Feeling like your heart is racing, skipping a beat, or about to jump out of your chest can be unsettling at best. The causes of heart palpitations can run the gamut, from simple anxiety or exertion to not enough sleep. Fortunately, there seems to be a lot of advantages to CBD oil for heart palpitations, since many people find success in taking CBD for the same root causes that cause the condition. Disclaimer: CBD is not intended to treat any medical condition. If you think you have a medical condition and/or are under medical care, always consult with your doctor before adding CBD to your regimen.
CBD Oil: A Quick Guide
Understanding the basics of CBD is a must before you start shopping for CBD oil for heart palpitations.
The ECS System
The human body makes a unique type of chemical compounds known as endocannabinoids. These interact with the body’s endocannabinoid system (ECS), which in turn is connected to the central and peripheral nervous symptoms.
In response to imbalance or dysfunction related to the nervous system, the body pumps out endocannabinoids. These can interact with the nervous systems, helping to balance and regulate body temperature, mood, sleep cycles, and much more.
When the body doesn’t make enough endocannabinoids, or the ones being made don’t last long enough to do their jobs, you can end up with dysfunction. If you suffer from anxiety, lack of restful sleep, pain, stress, and/or other issues such as heart palpitations, it’s quite possible that this is a contributing factor.
The Cannabis Link
Phytocannabinoids are very similar to endocannabinoids, but are produced by plants, particularly, the Cannabis Sativa plant. These plants contain a wide range of chemical compounds, chief among them cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids.
The four most well known cannabinoids found in Cannabis sativa are cannabidiol (CBD), tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabigerol (CBG) and cannabichromene (CBC). CBD is the most prolific cannabinoid, followed by THC.
THC is unique in that it is psychoactive, meaning it interacts with the central nervous system receptors in such a way as to cause feelings of euphoria and/or paranoia. CBD, CBG, and CBC do not cause these effects, and neither do terpenes and flavonoids.
Instead, the other cannabinoids and compounds interact with the the body’s endocannabinoid system (ECS) and affect the peripheral nervous system by boosting the efficacy and lifespan of endocannabinoids.
Industrial Hemp vs. Marijuana
Cannabis sativa plants have been divided into two categories by the federal government. One category contains less than 0.3% THC and is classed as industrial hemp. Everything else is classed as marijuana.
All legal CBD oil must be sourced from industrial hemp, and the manufacturer must be able to prove not only that fact, but the fact that each batch of each product they are selling is below the legal THC limit. Yummy CBD products are all sourced from organic industrial hemp and have a high CBD and low THC content – in line with federal requirements.
Making CBD Oil
Unlike hemp oil, which comes from the crushed seeds of the hemp plant, CBD is extracted from the leaves and flowers, where the concentrations of cannabinoids are strongest. The extract is then mixed with a carrier oil (such as coconut oil) to create a CBD oil.
Yummy CBD uses medium-chain triglyceride (MTC) coconut oil because MCTs don’t get stuck in your body forming new fat cells. Instead, they break down quickly and actually help the CBD oil work better.
Taking CBD Oil
Taking CBD in the form of an oil is a commonly preferred form of dosing since the oil can be administered sublingually. A few drops under the tongue allows the oil to soak into the soft tissues there and get into the capillaries (tiny blood vessels).
From there, the CBD can enter the bloodstream and start taking effect in as little as 20 to 30 minutes. The amount of time it takes and the effectiveness of the dose depends on a lot of factors, including when and what you last ate, the time of day, and so on.
Most people start with a small dose of CBD oil and see how it works, repeating for several days before increasing the dose or changing the time of day it’s taken. It can be helpful to take it for a full month to clearly spot patterns in the effects of CBD – before making big adjustments to your dose.
Keeping a journal also can be helpful, as you can note down other factors that may affect how CBD is working for you, like meals or time of day. You can also track when and how often you get heart palpitations, how well you sleep, and whether or not you are having anxiety attacks.
Common Causes of Heart Palpitations
It can be unnerving when your heart seems to deviate from its normal lub-dub. For many people, heart palpitations aren’t necessarily a signal of a true heart condition. Instead, often they are simply side effects of events occuring in real time, causing the heart to behave a little erratically but still within normal parameters. But, it is important to be aware of what your body is doing in case there is an underlying issue you need to talk to your doctor about.
Anxiety
Anxiety can easily cause heart palpitations, making you feel like panicking. Even if you generally experience low anxiety, you may find that it spikes from time to time, causing your chest to feel like your heart is trying to jump right out of it.
Even if you don’t feel like you’re anxious all the time, sudden anxiety attacks can have roughly the same effect, making you feel like your chest is tight, your heart keeps skipping beats, and it’s hard to breathe.
CBD oil has a wealth of documentation behind it regarding how it can help with anxiety levels. Many people take CBD solely for this purpose, and report that side effects of anxiety, such as heart palpitations or tightness in the chest, seem to dwindle.
Stress
Similarly to anxiety, stress can cause many of the symptoms of heart palpitations. If you feel extremely tense, it may cause the muscles in your chest to spasm. The result may feel like your heart isn’t working properly.
In such an case, you might think your chest tightness is the sign of a pending cardiac event and then get caught in a loop of stress and fear that makes you feel progressively worse. Telling yourself to calm down and relax may not cut it once you reach that point.
