How CBD May Help Support Heart Health
You know that February is Heart Health Month, right? It only makes sense that the one major heart-related day of the year falls smack in the middle of the month – Valentine’s Day! But why are we even writing about this and what does CBD have to do with Heart Health Month? Well, it turns out that CBD may help ease some lifestyle and risk factors if you’re trying to improve your heart health.
Let’s take a look at what some of those things are, but before we do…this has to be said…CBD is NOT a cure for heart disease. Contact your primary care physician for help with that!
Inflammation
Inflammation and heart disease go hand-in-hand. Inflamed blood vessels put pressure on your ol’ ticker to pump a bit harder to get blood to squeeze through them. That extra work is hard on your heart and could lead to other complications. CBD may help to reduce the swelling of your blood vessels and arteries, making the job of pushing blood through your system easy on your heart. Find out more about CBD and inflammation here.
Exercise
There are many benefits to even moderate exercise like going for a daily walk. Exercise can help slow down your heart rate and lower your blood pressure from where they’re currently at regardless if you’re resting or moving around. Exercise also helps you get buff. In other words, it builds muscle and since your heart is a muscle, exercise is going to help it to function better.
In the case of your heart, expect exercise to improve how it pulls oxygen from circulating blood. What does this mean? Well, think about how hard your heart works on an average day. When it is stronger, and in good working order, it performs better. It doesn’t have to work as hard to do the same work.
Here’s where the CBD connection comes into focus. By using CBD products, like our salves or roll-ons you can help your body move better by easing the aches and pains that come from a good workout. Find out more about CBD and exercising here.
Stress
For overall balance and wellness, the less stress the better! Plus, it isn’t good for the muscle buried deep in your chest that helps keep the rest of your body running efficiently. The thing about stress is that it can do things to your heart you won’t even see or feel until there has been significant damage. It doesn’t have to be emotional stress, either - although you should reduce your dosage of that, as well.
If your heart has to work hard to do its normal job, it puts stress on the equipment it needs to do that. Parts start to wear down. Just like your car, if you keep it maintained, it will last a long time between services. Your heart works much the same way. When it gets stressed out, that can lead to you getting stressed out and overproducing cortisol, which is the stress hormone. CBD edibles, like our gummies, may help you mellow things out to where you can find the calm in the storm and relax your mind and heart. There’s more about CBD and stress here.
Sleep
So, how are your sleep patterns? Are you up every two or three hours? There are several causes for poor sleep, including heart-related ones like high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, and atherosclerosis. Problems getting good sleep may increase your chance of developing heart disease. Remember what we said above about CBD helping bring calm when you are stressed? It may also help with your sleep.
Here’s how it can assist: CBD products, like our Evening Blend Extract and Restore Roll-on, may help relax you to the point where the time required to fall asleep is reduced. Plus, it may increase your chances of having a deep sleep by shifting your REM cycle into a deeper NREM cycle. If anxiety keeps you from sleeping, CBD can help chill you out so you can feel relaxed and ready to fall asleep naturally. For more on CBD and sleep, click here.
That thing that thumps away in your chest needs to be in tip-top shape to keep the rest of your body balanced and functioning as it should. Heart disease can cause problems with how your heart performs. CBD may help contribute to heart health resulting in overall balance and wellness. Since February is Heart Health Month, we thought you’d like to know that.
Plus, if you are struggling with Valentine's Day gift ideas, CBD is not a bad one to consider. Our suggestion for the perfect gift is:
- A massage for your loved one with the RENEW Body Oil
- A delicious treat of CBD-infused Chocolates Citrus Spice or Spearmint Chocolate
- Homemade CBD bath salts for a relaxing bubble bath with the Essential Blend Extract.
