Trekkers, aircraft passengers and climbers often feel appetite loss, fatigue, moderate headaches, migraines, shortness of breath and unease while on their high altitude adventures. All of these feelings may be related to altitude sickness.
Almost one out of every two persons who climb to a high altitude will experience physical distress due to climbing high mountains. This condition is called altitude mountain sickness, aka acute mountain sickness. In addition to that, one out of every ten persons might suffer from high altitude pulmonary edema.
Fortunately, CBD can treat or alleviate the symptoms of high altitude sickness owing to its intrinsic benefits and features as an antiemetic, sleep inducer, hunger enhancer, and potent painkiller.
Raise your hand if you are experiencing the mentioned symptoms of altitude sickness while traveling to or from a high-altitude area, whether you are simply hiking for exercise or flying on an aircraft.
If you are raising your hand, you need to learn about CBD products’ ability to alleviate the symptoms or treat altitude sickness. Continue reading about the different benefits of the cannabis plant, and it can be an effective treatment for high altitude sickness.
What is altitude sickness, and what causes it?
Altitude sickness, specifically acute mountain sickness, is characterized by physical discomfort experienced by the body due to difficulties in accustoming to higher altitudes.
People who experience altitude sickness often get reduced blood oxygen levels due to lower oxygen pressure. The need to breathe more quickly and get higher oxygen intake may result in a headache or other symptoms associated with altitude sicknesses, such as nausea and vomiting.
Numerous signs and symptoms listed above are considered mild to moderate in severity, while they might be more severe in certain circumstances.
Causes of altitude sickness
The air is thinner once you are at a higher altitude. When you are ascending to a higher elevation too quickly, your body may not be able to acquire more oxygen, which is required consistently. This makes you want to take as much oxygen as possible and breathe faster.
Most people who have just arrived from a lower altitude may find that vigorous physical exercise at higher elevations worsens their altitude sickness. It is not restricted to any one gender or fitness level. Altitude sickness may be deadly and can even cause high altitude cerebral edema and lightheadedness edema.
Thus, you must know how to recognize and treat acute mountain sickness or altitude sickness as soon as it begins.
How to treat altitude sickness
If you’re going trekking, camping, or traveling to a high-altitude location, it’s crucial to be aware of the signs and symptoms of altitude sickness. Many people confuse the symptoms with other common conditions such as the flu, dehydration, or even a hangover.
There are several approaches to dealing with altitude sickness. Still, the essential thing to do is consult with a healthcare professional to ensure that the therapies you intend to take are appropriate for your case.
The health care practitioner will need to ask you questions and discuss your symptoms, and maybe examine you to rule out any other ailments or concerns that you are experiencing.
Regular and healthy hydration should be the cornerstone of any health and wellness program. It should be taken into account before engaging in activities or being exposed to detrimental situations to hydration levels.
If you have checked out everything else and have determined that you are suffering from altitude sickness, there are a few things you should consider doing to help yourself.
If your symptoms are minimal, you may want to try staying at that height for a while to enable your body to become used to the new environment. However, we do not promote this since it is still more important that you decide what is best for you by consulting with your physician. Adjusting to a higher altitude might take a few hours, a day, or even longer, depending on the individual.
Maintaining a higher altitude for an extended period necessitates enough rest. Take it easy, and don’t overdo it. Drink lots of water, but refrain from consuming alcoholic beverages. It’s better not to think about traveling to a higher altitude until your symptoms have subsided completely.
What is CBD?
Cannabidiol (CBD) is one of the many compounds in the cannabis plant. It interacts with the body’s endocannabinoid system, which is essential for maintaining the homeostasis of many organs and systems throughout the body.
Unlike its close sibling THC, CBD does not cause you to become intoxicated. There have been several scientific and research studies conducted by various organizations investigating the possible medicinal advantages that CBD may provide, and there will be many more in the future.
Since its discovery, CBD has received a great deal of attention in the media, and there is a great deal of anecdotal evidence from people who have used and witnessed the remarkable things it has done for them.
However, it would be best if you noted that each individual and their experience is distinct from the others. It may be effective for some people but not for others. Until the FDA regulates and authorizes CBD, we will have to rely on some clinical studies and anecdotal data to determine whether or not it has any possible health advantages.
Many individuals are using CBD with exercise because they believe it has given them greater control over their health and wellness. As we always recommend, you must consult with your doctor first to ensure that CBD is a good fit for you and won’t cause adverse effects when taken with other prescription medications.
Many people believe that using natural products helps them support and balance their lives. In some cases, natural products reduce some of the side effects of pharmaceuticals or over-the-counter options and have a less negative impact on the environment.
It is also vital to emphasize that CBD is not the same as marijuana. The cannabinoid CBD is related to cannabis, but unlike its cousin, CBD is non-psychoactive and only has about 0.3% or less THC, whereas cannabis contains far more.
How can CBD help with altitude sickness?
According to a 2015 research, CBD can aid in opening the bronchial passages, which may be beneficial for people who demand more oxygen, such as those suffering from altitude sickness.
This raises the possibility that if CBD may aid in increasing oxygenation of the blood, it may also be able to aid in the treatment of altitude sickness. However, it is vital to note that further research and evidence are still necessary to prove this point.