Just a little CBD oil every day appears to help lower stress levels for many people. This can be a great way to wind down after a day full of demands that are physical, psychological, mental, emotional, or all four, and may help with your heart palpitations as a natural side effect..
Lack of Sleep
Not getting enough sleep puts a lot of tension on your body, mind, and spirit. Struggling along with a sleep deficit can aggravate many other symptoms, including those associated with heart palpitations.
If you aren’t able to sleep, keep rising up from light slumber, and are unable to fall into a deeper sleep, you may suffer from repeated “startle” responses. This can make you jumpy and feel like your heart keeps hammering in sudden bursts.
The number of people who take CBD to leverage sleep benefits rises by the year. It’s possibly one of the most popular CBD benefits. Taking CBD before sleep may help you drift off easier and stay asleep longer.
Yummy CBD oils have the option for added melatonin (a natural sleep aid) that can help even more. When you aren’t startling awake every little bit through the night, it may help reduce the episodes of heart palpitations caused by sleep deprivation.
Exercise
Exercise, especially if you aren’t used to it, you don’t warm up properly, or you overdo things, can trigger an episode of heart palpitations. You can feel like your heart is rabbiting and you can’t catch your breath.
Stopping exercising obviously isn’t a solution if you’re trying to be fit and healthy, but having heart palpitations can certainly feel like a deterrent. Figuring out how to workout without such a discouraging side effect is a priority.
More and more athletes are taking CBD oil as a workout recovery aid. When your systems are better balanced, your body’s core temperature won’t fluctuate as much, and your muscles are less likely to spasm. These regulatory effects may help prevent exercise-induced heart palpitations.
Blood Sugar
Wildly fluctuating blood sugar can also make you feel like you’re experiencing heart issues. This is especially true if your blood sugar has been high then drops abruptly, which can happen after a burst of activity.
The shift between high and low blood glucose can make you feel lightheaded, dizzy, make you break out in a sweat, have blood rushing in your ears, and also cause heart palpitations as your body reacts to the changes.
Several studies have shown that CBD may be beneficial for helping to control insulin resistance, a common problem for people who a diabetic or prediabetic. When the body can properly manage blood sugar levels with appropriate insulin release, there is less likelihood of heart palpitations caused by a sudden blood glucose dive.
Hormones
Hormonal changes like those caused by menstruation, stress, or a thyroid condition can cause heart palpitations and make a person feel fatigued and moody. These feelings may come and go and be difficult to manage.
When the thyroid in particular is over or underactive, it can cause a whole host of symptoms. Even when a person is taking medication to resolve the problem, they can still have symptoms like stuttering heartbeat, sweating, or exhaustion.
Daily CBD oil has been posited to assist in managing the endocrine system, which is responsible for balancing hormones. Better hormone balance can mean less adverse symptoms like heart palpitations.
Stimulants
Many people routinely turn to stimulants – such as caffeine – when they want to become more fully awake or focused. However, caffeine can be a trigger for heart palpitations, especially when compounded by feelings of anxiety or a lack of sleep.
Slamming back shots of espresso, drinking cup after cup of coffee or tea, or doubling down on highly caffeinated sodas might help us feel more aware for the time, but they can contribute to jitteriness and overstimulation, setting the stage for feelings of butterflies or tightness in the chest.
Taking CBD oil instead of stimulants may help you feel healthier and improve your overall sense of wellbeing. Cutting down on stimulants may reduce instances of heart palpitations due to excessive caffeine intake.
Pain
Pain rarely exists in a vacuum. With pain, especially chronic pain, comes a host of other issues. Worry and anxiety are top of the list as people wonder if the pain will stop and how they will manage to complete their responsibilities while suffering. Palpitations of the heart aren’t even that surprising, considering how pain can increase stress levels.
Pain can also prevent restful sleep, causing people to have trouble both drifting off and then staying asleep as spikes of pain break through and cause wakefulness or constant changing of position. These disturbances can cause heart palpitations as well.
The potential for pain management is one of the biggest draws of CBD oil. When the body is able to dampen pain signals headed to the brain, it can experience a decrease in side effects such as heart palpitations.
Why Use Full-Spectrum CBD Oils?
There are three types of CBD oil on the market.
- CBD isolate contains only CBD, infused into the carrier oil tincture.
- Broad-spectrum CBD contains CBD and select other cannabinoids, plus select terpenes and flavonoids.
- Full-spectrum CBD contains all cannabinoids (including the trace legal amount of THC) as well as all terpenes and flavonoids.
Broad and full spectrum products are typically more effective because of the “entourage effect”, which simply means that the other chemical compounds (cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids) make the CBD work much better than it does alone.
Yummy CBD products are all full-spectrum to ensure you get the best possible results. We have two CBD oil products currently available:
Orange Zest CBD Oil
Our standard CBD oil tincture contains 33 mg of CBD per mL, and has a delicious natural orange flavor. It is great to take regularly whenever needed.
Mellow Mint CBD Oil
Our CBD oil sleep formula contains 67 mg of CBD per mL, plus 1 mg of melatonin per mL, and has a minty taste. It’s designed to take at bedtime.
Ready to try CBD oil for heart palpitations? Review our helpful CBD Buyer’s Guide, then browse our SHOP page to investigate both our oil varieties and our popular CBD gummies.