Does Hemp Oil Help Regulate the Nervous System?
Your nervous system is your command center. It’s an incredibly complex network of cells and pathways facilitating communication throughout the body. The central nervous system (CNS) includes the brain and spinal cord, and the peripheral nervous system (PNS), encompasses all other nerves throughout your body.
The CNS is responsible for receiving sensory information from your environment, regulating motor responses, controlling behaviors, emotions, thought processes, learning new skills, and more. The PNS connects your CNS with different organs and structures, like muscles and bones. It allows you to feel sensations such as heat or pain from these organs and transmits signals back to the CNS.
Besides helping you process stimuli in your immediate environment, the nervous system plays a critical role in how you process information from the world around you. It also helps regulate vital functions such as breathing, digestion, hormones, and immunity.
A healthy nervous system is key to a healthy mind and body, so it’s important to support and nourish it properly. Hemp oil is a great option for promoting nervous system health and regulating its function, as it contains an array of cannabinoids, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. It can help shield nerve cells from damage, reduce inflammation, and help cells regenerate to create new pathways. Continue reading to learn how hemp oil can help regulate your nervous system and promote better overall health.
How hemp oil works in the body
Full-spectrum CBD, also known as hemp oil, impacts your body through its effects on receptors located on the surface of cells, thereby initiating certain physiological responses. The nervous system has multiple types of receptors, including cannabinoid receptors, CB1 and CB2, that are part of the endocannabinoid system (ECS).
Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the infamous psychoactive cannabinoid that binds strongly to these cannabinoid receptors, causing an intoxicating effect. In contrast, CBD binds only weakly, if at all, to these receptors, exerting its effects more subtly. It also interacts with other receptors, such as serotonin receptors, which influence pain, mood, and sleep.
CBD affects the sodium channels of nerve cells, helping reduce abnormal neuronal excitability and regulating the nervous system. It’s for these reasons that it helps with epilepsy. In epilepsy, the movement of sodium in and out of cells is often abnormal, causing seizures as brain cells fire inappropriately. CBD can inhibit this problematic flow of sodium, minimizing seizures and helping people regain control over their lives.
Hemp oil is neuroprotective
CBD nourishes the body’s ECS and other brain-signaling systems, which could benefit those with neurological disorders. Its neuroprotective properties can protect the brain from damage caused by oxidative stress and other harm, making it valuable for people with neurodegenerative diseases like dementia, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s.
CBD and other cannabinoids also facilitate neurogenesis, meaning the growth of new brain cells. Although many people assume that age-related cognitive decline is an accepted part of growing older, hemp oil may help preserve brain function and mental well-being. Hemp oil and its components could encourage the formation of new synaptic connections, which can help improve cognitive functioning and reduce the risk of developing mental illness.
Hemp oil for mental health
The ECS is believed to play a role in mental health issues, specifically those related to anxiety and depression, as it plays a central role in fear responses and stress.
Neurotransmitters play a role in depression, but research shows that CBD naturally increases glutamate and serotonin levels to help control the brain’s function and mood. Bringing balance to these critical brain chemicals also boosts learning and memory.
In a 2019 study, scientists demonstrated that CBD offered uplifting mood results and showed promise as a fast-acting antidepressant. In comparison, pharmaceutical options can take many weeks to take effect.
Hemp oil is anti-inflammatory
Inflammation is the root cause of many health issues, including those that affect the nervous system, like multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease. Studies show that CBD has anti-inflammatory properties that may protect the body from damage caused by these conditions. It’s for this reason that CBD oil for pain is gaining popularity.
Hemp oil contains multiple components that can gently combat the negative effects of inflammation in the body, helping to boost well-being.
Bottom line
Hemp oil is a powerful tool for supporting nervous system function and mental health. Its effects can be felt quickly, and its anti-inflammatory properties make it a useful ally for those with neurological conditions.
Nature designed the hemp plant with powerful healing properties, and hemp oil may be the perfect way to unlock them.
