There is so much controversy arising from the cannabis plant and its many chemical products like purple rhino cartridge. Often, you will find people who drive this conversation splitting into two groups; those in support of cannabis products and those who do not. This division is more apparent in the world of athletics.
In the search for great results, athletes push their bodies to the max. Unfortunately, most athletes overlook that their bodies need to rest and recover to achieve the best results. It does not matter if the athlete is a professional or regular gym-goer. Recovery is essential in the prevention of injuries. For this reason, athletes are always looking for solutions that can speed up their post-recovery period. One of the most contentious options is the use of cannabis-related products.
In 1998, Mr. Rebagliati, a Canadian athlete participating in the Olympics, was stripped of his gold medal after testing positive for the chemical THC in his bloodstream. At this time, THC, an active compound of marijuana, was not on the WADA list of banned substances. Although his medal was restored, WADA addressed the oversight and added THC to prohibited items.
With time it was noted that there are properties in cannabis that are beneficial to athletes. CBD specifically was established to give therapeutic value to the body. Although it is a product of marijuana, it lacks the psychoactive effects that you can find in THC.
CBD products are non-addictive and do not make a user feel high. In 2018, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) removed CBD from its list of prohibited drugs making it an acceptable treatment solution. Here are six reasons why you should start using CBD products immediately.
1. To Relieve Pain/Inflammation
CBD is of benefit to athletes, especially after an intense workout. When an athlete performs an intense workout, the muscles may develop microscopic tears and inflammation that may leave you feeling fatigued.
A little bit of inflammation may be suitable for your health. However, chronic inflammation can hinder you from quick recovery as an athlete. It can lead to pain, weight gain, and sickness.
While traditional medication may help reduce the pain, it may not be safe and sustainable. What you need is a healthier solution that will not harm your body in the long run.
On the other hand, CBD can effectively get rid of the pain and can last for a long time. It might also help regulate the signals sent through the body, affecting muscle tightness, contraction, and cramps. Typically, when a muscle is sore, it can send a signal to the brain to prevent contraction, protecting your body against muscle damage.
The anti-inflammatory properties of delta 8 CBD can ensure that you experience only the small adaptable amounts of inflammation you need. Even so, you should only use tiny amounts of CBD to improve your condition.
2. It Might Improve Sleep Quality
Sleep is an essential part of an athlete’s lifestyle, especially during intensive exercises before a competition. It can help them achieve outstanding results. CBD can help athletes to sleep quickly and have a more restful night. But how does it do so?
Potentially, CBD might help athletes fall asleep by reducing the level of stress hormone. Typically, a lot of stress hormones in the body increase the rate of nighttime awakening in people, including athletes. In research, the levels of stress hormones were reduced in participants who ingested doses of 300 or 600 milligrams of cannabidiol.
3. Might Help Settles the Gut
One of the top reasons endurance athletes drop out from intensive exercises is discomfort arising from inflammation in the large and small intestines. While CBD may not address any problem that occurs from over-eating and dehydration, it may address some of the underlying gut issues that you have.
CBD can help modulate both acute and systemic inflammation by preventing interleukins and cytokine production, both of which are proteins that signal an inflammatory response. The result is a therapeutic benefit for anyone with colitis, bloating, damage to the gut lining, or IBS.
CBD can also help with digestion since it can lower cortisol, thus preventing any intestinal permeability. When taking CBD, it is crucial only to consume high-quality products and start from a low dose working your way up till you see positive results.
4. Might Help your Nervous System
The central nervous system and endocannabinoid system consist of the spinal cord, brain, and the receptors and transmitters that each has. The two systems make use of neurons and nerves to communicate signals throughout the body.
When athletes perform intensive exercises that involve plenty of resistance, the nervous system tends to become active. Overworking the nervous system is not suitable for an athlete. It leaves their muscles sore, without strength or contraction power.
For this reason, if you are an athlete, you will notice your actions getting slower and slower. It, therefore, becomes harder to lift as many weights as you are used to since your muscles fail to respond to any neural firing.
CBD can help resolve this problem by protecting the myelin sheaths in the nervous system. It might also support healthy neural signaling. As a result, it might enable you to recover from intense workouts very fast.
5. Might Increase Muscle Relaxation
During the recovery period, athletes turn to medication such as valium and Flexeril as a quick fix to some of the muscle soreness, spasm, and tension they may experience. But these medications come with a list of complicated side effects. More troubling is that they can be habit-forming, leading to much bigger problems down the road.
CBD, on the other hand, is a supplement that can work as a muscle relaxant. CBD might inhibit the release of secretions that may cause muscle rigidity and spasms.
According to a 2017 study conducted on Multiple Sclerosis patients, using a combination of CBD-THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), oral mucosal spray helped improve their gait and normalize muscle fibers. A similar study conducted on patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in 2019 found that including CBD in the treatment regimen helped reduce the patient’s abnormal muscle tightness.
Studies show that CBD works on a more cellular level to help muscles relax. An athlete with overstressed muscles can benefit from CBD since it has anti-anxiety properties that help reduce the long-term effects of stress. CBD falls into two categories depending on the method of use. You can use a transdermal CBD on the sore muscle or choose to use an oral ingestion CBD. An oral CBD product is the best to use since it is easily absorbed and is bio-available.
6. It Can Alleviate Stress
Sports can be stressful even to an amateur athlete. An athlete needs to put in the time, dedication, and good health to give out their best performance. But the most crucial aspect an athlete need is to be in the right mind.
Mental health is vital for every athlete. Even the best athletes have crumbled under pressure. Stress and anxiety are expected during the game day but wash away once the game begins. However, the fear may remain for some, giving an athlete a crippling feeling that may impact the whole game and the athlete’s career.
Players with performance anxiety are highly likely to lose their self-esteem and confidence completely. The result is a discouraged player and under-performance. Performance anxiety is a psychological problem that arises due to stress. It is accompanied by an increase in the heartbeat, rapid breathing, sweating, nausea, and a dry mouth. It occurs when the body misinterprets fear to perform as a threat to the body.
Players experiencing performance anxiety often have to undergo therapy and take prescription medication to get back into shape. CBD provides athletes with the hope of managing their fear and helping them become better athletes.
When athletes use CBD oil during the game-day, they can perform at their highest level. CBD stimulates the ECS in the brain, helping control anxiety and stress levels by stopping the CB1 receptors from becoming overstimulated and increasing the already present endocannabinoids.
CBD also helps with higher serotonin levels, leading to better moods, reduced stress levels, and overall calmness.
Summing up
Like most medications, CBD may have some side effects. It is, therefore, right to only consume it after seeking medical advice from a professional. This is especially important if you have any other underlying condition that dictates you to take another medication.
CBD may react differently in your body once it interacts with other medications, mainly if the drugs you take are processed in the liver. If you are new at using CBD, start consuming low doses and gradually increase the dosage as you do more physical activities. Avoid taking it if you are not doing any physical activity.
You can experiment between consuming it orally or applying it until you get the best product that works for you. Besides capsules for oral intake, you can also find CBD-infused drinks such as coffee and pre-workout beverages.
While CBD may seem like the go-to solution for pain and stress relief by athletes, there is still a lot to learn. The initial research is positive, but it is still worth extensive research.
With all these benefits, it only fits that you give CBD a try to experience it’s positive effects on your performance.
