How CBD can Help Athletes Recover Faster
Getting involved in sports and other athletic activities can be stressful to our bones, muscles and joints. Although constant training increases adaptation, we cannot hide from the fact that this stress results in wear and tear of body cells and tissues.
To mitigate against this wear and tear, athletes use pain management methods. We must look for an alternative because of their side effects. This is where CBD oil for athletes comes in handy.
CBD and its promise of pain relief and reduced inflammation are quickly becoming an alternative to pain management systems and over the counter pain relievers. The risk associated with over the counter pain relievers continues to increase. The worst of all is an addiction to these drugs. It has caused the death of many athletes in the United States and the other nations of the world.
The benefits of CBD far outweigh the cost. We will see if it is legal for athletes. Also, we will see its various benefits to athletes, especially how it can help them recover fast from stress conditions.
Is CBD Illegal for Sports ?
If you take a look at the release of the World Anti-Doping Agency WADA) in 2020, CBD has been deleted from the list of prohibited substances. I must emphasize that this applies to CBD and not THC. THC and other synthetic Cannabinoids are prohibited. Only CBD is allowed in sports.
What does this imply?
It means that you have to be sure that the substance you are taking contains pure CBD. It is where companies like Extract Labs will have you covered. They are a small company that prides themselves on the products they produce and are one of the companies that can prove their product contains only CBD via a third party lab test result.
7 Benefits of CBD to Athletes
- CBD is an alternative to Opioids
The opioid is known to be effective in managing pains, but the side effects have been a thing of great concern. It has been responsible for thousands of death in the United States and other parts of the world. Although Cannabinoids may not have such a drastic effect of instant relieve from deep pain but is very effective in managing pain on a long term basis. You will want to consult with your health care provider before taking CBD if on medication.
The risk of addiction or any other possible side effects may be eliminated with CBD products. They have been proven to relieve all kind of pain including musculoskeletal pains resulting from exercise.
- CBD helps reduce Oxidation and Inflammation.
Inflammation causes sickness, pain and may lead to excessive weight gain. It makes it a source of concern and can slow recovery for athletes. To reduce this dreaded condition, some athletes depend on NSAID for pain relieve. But CBD is a better alternative. They are potent anti-inflammatory agents. They have been well-known to inhibit cell proliferation, suppress cytokine production, and induce T-regulatory cells.
CBD is also known to boost the level of glutathione. Glutathione is an antioxidant that can help reduce oxidative stress in the athlete. It also promotes insulin sensitivity which helps athlete balance their body composition.
- CBD Protects the central Nervous system
The brain and the spinal cord are two essential part of the Central nervous system (CNS). It sends signals through the use of nerves and neurons. Its activities are on the increase when external forces are stimulating the nerves and neurons.
Stress from sporting activities can be very stressful for the central nervous system. It can get to a point where the central nervous system becomes unresponsive to these external forces or agents. With an appropriate intake of CBD this can be avoided.
While helping a stressed nervous system it has been known to improve flexibility. It can aid endo-cannabinoids in their activities with the CNS. The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is responsible for the promotion of neuronal health.
- CBD improves Sleep Quality
Ability to get adequate sleep will improve the performance of an athlete. It is one of the benefits of using CBD products. This effect can be felt from using the first single dose. It is not only peculiar to athletes but general users of CBD.
If you don’t have enough sleep regularly, you do not have to worry. CBD can help you get adequate sleep. During your daily routines, it does not make you drowsy. CBD has the ability to lower the effect of hormones responsible for stress. It does that to reduce their probability of interfering with your normal sleep cycle.
- CBD Helps Muscles to relax
Cramps and soreness are general side effects of rigorous training sessions. Their side effects can make other daily activities difficult and unachievable. Thanks to CBD and its ability to act as a muscle relaxant. A regular intake of a moderate quantity of CBD daily and directly applying balm like the CBD Muscle Cream from the extract lab to the problematic area will also help reduce inflammation.
I must call your attention to the fact that the strength of CBD products varies. We recommend CBD Muscle cream because it is well formulated from American Hemp from Colorado.
- CBD Reduces Anxiety
CBD lovers know that it can reduce anxiety and relax their nerves. Even people who have stage fright can take advantage of these CBD based products.
Athletes having the anxiety to perform in competitions can take advantage of it. The effect of CBD on athletes is very different from that of THC. While THC has mental downsides, CBD will decrease anxiety and fear to the barest minimum without any side effect of fear.
One product I have found to be very effective is the Sour Ghost 8 Extract tank. Although it is a one-off use, it helps to annihilate pain and anxiety. It is free from fillers like vegetable glycerin and Vitamin E acetate. It is primarily based on CO2- extracted 8 distillate.
- CBD and Recovery from Stress
Apart from pain management, stress relieve is one of the benefits of CBD oil for athletes. To properly understand this advantage, we must understand the concept of stress.
What is Stress?
