Can CBD for Athletes Speed up Muscle Recovery?

This article originally appeared on MadeByHemp.com

CBD oil is gaining a lot of popularity across the country, with people from different fields turning to it for its health benefits. It’s especially fast becoming the go-to supplement of many athletes and fitness enthusiasts. This is because of its ability to reduce soreness and inflammation caused by rigorous training and intense physical workouts. Let’s take a deeper look at CBD for athletes.

CBD for Recovery

During exercise, especially an intense one, muscle fibers rub against each other. This creates microscopic injuries or tears to the fibers, which in turn triggers an inflammatory response. Inflammation is the body’s natural reaction to muscle damage. They are eventually repaired, which allows the muscles to become stronger, but the pain will always be unavoidable. What you simply call a post-exercise soreness is actually an entire process that’s happening inside your body.

Now, to help them manage the pain occurring after a game or a mad session at the gym, athletes and bodybuilders (or even occasional gym goers) often pop ibuprofen to keep them going. But with the stigma attached to hemp-derived CBD beginning to lift, people are switching to CBD products, like CBD for recovery, which is a safer alternative to conventional pain medication. Apart from that, CBD oil doesn’t carry the same side effects that over-the-counter medicines have, a lot of studies have proven its anti-inflammatory benefits.

How CBD for Athletes Works

How does it work, you ask? CBD interacts with the endocannabinoid system (ECS), an important system in the human body that regulates the function of the brain, endocrine, and immune tissues. As such, CBD for athletes helps soothe aches and inflammation. It also helps you sleep better, which is actually when a great deal of muscle repair and recovery happen. It is when the body is asleep that it produces melatonin and human growth hormones. These are important factors in healing and recovery, and if you’re not able to get proper sleep (probably because of the pain, too), then muscles are not given enough time to recuperate.

In short, CBD for recovery helps in many different areas. It activates our ECS and this activation not only soothes sore muscles and joints, it promotes a sense of calm. When we are calmer, the quality of our sleep improves, and sleep is a crucial ingredient in a faster post-workout recovery. Regular activation of the ECS also helps minimize the experience of pain in the long term. Daily servings allow athletes to train harder and stay at the top of their game, making CBD for recovery a better alternative to traditional supplements.

Finding Your CBD Serving Size

Apart from recovery, the use of CBD oil also helps in the improvement of an athlete’s performance and can aid fitness enthusiasts in achieving their goals. While it does help you relax and sleep better at night, it also gives you an energy boost when you need to keep yourself awake, alert, and focused on your workout.

It all depends on the serving size you take. Usually, its calming effects are associated with higher serving sizes, while its stimulating effects are achieved when it’s administered in lower servings. Different people have different reactions to CBD, so it’s recommended to experiment and find out how much CBD you should take.

Other CBD Benefits for Athletes

Another thing CBD oil does, which is a big factor contributing to one’s physical performance, is that it helps you manage stress and anxiety. Game-day stress is very common, and high levels of distress and tension could greatly affect an athlete’s focus. CBD oil helps calm you down and improve your mood so you can concentrate on completing the task at hand the best way you know how.

Did you know that this product also helps with gut issues and nausea? You may overlook the fact that an upset stomach could ruin a game, but it does happen, especially to endurance athletes. CBD oil interacts with our endocannabinoid system which helps ease gut issues, and it also connects with our serotonin receptors to help reduce nausea.

Overall, CBD oil enhances one’s fitness routine and athlete’s performance and cuts their downtime by allowing faster recovery. All of these without the side effects and health risks that prescription medications often have. Again, different bodies have different reactions to the product, so the best way to make sure you maximize its benefits is to get the go-ahead signal from your doctor and find the perfect serving and routine which works best for you.