7 LIFE CHANGING HEALTH BENEFITS OF CBD FOR SENIORS
In recent years, CBD has urged massive changes in health and wellness communities not that people around the world are keen on finding natural relief for their varying health conditions. CBD multivitamins can help further people by providing many health benefits.
Based on the results of several research studies, CBD is able to provide natural relief for more than fifty health and medical conditions such as multiple sclerosis, arthritis, epilepsy, stress-related disorders, and many more.
Although its properties can certainly be beneficial across all age groups, this article will focus more on populations that are affected by serious health problems. We shall be exploring the incredible benefits of CBD for the elderly and discuss the enormous impact of CBD within this age group.
Health Problems Among Seniors
Today there are more than 46 million people in America who are 65 or older. While some people accept the changes associated with aging, there are many more who refuse to recognize it. Whether we like it or not, we all get older. It is part of the natural process of the body. Based on this truth, as our bodies age, we will inadvertently face the threat of serious health problems, and without a doubt, many people will be afflicted by these conditions.
The results from leading institutions confirm the sad truth:
- 5 million older adults suffer from Alzheimer’s disease
- 1 million seniors suffer from Parkinson’s
- 300,000 seniors are diagnosed with multiple sclerosis
And based on CDC findings, 49% of senior citizens are suffering from arthritis.
According to Mental Health America, 27% of seniors are afflicted by severe anxiety disorders and are impacting their ability to perform daily tasks.
These are just a few of the medical and health conditions that elderly people suffer from. And these numbers are only projected to grow by the year 2034 when the number of seniors will outnumber minors.
CBD’s Benefits to Seniors
Cannabidiol, or popularly known as CBD for short, is one of the over 50 cannabinoids that are found in cannabis. And like other cannabinoids, CBD is able to interact with the body’s endocannabinoid system (ECS), which a number of key researches have reported to be the catalyst behind the numerous effects of cannabis in the body. This is why psychoactive cannabinoids such as THC can produce feelings of euphoria or mind-altering effects on those who consume it.
But unlike THC, CBD does not have any psychoactive effects. What this means is that it will not make users high while still continuing to offer many health properties of the plant. Because all these benefits align quite well with the health problems that affect seniors, CBD is becoming a popular solution to improve the health and lives of senior citizens. And because CBD is available in oils, capsules, edibles, and gummies from companies like Unwind CBD, it’s easy to add to your daily health regimen.
Health Benefits of CBD for Seniors
Helping manage pain
Let’s start this list with CBD’s ability to provide relief from a condition that almost all seniors suffer from – pain and inflammation.
About half of the elderly population in the United States suffers from arthritis and about 75% to 85% of the elderly suffer from chronic pain. Unfortunately, this is a common problem for many seniors not just in America but around the world. But it doesn’t have to be.
Studies have shown that cannabidiol can help reduce inflammation and relieve pain from conditions like joint pain, arthritis, and multiple sclerosis.
By activating the many receptors in the endocannabinoid system, researchers discovered that patients treated with CBD reported a significant reduction in pain symptoms with no undesirable side effects. CBD makes a compelling case for senior care providers and health professionals as a natural and viable alternative to traditional pain treatments.
Promotes bone health
As the body ages, many people will experience a bone condition known as Osteoporosis. This disorder involves the bones of the body to experience significant loss of minerals making them more brittle and fragile which makes them quite prone to breaks and fractures. Due to this, seniors experience extreme pain and severe fractures if they suffer a fall.
In addition to promoting cell repair and helping to reduce inflammation, research has revealed that cannabinoids such as CBD can, in fact, help strengthen bones and even speed up the healing process in the event of a fracture.
Although additional clinical trials will still be needed in order to determine CBD’s application for the general public, the results so far look very promising.
Improve heart health
Based on the findings by the American College of Cardiology, the most common disease among elderly people is heart disease. And it is also the leading cause of death for this age group. This comes as no surprise since already more than half of all adult Americans suffer from hypertension, a leading cause of heart disease.
Based on the research of new studies, CBD can be effective as a natural treatment for hypertension.
In a 2017 study, 10 men were treated with a dose of 600 mg of CBD. The researchers found that it led to a decrease in blood pressure among subjects. The same study also conducted stress tests in order to determine the effects of CBD on the subject’s stress response. They found that the subjects had a lower than normal increase in blood pressure.
As well as reducing blood pressure, studies have shown that CBD’s antioxidant properties can also help reduce cardiovascular inflammation and prevent cell death due to oxidative stress.
The researchers who took charge of the study felt that the results suggest that CBD has great therapeutic potential for the treatment of complications of diabetes, and possibly other cardiovascular disorders, by reducing oxidative stress, cell death, inflammation, and fibrosis.
By lowering blood pressure and reducing cardiovascular inflammation and cell death, CBD can help improve overall heart health and play a significant role as a protective measure against serious health problems.
Help improve sleep
Sleep conditions such as insomnia afflict everyone across different age groups, they are far more common in older adults.
