CBD Products and Your Workout
Do you work out to increase your stamina and train for a competition? Or maybe, you’d like to shed a few pounds? Regardless of the reasons, you will need to work hard to reap the results you desire. Besides the physical workout, you will also need to include eating nutritious food and using supplemental products in your regimen to support your progress.
Improve Your Workout with CBD Products
In recent years, using cannabidiol (CBD) products—like Nature Arcs Organics CBD Oil—to improve workout regimens has risen to the forefront of the fitness industry. CBD is known for its many helpful properties. In fact, many athletes have claimed that CBD products have helped them improve their performance and recovery.
What is Cannabidiol (CBD)?
CBD is part of 100 cannabinoids, a chemical compound found in the Cannabis sativa L. plant, better known as marijuana. The use of cannabis as a medicinal property to heal common ailments dates back centuries ago. The first record of patent medicine in the US was in 1850.
With the advent of technology and science, research suggests that CBD shows promising signs in treating conditions related to athletic performances. Unlike its close-cousin Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), CBD doesn’t cause any psychoactive effect on its users. There are undesirable side effects accompanying the use of THC, like the alteration of the state of mind, which can hinder performance during physical activities.
Due to its non-psychoactive effect, CBD is considered a more desirable choice to relieve pain and other symptoms. More research is required to confirm the efficacies of CBD in athletic performances. Nevertheless, there has been growing evidence that shows the possibility of CBD helping in the following areas.
The Potential Help
1. Sleep Better
If you have worked out hard, you will feel soreness and even pain in certain parts of your body. Sleep is extremely crucial in aiding the recovery and healing process. Studies show that by having a good night’s sleep, athletes have shown better improvements in speed, accuracy, and overall performance.
When you sleep, you are allowing your body to rest and repair itself. It’s also during sleep that your glymphatic system works to flush out toxins from your brain. If you do not sleep well, this might delay your recovery process and affect your training the following day.
Research on CBD products to induce sleep has resulted in mixed conclusions. Nevertheless, a 2017 review published in the Current Psychiatry Report found that CBD products may be able to assist in the treatment of sleep disorders.
Cortisol, which is a stress hormone, typically peaks in the early hours of the morning. This is a natural process that assists the body in waking up. However, people who have insomnia are found to have a high level of cortisol at night.
During a test session, research showed a dosage of 160 milligrams of CBD could increase sleep duration. It’s believed that CBD affects the release of cortisol by decreasing it, hence acting as a sedative.
2. Pain Relief And Muscle Recovery
When you do a workout, you are essentially manipulating your joints and muscles for movements. Rigorous exercises, like strength training and calisthenics, may cause your muscle fibers to tear. The strain that you put your joints through may also cause joint inflammation.
This may not necessarily be a bad thing. When your muscles are injured, your satellite cells will make an effort to repair the damage, which can result in increased muscle growth. That’s the reason you feel sore and pain after a strenuous workout.
Pain and soreness can affect your training, though. CBD is believed to have direct anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. A 2018 review concluded that the use of CBD as a pain reliever had been shown to be promising. Still, more research needs to be done to determine the effects of CBD on pain and inflammation.
3. Ease Stress and Anxiety
Many athletes have reported that they would often feel stressed or anxious the week leading up to a competition. Even if you are not a competitive athlete, it’s still common to feel stressed when you are training hard to achieve your goal. CBD might be able to help ease your stress and anxiety, and here’s the mechanism of how it works.
There is a psychological system in your body known as the endocannabinoid system (ECS). ECS deals directly with your response to stress, fear, and anxiety. It regulates sleep, mood, and appetite. Even though physically your body is well, stress and anxiety may trigger psychological effects like nausea and increased heart rate.
Applying CBD products to your body will stimulate your ECS, which then produces a calming effect. This will ultimately help you to perform better at your workout.
The Issue Of Legality
The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (the 2018 Farm Bill) was signed into law at the federal level. This legalizes regulated production and marketing of any part of the Cannabis sativa L. plant with THC concentration below 0.3% on a dry weight basis.
In the US, marijuana usage must be legal on both the federal and state level. Marijuana legality can vary by state. Some states, such as Oklahoma, require obtaining an Oklahoma medical marijuana card, while others don’t.
Since CBD is derived from the marijuana plant, CBD products are subjected to this law as well.
The Potential Risks
You need to be cautious when utilizing CBD to enhance physical performance. Despite the promising outlook of CBD in improving your workout, more studies still need to be done. There are reports that indicate some adverse effects, which include decreased fertilization capability and alterations in cell viability.
CBD may also interact with medication in an undesirable way. If you are on medication, it’s best to seek the advice of your doctor to determine whether you should use any CBD products.
Wrap-Up
The future of CBD in enhancing workout performance looks promising. Its ability to reduce pain, and inflammation and induce sleep can be a great support to your workout regimen.
Nevertheless, more research needs to be done to determine the long-term effects of CBD on the body. It’s still advisable that you do your research and seek medical advice from your doctor first before attempting to use it.
- How CBD Products Can Help Improve Your Workout Regimen - November 22, 2021
