety and depression. As long as this time enjoying the bounty of mother earth is spent in a safe space, gardeners could see lower stress hormone levels and blood pressure. It may even enhance immune system function, which is much needed during cold and flu season.
6. Stress-less
Activities like reading can lead to a much less stressful life, but gardening comes with the added bonus of keeping the hands busy, which is an excellent distraction from stressors. With this level of mental focus, there is little room for any negative thoughts about work, family, or the week you just had, and that alone is sometimes enough to offer a sense of relief that can only otherwise be achieved with prescribed medications.
7. It’s good for the heart
Working in a cannabis garden can help to prevent diabetes, lower cholesterol and blood pressure, and reduce the risk of heart disease because it gives all the important muscle groups a good stretch, including your back, stomach, neck, legs, and buttocks. One study even found that people who engage in cultivation lowered their risk of death by heart disease by a staggering 12%.
8. Better hand strength
Cultivation alone isn’t likely to give you a significant boost in core strength, especially if it’s not combined with other healthy lifestyle choices, such as eating well, but even the laziest gardeners will notice a huge difference in their hand strength. Gripping shovels, carrying water, and even simple shifting of cannabis plants can be enough of a workout for your hands to get them in tip-top shape.
9. Motivation
Growing cannabis is a huge job, but it’s also a major motivator, especially for those who have very little else for a reason to wake up each morning bright and early. When you know you’ve got precious babies waiting on you daily, you just might find that it’s easier to crawl out of bed and make it to the end of each day.
10. Get a better night's sleep
Most people will experience problems with sleep at some point in life, with nearly 50% reporting ongoing struggles with getting a decent night’s rest. Gardening can really help with this because after so much fresh air, exercise, and a hearty dose of sunlight, you’ll be itching to crawl into bed at the end of the day and much more likely to drift off into a deep slumber that lasts the whole night through.
