NEW REPORT REVEALS THE PRESSURE OF HEALTH PERFECTIONISM IN THE WAKE OF THE PANDEMIC, WITH TIPS AND SCIENCE-BACKED HACKS TO EASE THE BURDEN

A new report and nationwide poll of Brits: HOW TO ‘BE YOU’ AND FIGHT THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC PRESSURES FOR HEALTH PERFECTION, reveals the intense pressure we’re putting ourselves under to get our waistlines back on track as we live through a pandemic. Commissioned by evidence backed, seed to shelf CBD brand Dragonfly CBD®, the report lays bare the stress, poor sleep, and pain we’re enduring as we attempt to diet and exercise our way back to health.

According to the poll, nearly 6 in ten Brits feel their lives are more stressful since the pandemic began, with one in five of us having more trouble sleeping, and a third feeling our pain levels are worse.

Work is worrying four in ten people (42%), money is on the minds of 40%, catching Covid concerns more than a third (34%), and weight gain weighs on the minds of a third (29%). That’s no wonder as Public Health England confirms four in ten adults gained half a stone during the various lockdowns .

Punishing perfectionism
Yet instead of following a sensible eating and exercise regime to take off the Covid weight slowly, the Dragonfly CBD® polls shows people are setting themselves unrealistic targets, perhaps in response to the lack of control we now have over our lives, or even perfect social media photos of flat stomachs and restrictive diets:
● Almost half of those surveyed (47%) say they feel pressure to be perfect
● Almost a third (28%) feel pressure to look a certain way
● One in five (20%) think they need to aspire to be an ideal partner
● The same proportion (20%) feel pressure to be perfect at work.

As GP Dr Nisa Aslam points out: “Perfectionism can be damaging for our health. Super healthy diets can lack vitamins and minerals. Too many vigorous workouts can play havoc with our joints and cause painful injuries. Aiming for perfect looks, trying to please people, and being afraid to say ‘no’ can lead to stress and anxiety. Living frenetically in a bid to be perfect can damage your sleep.”

Triple-pronged attack: stress, poor sleep, and pain
So how do we protect ourselves from the triple-pronged attack of stress, poor sleep, and pain without piling on the burden of perfectionism? The report has some key insights.

STRESS: Nearly six in ten (57%) adults said their life was more stressful since the start of the pandemic, and younger people were most likely to admit the pandemic had taken its toll on their mental health. What’s more, almost a quarter (24%) of respondents said they felt stressed three to five times a month, while 23% said they’d been stressed more than ten times.

We may be more in need than ever of solid stress management techniques, but we’re not necessarily managing our health well in this area. According to the poll, doing nothing or not knowing what to do is the first or second response from more than half (53%) of those surveyed, while a third resort to prescription medication. However, the good news is that almost two thirds (62%) said they were willing to try a safe, natural therapy to reduce stress.

Natural stress management
Natural health expert and chemist from
Dragonfly CBD®, Dr Tim Bond, says: “A product like
Dragonfly CBD® would tick the box for Brits wanting to use solutions born out of nature. There’s growing scientific evidence that CBD helps to deal with stress and anxiety. In one trial with a simulated public speaking task, people who took CBD beforehand were significantly less anxious and uncomfortable and were able to focus better .”

SLEEP: With our stress levels clearly impacted by the pandemic, according to the Dragonfly CBD® poll, it’s no surprise that our sleep has taken a knock. One in five respondents (20%) said they’re getting a lot less sleep than before the pandemic began, and more than a quarter (26%) admitted to getting a little less sleep.

In terms of how we tackle poor sleep, the poll reveals that well over half of us (58%) resort to prescription drugs, but encouragingly, more than six in 10 (61%) of those surveyed said they would try a safe, natural therapy to improve sleep if they knew about one that could help.

Natural sleep management
Dr Tim Bond says: “There’s scientific evidence that CBD can help with sleep. A critical review in the Journal of Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology found that cannabinoids could improve sleep quality, decrease night-time waking and help people get to sleep faster .”

PAIN: Pain can often go hand in hand with stress and poor sleep, creating a vicious cycle. According to the Dragonfly CBD® research poll, four in ten (40%) people are in pain at least once a week, with almost three in 10 (29%) feeling their pain levels have worsened since the pandemic, and 9% admitting they experience a lot more pain now.

The poll revealed that almost half (47%) of us tackle pain by taking pain killers once a week or more. However, the same proportion (47%) worry about taking painkillers, with more than half (56%) of respondents admitting they know about the issues painkillers can cause and saying they’d take a safe, natural therapy if they knew of one.

