Cannabidiol or CBD is one of the most talked-about compounds right now. CBD is practically everywhere and in everything these days. You can find it in cookies, cocktails, gummies, capsules, teas, and even coffee. There are no limits to CBD. It’s so big that some experts predict that the CBD industry will reach the $2 billion mark by 2022.
CBD has a lot of benefits, which are proven by research. It can help everyone, from cancer patients undergoing server-side effects from their treatment to being a sleep aid for people suffering from insomnia. It also serves as a remedy for a severe form of epilepsy known as the Dravet Syndrome.
Those are huge benefits, but delta 8 products for sale also helps with the more minor things, such as allowing you to recover faster after working out because of its anti-inflammatory properties.
Why Do We Get Sore After Exercising?
Regardless of how fit you are, feeling sore after working out is something you must contend with. Depending on the workout, you can be left feeling sore for days. According to the United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS), exercising causes small tears to muscle fibers.
These muscles then become inflamed, which triggers the body to respond by repairing the muscles and causing soreness and stiffness. CBD can help speed up the recovery process. Some of the ways CBD can help with muscle recovery are listed down below.
CBD Can Help Reduce Inflammation
Arguably, this is one of the essential roles of CBD in muscle recovery. It helps reduce inflammation — the swelling and pain you feel when your muscle is sore. One of the most common methods of reducing inflammation post-workout is by using ice in the affected area.
Although there’s some debate if placing ice on inflamed muscle helps or not, the research is not conclusive. Some studies claim that muscle recovery improves with time, while others say that icing the area has no real benefits for shortening recovery times. However, one thing you can count on to cut down inflammation is CBD.
CBD Can Alleviate Muscle Pain
CBD may act as a powerful pain killer, as shown by both scientific and anecdotal research. This allows CBD to offer symptomatic support for muscle injuries or post-workout recovery. Feeling less pain may not only allow you to get back to your normal exercise routine much faster but also feel more comfortable as you exercise.
CBD May help Alleviates Muscle Tension
Delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is often characterized by muscle tension. The pain from muscle tension gets worse, especially during injury, and that is why muscle relaxants are so popular because they alleviate the intense pain felt during muscle recovery.
Some of the prescription muscle relaxants are benzodiazepine drugs like Valium. Benzodiazepines are potent drugs and have several side effects, such as confusion, dizziness, and sedation. Benzodiazepines primarily affect the GABA receptors, and CBD also has the same effect on these receptors, but without the strong side effects.
It May Improve the Quality and Duration of Sleep
Some of the most important aspects of muscle recovery take place during sleep. This is when the recovery process is most active, and CBD may help induce sleep, especially if you have insomnia. Some of these aspects include:
- Removal of cellular debris from the damaged cells.
- Conversion of lactic acid to glucose in the liver.
- Restoration of damaged proteins such as actin and myosin.
- Stimulating stem cell differentiation into new muscle fibers.
Depriving yourself of sleep can cause some adverse effects on your recovery process, such as:
- Reduction of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). This is one of the primary triggers for cell differentiation in muscle stem cells.
- An increase in cortisol levels affects protein synthesis.
- May cause decreased testosterone which is essential for the process of muscle recovery in both men and women.
Can Help Balance Cortisol Levels
Catabolic hormones cause the breakdown of muscle tissue. Cortisol is specifically the hormone responsible for the breaking down of muscle tissue which increases during workouts. High-intensity exercise causes a lot of stress on your body, increasing the cortisol levels despite the body releasing endorphins to help you chill out.
High levels of catabolic hormones in the body may cause high blood pressure and the breakdown of muscles, potentially negating the muscle-building process. CBD helps regulate the cortisol hormone because of its anti-carbolic properties and leads to muscle growth during the recovery.
May Lower the Risk of Injury
CBD may help lower the risk of injury, too, especially during muscle recovery. Studies have indicated that CBD’s anti-inflammatory properties, analgesic effects, and neuroprotective properties may protect against any inflammation damage and help heal skeletal injuries.
Conclusion
To conclude, CBD is safe to use, but you may want to use it in line with your doctor’s instructions. Of course, you can’t use CBD alone. Using it in conjunction with the prescription drugs your doctor has suggested during muscle recovery. Try it for a few weeks to see how effective it is for you and what dose works best. You never know, you may be on your way to recovery with CBD, and the faster you heal, the quicker you can get back to working out.
