CBD for Athletes: What You Need to Know About Cannabidiol

Sports have both positive and negative effects on our bodies. The hard training and strain from playing results in muscle soreness, pain, and injuries. On the positive side, the stress from practicing activates body adaptation and enhance performance besides resulting in a killer physique. However, due to the pain and soreness that result from the preparation and sport activities, athletes need some effective methods of managing the issues.

Unfortunately, the commonly used methods of aiding recovery and relieving pain have serious side effects. The perennial users of over the counter pain relievers or NSAIDs such as ibuprofen and naproxen sodium face greater health risks than it was previously known. Besides that, there is a high risk of an epidemic of addiction to opioids and overdose, which has been blamed for killing thousands of Americans every year.

In a bid to seek safer methods of dealing with the soreness, inflammation, and pain from sports, CBD has become one of the solutions considered. The known potential of CBD to relieve pain and deal with inflammations and not pose the risks associated with the pharmaceuticals makes it a top consideration by athletes. Let’s explore this issue of CBD for athletes at length.

The legality of CBD for athletes

From early 2018, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) excluded CBD from the banned substances for both in and out of the competition. The US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) followed suit. However, there was a critical caveat: only CBD was removed from the list, but THC (the psychoactive component in marijuana) and other synthetic cannabinoids are still banned in competition.

Regarding CBD for athletes, you may be wondering if CBD is legal or if it can get you arrested. You may also want to know various legal issues surrounding the compound. You can check for more details and learn how to enjoy the benefits of CBD without getting on the wrong side of the law.

Ways in which CBD benefits athletes

People have known CBD for its therapeutic benefits for a long time, especially as a pain-reliever, anti-inflammatory, and sleep aid. These qualities also make CBD an excellent choice for athletes. Here are some of the benefits of CBD for athletes:

CBD reduces stress

The most significant advantage of CBD for athletes is probably reducing stress. The question that begs an answer is what the link between stress and athletics is. The reality is that athletic activities are a form of stress in themselves. Since stress is a state of mental or emotional strain due to some demanding situations, athletes often find themselves under pressure to balance training, sports, and rest. It is hard to find the sweet spot, but with CBD, it gets easier. The cannabinoid helps the athletes to get through previously-induced stress limitations. The athletes can then move to new levels.

Relieve pain

According to studies, CBD (mostly higher THC quantities and lower CBD) works well to reduce pain. These pains include musculoskeletal pains caused by workouts and stiff joints. However, there is little research on CBD’s effect alone or THC and CBD in a 1:1 ratio. But even without much hard evidence, it seems that CBD helps to relieve pain among many athletes.

Enhances sleep

Athletes stand to realize more gains from their training if they get more and better sleep since muscle repair and growth happens during rest and sleep. From anecdotal evidence, athletes who consume CBD have indicated they have ease falling asleep and enjoy a more restful night sleep. Sleep also helps to relieve stress and make the sportspersons to be in a good frame of mind for training and competition.

Reduce inflammation

Although a little inflammation is good for sportspersons because it helps to encourage adaptations and positive training, too much of it can inhibit recovery and interfere with performance. Cannabinoids can reduce inflammatory effect by binding to CB2 receptors hence reduce production of cell messengers (cytokine). That way, the binding of CBD to CB2 assist in reducing the response once the immune system sends the signal after intense workouts.

Conclusion

The adoption and use of CBD could see a shift in how athletes recover from training and sports activities, and even managing chronic pains. It could help them improve their performance and ensure they do not suffer the side effects of the medications they use to deal with various issues. However, it is critical to ensure they source the CBD from reliable vendors and seek their physician’s advice before using the cannabinoid to avoid any interac