How CBD Oil Can Boost Heart Health

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If you want to live a long, healthy life then taking care of your heart should be a top priority. Especially considering the fact that heart disease is one of the world’s leading causes of death. The challenge is knowing how to take great care of your heart.

There are the golden-standard strategies like daily exercise, eating healthy, and avoiding pro-inflammatory foods. But these aren’t the only methods.

A growing body of evidence suggests that taking CBD-rich hemp oil is another powerful way to boost your heart health. And best of all, it takes absolutely no time or effort to include it in your life. Here are 5 ways it works…

1. CBD Oil for Blood Pressure

Your blood pressure can have a significant impact on the health of your cardiovascular system. When it gets too high (doctors call this hypertension), it can eventually cause damage to the lining of your arteries and make them less elastic. This can ultimately limit the natural flow of blood through your circulatory system which can cause issues for your heart.

Due to this effect, scientists have linked high blood pressure to coronary artery disease, enlarged hearts, heart failure, and aneurysms (1). This is why maintaining a healthy blood pressure is a critical component of heart health.

Aside from eating healthy and exercising every day, research suggests that CBD oil may be able to help you maintain a healthy blood pressure. One randomized study, for example, found that a single dose of CBD was able to provide a modest reduction of blood pressure (2).

The researchers also noticed that those who took CBD experienced a smaller increase in blood pressure during times of stress. Without the CBD, the participant’s blood pressure spiked higher in stressful situations.

Another scientific review confirmed these findings. It concluded that cannabinoids like CBD show promise for lowering blood pressure by modulating the endocannabinoid system and encouraging blood vessels to relax (3).

2. Soothes Temporary Inflammation

Inflammation and heart health are intimately related. According to Harvard Medical School, “chronic inflammation is important to heart health because it plays a pivotal role in the development of atherosclerosis –the buildup of fatty, cholesterol-rich plaque inside the arteries” (4).

This is why some experts believe that chronic inflammation is one of the leading causes of heart disease. So, if you want to maintain a healthy heart and cardiovascular system, keeping inflammation under control is a must.

While there are plenty of ways to reduce inflammation, including by eating anti-inflammatory foods, a growing body of evidence suggests that CBD has a powerful anti-inflammatory effect.

One study discovered that CBD can modulate the body’s inflammatory response by inactivating and suppressing immune cells that trigger inflammation (5).

3. Shields You from Oxidative Stress

Another important mechanism involved in heart health is oxidative stress. Much like inflammation, oxidative stress can lead to fatty plaque deposits in the arteries. It also plays a role in heart tissue damage (6).

Under normal circumstances, antioxidants protect your body from the negative effects of oxidative stress. But when you don’t get many antioxidants through your diet and are exposed to environmental toxins, oxidative stress can easily get out of hand.

This is why some scientists have proposed that antioxidant therapy may be a viable treatment for combatting some of the issues associated with heart disease (7). They theorize that if you can control oxidative stress with antioxidants, you can better protect the heart.

So how do you get more antioxidants in your diet to protect yourself? Aside from eating plenty of berries and green vegetables, research suggests that CBD oil can have a powerful antioxidant effect in the body.

Preliminary research has found that CBD can lessen the impact of oxidative stress and may even help manage the symptoms of some diseases associated with oxidative stress (8).

4. CBD Oil Supports Sleep Quality

According to the National Sleep Foundation, getting enough sleep is essential for a healthy heart (9). Epidemiological studies have also found links between sleep deprivation and hypertension, coronary heart disease, and diabetes (10).

So, to keep your heart healthy, it’s imperative that you get enough quality sleep.

If you are under a lot of stress or struggle with a racing mind before bed, research has found that CBD may be able to significantly improve your sleep. One systematic review found that CBD was effective in treating the symptoms associated with insomnia (11). Specifically, CBD was found to reduce the time it takes to fall asleep and prevent disrupted sleep.

CBD is also a powerful remedy for stress which means it can help you relax and wind down before bed, which makes it much easier to fall asleep (12, 13).

5. CBD Oil for the Effects of Stress

The effects of stress are all too often overlooked. Stress can make you cranky, decrease your productivity, compromise your immune system, and have a significant impact on your heart health.

“It has been suggested that stress triggers inflammation, a known instigator of heart disease… stress may [also] influence heart disease in more subtle ways. Stress does cause some people to act in ways that increase their risk for heart disease,” explains Dr. Deepak Bhatt, director of the Integrated Interventional Cardiovascular Program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (14).

Think about it this way: when you’re stressed out, what things are you most likely to do in order to cope? Some people turn to unhealthy comfort foods like pizza, ice cream, and cookies. Whereas other people chill for hours on the sofa even if they already had an inactive day at work.

The evidence that’s out there seems to suggest that CBD can help you manage your stress levels which, in turn, can support a healthy heart. One study found that CBD was able to significantly decrease the levels of cortisol (the hormone associated with stress) in human volunteers (15).

There’s also evidence that cannabinoids like CBD stimulate a network in your body called the endocannabinoid system which may help improve your ability to cope with life’s stresses (16).

How CBD Oil Supports a Healthy Heart

The Bottom Line

If you’re looking to add CBD-rich hemp oil to your healthy lifestyle, make sure to pick an oil that meets the criteria for good quality. The amount of CBD, extraction method used, and whether it has been optimized for absorption can all make a big difference in the results you experience. 

There are a variety of steps you can take to support the health of your heart, from daily exercise, stress management and healthy eating. Evidence is emerging that shows CBD Oil can play a pivotal role in combating the effects of stress, soothing temporary inflammation, and boosting overall wellness of the heart.