Blood pressure is very prevalent monster in our society. This study says that 360,000 Americans died due to blood pressure being the primary or contributing cause in the year of 2016. That’s a lot, guys, especially since it’s easy to understand and extremely preventable.
Usually it’s super easy to have balanced blood pressure. The major exception is inheriting high blood pressure as part of your genetic structure, (I’ll explain that in further detail), and today I’m going to explain the ins and outs of CBD and blood pressure. I’ll explain what blood pressure is, how it’s caused, and if we can use CBD to help us return to (or stay at) normal levels for the rest of our lives. I’ll be discussing other ways to help high blood pressure, of course 🙂
It’s worth mentioning that I’m not a licensed professional – the information I’m about to share with you guys comes from personal experience and thorough research on CBD and blood pressure alike. With that said, let’s get started!
What Is Blood Pressure?
So, before we answer the burning question we have to know what blood pressure is, and for that we should start with how blood pressure is measured.
Pay attention to how your heart beats for a moment. You’ll notice that it thumps in a rhythmic fashion, and that it’s easy to tell when it constricts, and when it rests. Each “thump” is your heart constricting in order to pump blood through your arteries and, of course, to the rest of your body. Cool, right?
Well it turns out that a blood pressure monitor measures your blood pressure based on when your heart “thumps” and when it relaxes. The top number (systolic mm Hg) is the monitor measuring your blood pressure when your heart constructs and sends blood throughout the body, and the bottom number (diastolic mm Hg) is the monitor measuring your blood pressure when your heart is relaxed.
This number is read as ‘x over x,’ or in other words, “120 over 80.” 120 over 80 is normal, 120-129 over 80 is more elevated than usual, 130-139 over 80-89 is hypertension stage one, 140 over 90 is hypertension stage two, and 180 and/or 120 is hypertensive crisis (numbers courtesy of heart.org).
The force and friction of a high heart rate damages the delicate tissue inside of the arteries over time, and in turn, the bad cholesterol forms plaque along tiny tears in the artery walls. This signifies the start of atherosclerosis (the hardening and narrowing of your arteries), which in turn makes it even worse since your heart has to pump even harder to get your blood flowing throughout your body.
A high blood pressure is your heart working harder than it should, and a low blood pressure is (usually) not as critical to address as a high blood pressure, usually it just means you’re relaxed (or that you haven’t eaten in five days. I noticed a significant drop in heart rate when I went on a five day fast, and that’s because my blood sugar levels dropped to an all-time low. Plus I wasn’t digesting anything, which made it easier on my heart :).
One very important thing to take away from this is that a blood pressure monitor is basically measuring your current heart rate – you’re measuring your BPM (beats per minute), and that’s the perfect segway into the section below.
Lots of Things Can Increase Heart Rate
Really we’re just looking at high BPMs, and lots of things can make our heart rates increase. Fear, excitment, trauma, sex, the amount of activity you’re currently engaged in, the kind of diet you currently have (watch for unhealthy cholesterol and carbohydrates!), and even genetic predisposition can all be responsible for our increased heart rate.
That’s why it’s important to measure your blood pressure over an extended period of time – you’re looking for a consistent number in a calm and non-threatening environment, and if that number is higher than the norm (above 120 over 80) then you know that something is causing an increased heart rate, and that it should be addressed.
We’re looking for a chronic increase in heart rate, and if we see this then it means we’re usually looking for:
- Artery plaque buildup
- Stress
- Anxiety
- Obesity
- Dehydration
- Being out of shape
- Exercising too much
- Too much caffeine
- Too many energy drinks
- Excessive alcohol and tobacco usage
- A poor diet
- Genetic hypertension
If you’re worried about high blood pressure, and if you’re already aware that it’s much higher than normal, then I recommend you look for possible causes before taking CBD since this will benefit you a lot more than CBD will. Heart disease is no joke, and I want you to live a healthy lifestyle more than anything else, so knowing the root problem(s) and changing them will drastically reduce your risk of ever having to deal with anything like that. However, with that said, let’s talk about CBD and blood pressure.
CBD Oil – Can It Decrease Blood Pressure?
CBD oil is known to help you in a myriad of ways that are pretty well documented at this point, but a lot of its benefits are anti-inflammatory, and high blood pressure is the result of an increased heart rate. Does that mean CBD can’t help high blood pressure?
On the contrary, this study shows that blood pressure can be lowered using CBD in “healthy volunteers.” It may not be a complete cure for hypertension, but CBD is a safe, natural remedy for you to manage your stress and blood pressure. It seems like the solution for genetically hypertensive people!
Why, exactly? Because when CBD binds to the CB receptors it helps maintain a healthy endocannabinoid system. I’ve written about the ECS in greater length then I plan to here, but it helps you with mood and pain regulation, immune function, sleep, appetite, stress, anxiety, and more.
This means that having a healthy ECS is vital to your well-being. Besides the cannabinoids that your body is naturally producing it’s also possible to consume CBD and have the ECS become “supercharged” for a better part of the day. Expect to be a little hungry if you decide to use CBD with high blood pressure 😉
Contact Your Doctor if You’re Extremely Concerned
For most of us, it’s relatively easy to change – we have to cut back on the cheeseburgers, exercise a bit more (me), tone down the alcohol, or find time to relax throughout the day. If your blood pressure is extremely high and you need help, let your (or a) doctor know immediately! Remember, 180 and/or 120 is critical status, and if your heart monitor is displaying 180 over 120 you’re in serious trouble and you should get some help as soon as possible.
I’ve Tried CBD Oil, and It Hasn’t Worked!
That’s unfortunate! It’s best to make sure that you aren’t suffering from hypertension because of the reasons I’ve listed above – stress and anxiety will do you in if you don’t address them properly. However, it’s also important to make sure that you’re using “legitimate” CBD.
Why? Because the CBD industry isn’t FDA regulated. That means it’s possible for individual companies to skip product testing, and that opens up a lot of potential for undesirable things filter into our CBD products. I’ve written about this in greater detail here, but I’ll content myself with saying that there are some companies who stay true to their word even though they don’t have that “extra supervision” watching them.
Conclusion
CBD helps with high blood pressure! Such good news, especially since more and more people are complaining about the flaws of traditional medication. I’m glad we have this healing agent on our side, especially with high blood pressure plaguing the country at the moment. I say “at the moment” because people are starting to know what’s wrong and take action, which is a very beautiful thing indeed.
Please leave a comment below if you have anything you’d like to say, and you can email me at gabriel@itsagreenworld.com if you have any questions about the website. Have a great rest of your day!
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