Natural pain management
Increasing scientific evidence shows that CBD can help with pain. Pharmacist, Sultan Dajani says: “A recent study in the Journal of Postgraduate Medicine recruited 97 patients suffering from chronic pain and found that half were able to reduce their use of opioid painkillers within eight weeks of adding CBD-rich hemp extract to their regimens. ”


TIPS to help you BE YOU
The last thing we need is more stress so how can we achieve better health without a punishing diet and exercise routine? The Dragonfly CBD® report offers five science-backed hacks from the experts to target anxiety, stress, sleep, and wellness:

1. Feed your body and brain. Natural health expert and chemist, Dr Tim Bond from Dragonfly CBD® says: “Make sure you’re getting natural stress-busting nutrients and bioactives from fresh fruit and vegetables. Purple, red and orange fruit or veg are rich in polyphenol compounds which target the brain and circulation”.
2. Support with supplements. Pharmacist, Sultan Dajani, says: “The most recent data from the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey shows worrying shortfalls in micronutrients across the population. So why not boost your intake with supplements which offer mood support nutrients, such as B complex, vitamin D and omega-3 fats?”.
3. Keep stress and anxiety in check. Former World Cup alpine ski racer, Chemmy Alcott, says: “Stress has a negative effect on mental and physical health. It can increase your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and insulin resistance, and lead to weight gain. Using a good quality seed to shelf CBD oil like Dragonfly CBD® has been shown to improve stress and anxiety, and it’s easy to add a few drops into your daily routine.”
4. Stay social. Chemmy adds: “It’s important to cultivate good social relationships at work and with loved ones, friends, and family. A study in the Annual Review of Psychology showed that these connections are important for our physical health and longevity”.
5. Never underestimate the power of a good night’s sleep. Professor of Sleep Science and Director of the Northumbria Centre for Sleep Research Department, says: “Poor sleep is associated with emotional stress, insulin resistance, disturbed hormonal regulation of food intake, poor food choice, and increased risk of obesity. Get your sleep back on track by taking a few drops of a good quality seed to shelf CBD oil, like Dragonfly CBD®.”




Dragonfly CBD®: from seed to shelf
Dragonfly CBD® is formulated from Dragonfly Biosciences’ premium cannabidoil oil, which is sourced from Cannabis sativa L plants. Shortly after harvesting, the CBD is extracted in Dragonfly’s own dedicated large scale extraction facility.
Dragonfly CBD® oil is then formulated in a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility which can fill, label and pack 50,000 bottles per day. The entire production process from seed to shelf is managed in-house, enabling the company to guarantee the quality, reliability and safety associated with their brand.


Dragonfly CBD® can be found at a variety of reputable stockists on the UK high street including Boots, Tesco, Sainsbury's and in pharmacies where professional advice may be sought on appropriate use of the product. Dragonfly CBD® is available in two ranges – narrow spectrum and broad spectrum – and in a range of strengths to take by mouth as well as flavours – peppermint, orange, anise, cinnamon. Vitamin D is included in some oral preparation to facilitate consumers obtaining the UK government recommended daily dose of this essential vitamin. With cutting edge extraction and formulation techniques, all Dragonfly CBD® products are independently tested for quality and safety.

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Read the full report for more science-backed health hacks and recipe ideas from the experts.

1 How To ‘Be You’ And Fight The Covid-19 Pandemic Pressures For Health Perfection; Winter 2021
2 https://www.gov.uk/government/news/campaign-launched-to-help...
3 Bergamaschi MM et al. (2011) Cannabidiol reduces the anxiety induced by simulated public speaking in treatment-naïve social phobia patients. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih. gov/pubmed/21307846
4 Kuhathasan N, Dufort A, MacKillop J, Gottschalk R, Minuzzi L, Frey BN. The use of cannabinoids for sleep: A critical review on clinical trials. Exp Clin Psychopharmacol. 2019 Aug ;27(4):383-401. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31120284/
5 Capano A, Weaver R, Burkman E. Evaluation of the effects of CBD hemp extract on opioid use and quality of life indicators in chronic pain patients: a prospective cohort study. Postgrad Med. 2020 Jan;132(1):56-61. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31711352/
6 https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/ndns-results-from-y...
7 Holt-Lunstad J. Why Social Relationships Are Important for Physical Health: A Systems Approach to Understanding and Modifying Risk and Protection. Annu Rev Psychol. 2018 Jan 4; 69:437-458.
8 CBD in the UK: Towards a responsible, innovative, and high-quality cannabidoil industry; authored by Blair Gibbs, Dr Andrew Yates, Jon Liebling