Experts suggest that this is due to changes in sleep patterns as we age together with the chemical imbalances caused by certain medical conditions as well as the side effects of certain prescription medications.
Because sleep is the time when our bodies excrete toxins and recover, conditions that prevent us from achieving quality sleep are extremely detrimental for the health of the elderly.
To reduce their sleep disturbances, older adults will turn to sleep pills. While these types of medications can temporarily address the problem, they can lead to an even bigger problem long term.
By fighting the underlying reasons why sleep disturbances are happening such as stress, restlessness, anxiety, and general imbalance within the body, CBD can help calm the user and promote a natural and healthy sleep behavior for seniors. Most importantly, taking harmful sleeping pills can be avoided.
Prevent neurodegenerative diseases
Many experts believe that CBD could be a possible treatment for neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Multiple Sclerosis because CBD can interact with receptors in the brain as well as the central nervous system.
Although it is still early to make any conclusive statement about this fact, several studies have shown some very promising results.
- A 2007 study showed that CBD can help reduce inflammation in the nervous system commonly associated with Alzheimer’s disease by minimizing the neuroinflammatory responses.
- Another study done in 2015 discussed how cannabinoids can reduce aggression and agitation that’s common in patients with Alzheimer’s disease.
- A study published in 214 explained how CBD can prevent the development of social recognition memory deficits in Alzheimer’s disease.
- A 2012 study also showed that CBD can help to slow the degenerative process and offer relief from pain and spasms associated with multiple sclerosis.
- And a 2017 study examined the effectiveness of CBD as a treatment for neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s, Parkinson’s, and ALS.
These are only some of the studies that explore CBD as a viable treatment for neurodegenerative diseases. All this is proving that there is strong evidence that supports the benefits of CBD. And as more clinical trials continue to explore the full benefits of CBD, it could become one of the primary treatment methods for older adults who are suffering from these types of diseases.
Fighting addiction
When people are suffering from a health problem, the first response coming from society is to offer prescription medication. And while this response may provide temporary relief from the condition, it most often requires increasing doses gradually which leads to additional damage to the body and promotes dependency on the drugs. By the time we realize how harmful it is to our body, it is too late. Our body has already grown accustomed to the medication and craves it constantly.
With the elderly suffering from numerous health problems, there is no doubt that they have been prescribed various medications. And as they continue to depend on drugs to relieve symptoms of their conditions, they eventually develop an addiction.
Studies have shown that CBD not only relieves many different symptoms from health problems but also helps fight the dependency that develops from chronic use of prescription medication.
The results of a 2018 study found that CBD can actually help fight addiction by stopping relapses. In the study, researchers found that after giving respondents CBD once daily for seven days, they no longer showed any addictive behavior and it discouraged patients from relapsing for five months.
As older adults decide to change from harmful drugs to natural relief, CBD from an online dispensary can help fight and relieve symptoms of withdrawal and prevent relapse from happening during their entire process of getting rid of the addictive substance from their bodies.
Help to improve mood
We all deal with mood swings, it’s all part of being human. But as we start to go through the many changes associated with getting older – such as declining health, disabilities, or losing loved ones – these mood swings can become quite intense.
If prolonged, mood swings can lead to many health problems, often increasing the chances of the person developing mental disorders especially if they are disconnected, isolated, neglected, or simply too lonely.
Findings from different studies have pointed out that CBD can help alleviate mood swings.
Because CBD interacts with receptors that are involved in regulating our mood, CBD can be of great benefit to people who are suffering from stress. It can help calm the mind and improve various cognitive functions. All these factors combine to help improve people’s perception of the current situation they are currently facing and it can have an enormous positive impact on the mood, too.
And while studies have pointed out that CBD can effectively address mood disorders, more than anything seniors need to know and feel that they are not forgotten by the people closest to them.
It might not be something people are comfortable about talking but we often get so wrapped up in our own lives that we fail to notice our elderly parents or grandparents who need our attention more than ever. Feelings of loneliness and neglect can manifest in different ways, including physical and mental problems.
People try to make the most out of their life, living it as they see fit but at the end of the day, no one wants to get old. Even more so when they have to do it alone!
Be it your parents or grandparents, if there is an older adult in your life who could use your company, now might be the time to reach out to them and make the effort to spend some time talking to them. These might not seem much but to them, these are precious moments they will cherish and it will undoubtedly make a huge difference in their lives.
And so that concludes this list of CBD benefits to senior citizens. As you’ve seen, there is a lot it can offer to older people not just in their physical health but mental and social as well. So the next time you visit an online dispensary, don’t just think about what these products offer you, but also think about the countless others who are suffering from physical and mental problems that have found relief because of these products.
AUTHOR BIO:
Eliza Brooks is a passionate blogger who loves to write about innovative ideas on promoting mental and physical health. She is currently working with GreenSociety, the best bmwo alternative, which offers premium quality weed online.
