When you’re an athlete, you know that you must constantly strive to improve your training and speed up your recovery in order to be a better athlete. No matter what your chosen sport is, from an occasional hike to a full-time extensive workout and hardcore training, you certainly know that when it comes to enhancing physical prowess, treating your one and only body well is extremely important.
The use of Cannabidiol (CBD) in the arena of athletic performance has gained immense popularity and growth, and one of the use cases is the use of CBD in treating chronic pain in patients. Although all the hype, one question remains: Can CBD aid athletes in recovering faster?
In order to fully understand the potential benefits of CBD for athletes, we need to first review a few fundamentals of this newly discovered wonder supplement.
An overview of CBD: What it is and what it does
There are two main compounds found in cannabis plants: THC and CBD. While THC has been known for its psychoactive effects that produce feelings of euphoria and intoxication, CBD doesn’t have these effects. CBD is long-lasting and has no psychoactive effects of its own.
Instead, CBD acts by interacting with the body’s endocannabinoid system (ECS), which is one of the most complex networks of receptors in the body. ECS regulates many bodily functions including the perception of pain, inflammation, and stress through its complex network of receptors.
By interacting with the ECS, CBD is capable of helping to promote a sense of calm and relaxation and can help to alleviate a wide range of health issues as well as have potential therapeutic benefits.
Here is a quick breakdown of the potential therapeutic benefits of CBD, in general:
Pain Relief and Inflammation Management
One of the many reasons athletes choose CBD is its purported analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties. It can be difficult for athletes to perform and recover following intense physical exertion, as it leaves them sore, uncomfortable, and inflamed. It has been shown that CBD modulates the ECS and influences neurotransmitters involved in pain signaling, so it can also help alleviate these symptoms.
CBD interacts with inflammatory pathways in the body, and it has been shown that CBD can be beneficial in reducing exercise-induced inflammation, which enables athletes to recover much faster after strenuous workouts in the gym.
Muscle Recovery and Repair
CBD can also help with muscle recovery and repair, reducing pain and inflammation. Intense exercise damages muscles, triggering a repair process that eventually leads to muscle growth and adaptation. Excessive inflammation and oxidative stress can make that process hard, so it takes a long time to recover.
CBD’s antioxidant properties and ability to modulate immune responses can help support muscle recovery by neutralizing free radicals and promoting a healthy environment.
Stress Reduction and Mental Well-Being
In addition to physical prowess, mental fortitude, and emotional well-being play essential roles in athlete performance. Training and competition can negatively affect athletes’ mental health, leading to anxiety, stress, and sleep disturbances. The anxiolytic effects of CBD have gained attention, which may help athletes deal with stress and anxiety.
Having said that, CBD, as a detoxifier and stress reducer, can help to enhance athletes’ physical and mental recovery by promoting relaxation and reducing the stress responses induced by physical activity.
Sleep Enhancement and Restoration
Sleep is the time when the body undergoes a number of physiological processes, including muscle repair, hormone regulation, and cognitive consolidation. Therefore, quality sleep plays a key role in athletic recovery and performance optimization. Overtraining, pre-competition nerves, and chronic pain can adversely affect athletes’ sleep patterns, ultimately resulting in increased mental fatigue.
The calming effects of CBD and its purported ability to regulate sleep-wake cycles can naturally alleviate stress. This fantastic duo (sleep and CBD) can act as a resolution for improving sleep quality and duration, making it easier to recover between training sessions.
Optimizing CBD Use for Athletes
As an athlete or someone who prioritizes the health of their bodies, CBD is likely to have a great deal of benefits for them. However, it is important to remember that using CBD responsibly is also very important.
There are many CBD products on the market these days, but when it comes to CBD products made for athletes, people should be careful and choose only the best CBD for athletes. For example, Just CBD or other reputable CBD brands that provide consumers with test lab results and are made with only the best ingredients available on the market are recommended.
You should always feel confident about consulting your regular doctor if you have any questions about CBD dosage, health goals, methods of administration, and interactions with prescribed medications, so that you can get real-time, customized advice.
If you are looking for the best CBD products for athletes and anyone else who may benefit from quality CBD supplements, then you should visit your local cannabis dispensary or smoke shop, including World of Smoke and Vape, to find the best CBD products, such as CBD gummies for pain and CBD for muscle recovery.