Take a look at some of the benefits of using CBD to prevent and alleviate the symptoms of altitude sickness.
CBD may help alleviate nausea
The sensation of nausea is a common symptom of altitude sickness. As a result of its interaction with serotonin receptors, CBD has been shown in animal tests to help alleviate nausea.
Serotonin is a hormone that regulates your feelings, specifically, your general sense of well-being, behavior and emotional state. It is also responsible for the instinct to push food out of the body to rid the body of stimuli or harmful chemicals. Sounds and visuals, as well as events that cause anxiety, can all cause nausea.
CBD may be beneficial for sleep and anxiety disorders
CBD may help with sleep by reducing anxiety. An article in The Permanente Journal describes a study in which researchers from Colorado examined the health records of 72 individuals who had been treated with CBD for either anxiety or insomnia.
The majority of the patients (47 out of 25) reported feeling anxious, while the remaining 25 reported having trouble sleeping. The findings found that taking a 25mg CBD capsule daily for the first month resulted in the following:
- Out of all participants, 79.2% stated that CBD helped them feel less anxious
- An overwhelming 66.7% of all participants stated that CBD helped them sleep better at night.
Participants with poor sleep as their major complaint decreased anxiety levels throughout the three-month research. On the other hand, those experiencing sleep problems reported modest improvement after the first month.
As per a study published in Current Psychiatry Reports, CBD may have the potential for treating rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder. However, the findings have been inconsistent, and the research is still in its early stages.
In another study on the effects of CBD, researchers observed that individuals who took 300 or 600 mg of CBD oil had much lower cortisol levels than those who took less. These findings suggest that CBD affects the release of cortisol and that it may have a sedative effect.
CBD has the potential to reduce pain
Some data suggest that CBD may have minor advantages for chronic pain and pain associated with altitude sickness.
According to a 2020 review, CBD may be beneficial in treating chronic pain, reducing inflammation, and improving sleep. However, the specific effects may vary depending on the symptoms or the disease being treated.
CBD controls pain by activating the reuptake of the neurotransmitter adenosine in the brain. As a result, increased adenosine levels in the brain can lead to reduced pain sensations.
In addition to that, CBD effectively treats headaches caused by altitude sickness. This can be done by stopping pain signals from reaching the processing centers of the nervous system. As a result, the process can help control inflammation and pain.
Many studies have suggested that CBD’s non-CB1 pathways are involved in the modulation of pain. This is because CBD stimulates the serotonin 1A, vanilloid, and adenosine A2A receptors, which help to modulate pain and inflammation.
Research and studies on CBD use at high altitude, particularly in the treatment of high altitude sickness, is relatively sparse. Although various clinical studies have been conducted and have shown that CBD improves oxygen intake, reduces the feeling of nausea, heals mild to moderate headaches, increases appetite, and improves sleeping at altitude when taken orally.
CBD may help in reducing fatigue
CBD has been used to treat various illnesses in various parts of the world for several decades, including pain and fatigue. Existing information indicates that CBD benefits the brain by interfering with crucial signals sent between brain cells.
As a result of its interaction with specific brain receptors, CBD helps to reduce pain experience while simultaneously increasing energy and mood levels. Since altitude sickness can cause weariness or fatigue, CBD can alleviate this symptom.
While there are various naturally occurring endocannabinoids, the body produces them to respond to internal stressors, such as anxiety. Anandamides and 2-arachidonoyl glycerol are the two most abundant endocannabinoids in the body.
The cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2), which are found in abundance throughout the human body, form the endocannabinoid system, which, when combined with the endocannabinoids, regulates the body’s natural production of cannabinoids.
CB1 and CB2 receptors are involved in the regulation of mood and energy. Unlike the other psychoactive substance, THC, CBD has no direct effect on these receptors. However, it may still similarly attach to these receptors to how receptors attach to other essential messengers such as neurotransmitters, which are essential messengers that carry important messages from the body to the brain.
CBD may also prevent the destruction of endocannabinoids, thus helping maintain a healthy balance of physiological processes.
Conclusion
High elevations bring their own set of difficulties, such as fatigue, shortness of breath, swollen hands and feet, nausea, and migraines, amongst other symptoms.
Due to its analgesic, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, and powerful antioxidant qualities, organic plant-based medicine such as CBD can be used to help alleviate altitude sickness symptoms.
While there are several over-the-counter and prescription treatments available, some people have resorted to CBD to alleviate the symptoms of altitude sickness. We must stress that CBD does not treat or cure any medical condition or ailment. CBD is a natural supplement.
By treating the symptoms of high altitude sickness, the natural compound found in CBD can assist your body in becoming acclimated to the altitude. It works on the endocannabinoid receptors in the gut to reduce nausea and the brain’s pain receptors to alleviate symptoms.
Additionally, as an anti-inflammatory compound, CBD can regulate the production of pro-inflammatory cells to keep you free from swelling experienced while climbing to high altitudes.
Get the best CBD products for your altitude sickness here at Highly Concentr8ed! Use our CBD Isolate to relieve inflammation and pain. You can also find products combining CBD and CBG by checking out and exploring our product page!
