CBD Can Help
There is an ongoing search for ways to enhance or provide therapy for athletic performance. It continues to challenge those who are looking for ways to reach or maintain high levels. With the pressure to stay at the top of your game, an athlete must be careful to conform to anti-doping laws and be safe. They would also like to find a natural solution.
Top athletes participate in intense exercise. Athletes using CBD claim benefits such as accelerated recovery from injury, sounder sleep, and reduced muscle pain. CBD is a non-intoxicating cannabinoid with anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, anti-anxiety, and analgesic properties.
What Experts and Athletes are Saying
Experts on the side of this natural source of treatment, though feeling positive about the promise of CBD benefits, acknowledge that as yet, CBD data is based on animal studies, and doses that are higher than normal.
Athletes are purporting the use of CBD as an anti-inflammatory, and as a good way to relax their muscles. Neuroinflammation is another area of interest for athletes who play contact sports like football or boxing and suffer concussions.
The use of CBD for sports recovery is becoming a key part of training. Areas proving to be beneficial include:
Cardiovascular Support
CBD lowers blood pressure and reduces inflammation. This is important for performance-related stress. CBD is also currently being researched as a therapy for cardiovascular disease.
Stimulates Appetite
Additional calories are required to optimize recovery, for those involved in intense workouts. Using CBD is a healthy way to stimulate your appetite.
Antispasmodic
Muscle spasms can cause nerve damage, muscle sprains, and dehydration. Supplementation with CBD oil can reduce these spasms.
Treating Nausea
Blood flow can be diverted away from the stomach during an intense workout, causing nausea. CBD helps reduce nausea during and after exercise.
Anti-Catabolic
CBD helps reduce the breakdown of lean muscle tissue, and even helps you build muscle mass. It has been shown to regulate cortisol, a stress hormone that uses muscle tissue to supply the body with blood sugar.
Pain Relief
CBD helps relieve pain during and after a workout. Athletes use CBD to manage pain from muscle aches, sore joints, and older injuries.
Anti-inflammatory
CBD has been found to reduce inflammation resulting from exercise. These benefits can help you recover faster, improve training, and relieve soreness.
Relaxation and Sleep
CBD aids in sleep cycles but doesn’t cause drowsiness. Recovery from athletic workouts requires quality sleep, as your body repairs, manages hormone levels, and burns fat.
Experts are saying that opting for a tincture, which is used for sublingual administering, is preferable, as it gets into your system quicker and has higher bioavailability, allowing for a lower dose.
Side Effects, Regulations, and Other Things to Know
Side effects are relatively limited and short-lived. Some mild side-effects include shifts in appetite, shifts in weight, diarrhea, and fatigue.
If you are an athlete concerned about drug testing, obviously the safest thing to do is to not take CBD. If you do, make sure to do your research and read the product labels for the contents and dose levels.
It is always a good idea to consult with your doctor or trainer before including CBD as part of your supplementation.