What is the fight-or-flight response?
Our genetic makeup leads to particular responses. We laugh at something funny or shiver when cold. These reactions often help and warn of danger but can sometimes be harmful.
Sensing danger or stress, the brain assesses whether confronting the situation or escaping is better. This is the “fight-or-flight” response. Scientists consider it an ancestral inheritance, a defense mechanism developed when threats such as predators and warfare were part of daily life.
How does it help us?
Although vital to early human survival, this mechanism can now cause health problems. Most daily situations are not life-or-death threats. We do not normally fight to survive in traffic or supermarkets, so the response is unnecessary there, but can still be triggered. Even a minor problem can then cause stress and anxiety, leading to major long-term difficulties.
How does CBD address fight or flight?
Nonpsychoactive cannabidiol (CBD) regulates stress responses by triggering adenosine receptors discussed here in connection with the endocannabinoid system. CBD cannot address every stress-related disease, but numerous scientific studies have demonstrated effectiveness in treating stress-related conditions.
Alongside stress, it helps address conditions including epilepsy, pain and depression.
If you have a stress-related condition, you can try CBD products. Natural methods may be preferable to prescription drugs—where CBD is legal, of course.
