What is Homeostasis?

CBD for Homeostasis Within the Body

Homeostasis is a term from the Greek words for “same” and “steady.” It refers to any process that living organisms use to maintain stable conditions within their bodies that are necessary for survival. It is an important process for humans, and when disrupted can cause serious issues. But what is homeostasis and how does CBD make a difference? Let us explore the connection below.

What is Homeostasis?

What does it mean? Homeostasis is the body’s ability to maintain a constant, stable state despite changes in external stimuli. In the human body, this includes the control of water levels, oxygen, pH, as well as body temperature. It can also include regulating internal concentrations of hydrogen, calcium, potassium, sodium, or other elements that cells rely on for normal function, according to a study conducted for the Advances in Physiology Education Journal. 

We rely on homeostasis to keep our body temperature around 98.6 degrees in order to properly function. This is referred to as thermoregulation and is an important element to maintaining equilibrium. When the body becomes overheated, it reacts to the change and initiates a chain reaction that causes the body to sweat or flush, thus lowering the body to a stable temperature.

Why is Homeostasis Important?

Humans rely on homeostasis to reach equilibrium and keep our bodies functioning at optimal performance.

When the cells in our bodies are not functioning correctly, homeostatic balance can be disrupted. Without proper homeostasis, your body temperature may plummet, causing your organ systems to struggle to do their jobs and possibly fail. 

How Does the Body Maintain Homeostasis?

Multiple systems often work hand-in-hand to stabilize a single physiological factor, such as body temperature.

Homeostasis relies on automatic control systems like signals from the nervous system or chemical responses from the endocrine system. Other body systems involved in maintaining homeostasis include the integumentary, lymphatic, respiratory, digestive, urinary, muscular, and skeletal systems.

These systems detect and respond to distress signals from the body to know when key variables fall out of their appropriate range. This process can be seen as the nervous system detecting any deviations and reporting back to its “control center” in the brain. The control center can then direct muscles, organs, and glands to activate and correct for the disturbance. This continual cycle of disturbance and adjustment is known as the negative feedback loop.

Negative feedback is a central homeostatic concept, referring to how an organism or system automatically opposes any change imposed upon it. For example, when the body experiences cold, systems kick in and respond by shivering and reducing blood circulation to the skin to regulate temperature. Similarly, spiking sodium levels causes the body to signal the kidneys to conserve water and dispose of excess salt through the urinary system.

Homeostasis and the Endocannabinoid System

The vast network of receptors called the Endocannabinoid System (ECS), helps us to maintain equilibrium and the primary objective of the ECS is to maintain homeostasis within the body.

The ECS has a series of receptors on cells throughout the body designed to react and bind with cannabinoids, like the CBD in hemp extract oil. There are two main types of receptors, cannabinoid 1 (CB1) and cannabinoid 2 (CB2), that receive different types of cannabinoids.

The ECS plays a role in the immune system, the central nervous system, the brain, organs, connective tissue, and glands. The ECS is also involved in many physiological processes like appetite, sleep, digestion, mood, memory, metabolism, neuro-protection, hormones, and heart function. All of these functions are important to creating homeostatic balance in the body.

Read more about the ECS in our article, What is the Endocannabinoid System?

CBD for Homeostasis

CBD has many noted benefits for maintaining wellness. At Charlotte’s Web, our premium hemp extract CBD is designed to help support:

• healthy sleep cycles*
• manage everyday stress*
• create a sense of calm for focus*
• reduce exercise-induced inflammation*

CBD and other cannabinoids also work with the receptors of the ECS. The purpose of this system is to help our body stay balanced and in good overall health, even when external factors and certain lifestyle choices diminish our wellbeing. 

CBD indirectly promotes healthy endocannabinoid activity by interacting with and stimulating the receptors without binding to them. Since the endocannabinoid system is directly involved in so many homeostatic processes, CBD helps support homeostasis.

For example, CBD and the endocannabinoid system can help regulate immune homeostasis in the gut. Conditions like gut permeability may be due to an imbalance that causes the immune system to attack healthy tissue in the digestive tract. Promote Homeostasis with CBD from Charlotte’s Web™.

Homeostasis is vital. The ECS is a major component of maintaining equilibrium and important processes in the body. CBD plays a role in boosting the ECS and helps support healthy sleep cycles, a sense of calm, and exercise-induced inflammation.* CBD may help give your system the boost it needs in order to continue functioning properly.

Interested in adding CBD oil for homeostasis to your wellness routine? Browse our premium Charlotte’s Web CBD products or contact us directly.