MedlinePlus defined pain as emotional or physical tension. They emphasized that it can be caused by an event or thought that makes you angry, frustrated or nervous. And athletic activities are no exception. As such, athletes are constantly undergoing one form of stress or another.
The essence of athletic training is to balance stress and rest. They balance the nervous system to accommodate overtraining. Achieving this is not easy, but CBD can make it easy. With regular intake of CBD, an athlete can break through his limits and push higher without undergoing as much stress.
In conclusion, stressed muscles and inflammation are common side effects of athletic training and competition.
The more challenging your daily exercise or training, the more inflammation your muscles, joints and bones may be exposed to. Due to the added stress of training harder, the quantity of CBD that you take will need to be increased.
When increasing dosage a gradual increase is necessary to help you with the benefits of CBD oil for athletes.
I have heard and read about the benefits of CBD oil, especially in pain management. I wasn’t sure at first if it was really effective or not. Or if it is even legal because as far as I know there are countries that prohibit its use.
My cousin who’s an athlete often complains of pain which often results from not only hours but days of training. At times, I think she pushes herself too much to the point where she can no longer bear the pain. I can’t imagine how much stress and pressure my cousin has to go through especially while training for an upcoming competition. I don’t think she’s getting enough sleep either. If it were up to me, I’d tell her to take pain relievers, sleeping pills, and muscle relaxants. But I have to trust her doctor.
Thank you for putting this together. I will mention these benefits of CBD oil to my cousin and hopefully, her doctor would consider prescribing it for her.
CBD oil for athletics seems to result in excellent control of stress, inflammation and pain in people involved in sports. A number of years ago, the authorities used to warn people that cannabis would effect their motivation. Is this only associated with THC? I understand that it is important to make sure that the product is not THC based but CBD based, but is this still a concern?
This is an interesting article, fascinating to learn about the effects of CBD oil in helping athletes to recovery and bounce back from the stress of training. The adaptation athletes juggle is immense. It takes years of dedication to perform at a high level in any sport, but not only are you developing your skills and prowess in your sport of choice, but your learning the intimate nuances that the training is having on your body, and how you as an individual best adapt to certain training and recovery methods.
Using legal forms of supplementation, such as CBD (which I’m not certain is still a non-banned substance) can help the athlete. However, every athlete is to be solely responsible for what they take and how they manage their training. This includes use of foods, supplements, drinks etc. I found this an interesting read and would be most interested in learning more about the research findings in this area.
Since CBD has been legalized in so many countries over the past few years, the use of CBD for several ailments, have become very popular. So the find that CBD oil can also be used by athletes, is great to see, specially that it is legal for athletes to use CBD.
For somebody who is training for a marathon and needs help with muscle pain and cramps after training, what is the best way to take CBD? Would you recommend to take it orally, or rather as a cream or muscle rub? Thank you.
Thank you Line, both ways are excellent way to get help for your muscle pain
I have seen some of these products out on the market recently and it’s definitely interesting in its use in sports as more and more people become accustomed to it. I don’t have any particular opinion on it since I’ve never used it but my father states that he has gotten some benefit from utilizing it for low back pain. Thanks for the discussion!
I’m really pleased that CBD oil has been decriminalized for use in sports. I’m still a bit unsure here but if you could clarify this for me I would be indebted.
The CBD oil is not the part of the plant that gives the “ high” as such.But it does include the properties of pain relief. And the THC component of the plant is the part that causes the “ high”, and this part of the plant is illegal?. I’m sorry for such a basic question, but I have never used this for either recreational or medicinal matters.
I do workout in the gym and if I could use this legally I would have no hesitation in doing so.
Thanks
Stephen
You are very right Steve, THC is the bad boy.
Wow, what a great article; thank you for sharing “CBD Oil For Athletes”. Here is a summary.
1. CBD is an alternative to Opioids
2. CBD helps reduce Oxidation and Inflammation.
3. CBD Protects the central Nervous system
4. CBD improves Sleep Quality
5. CBD Helps Muscles to relax
6. CBD Reduces Anxiety
7. CBD and Recovery from Stress
Thank you for sharing
Have a great day
Regards
Vlad
Hey thanks for this post!
I honestly didn’t know this much benefits existed with taking CBD oil, i had just heard of the cbd plant and thought they all had the bad reputation but clearly thats not true. Thanks for clearing out the difference between thc and cbd oil.
It great to know such benefits can be obtained from using the oil solely.
Have a great day!
Would you have any suggestions for first use for an avid weight lifter? I weight train 3-4 days per week and would consider CBD for muscle recovery but would need some guidance on some of the basics like when to apply the cream (immediately after lifting or other times) and how often should I apply? So professional athletes use CBD for recovery? Thanks for the insight. Dave
As you mentioned, CBD can be a good choice for athletes who want to manage their Muscle pain and inflammation after training for hours or days. It was interesting to me that CBD is allowed in sports. One of the problems after working out fitness for hours is insomnia. I face this problem because of pain in my muscles and drinking coffee before the workout that forces me to wake up. This is good news that I can use CBD for these problems.