7 Reasons Why Athletes Should Use CBD

7 Reasons Why Athletes Should Use CBD

7 Reasons Why Athletes Should Use CBD

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The growing popularity of the hemp derived cannabinoid has made it extremely attractive to all kinds of people. Despite the stigma around the plant, many people have begun to be more open-minded towards CBD because they realize the incredible benefits that they can reap from the plant. The newest trend wave that CBD is riding is in the sports industry. Given the fact that the plant has already been proven to be an effective pain reducer, sleep aid and incredible anti-inflammatory product, many athletes are looking to enhance their performance with CBD. However, here are the 7 CBD  benefits for athletes.

Stress reducer

To begin, one of the most avid and important CBD benefits for athletes is stress reduction. First let us address the word stress. According to an endocrinologist, named Hanse Selye, psychological stress is “the non-specific response of the body to any demand for change”. Seyle noted that the consequences from stress can be very serious ranging from gut health breakdown to arthritis and even heart attacks. Your next question might be: How is all of that connected to athletes? Stress is the main factor in almost all professional sports. Athletes endure heavy stress both mentally and physically, daily. This stress needs to be overcome and adapted to and sometimes that can be very hard to do. Coping with stress is an ongoing battle for all athletes so the best training plans carefully balance work and rest. They keep the nervous system on the fine line between freshness and overtraining. Finding that golden middle is very difficult, but CBD could ease that process. Consistent daily consumption of 10-20mg of CBD can help athletes break through stress induced thresholds and push themselves to new highs.

Adaptogen

An adaptogen is a stress reducing and performance boosting herb that is non-toxic. It also protects the nervous system and the neuroendocrine system from overreaching themselves, while also being stimulatory and not producing side effects. For professional athletes this will translate in helping the body balance out and recover after a tough workout. For example, after a difficult exercise routine the body temperature is high and cortisol levels are sky rocketing. In addition, muscle proteins have broken down and the stored glycogen is almost fully depleted. As you can notice, this is not the most balanced state of the body. Thankfully, CBD works wonders by helping the body recover faster. Therefore, numerous benefits of CBD are so incredible that athletes can increase their performance by simply adding it to their recovery routines.

Protects The Central Nervous System (CNS)

Athletes use their central nervous system a lot when performing certain exercises. The central nervous system is compromised of the brain and spinal cord and controls inner communication by sending signals to the nerves and neurons. The CNS becomes more active the more signals it receives and vice versa. CNS is most active in resistant strength training. However, when the stress put on the body is too much the spark of the CNS dims and the body gets too tired. There are some cases where athletes experience a CNS burnout and begin to feel slower and lift less. In those cases, if the athletes continue to not recover properly, they might even reach a stage where their muscles are nonresponsive to neuron firing. Luckily, CBD can help with all of that! CBD is known to be extremely effective with neurotransmissions and helping with the synchronizing neural signaling and balancing pre and postsynaptic neurotransmitters. While not scientifically proven yet, many athletes take CBD pre-workout to help them complete their last and heaviest sets without shaking. CBD might even help a tired nervous system in recovery and make it grow more flexible due to the endocannabinoids that it aids and their important function as a “key modulator of synaptic plasticity” in the nervous system.

Improves Sleep

One of the best CBD benefits for athletes is that it promotes more restful sleep. A study concluded that 36% of CBD users improved their clinical sleep disorders. For athletes this means that CBD can help balance their stress hormones and help them have a deep recovery sleep after tough workouts and competitions. Most top athletes sleep at least 9 hours because sleep is the best muscle recovery so the longer it is, the more time there is for recovery. One of the best athletes in the world, the tennis legend Roger Federer, stated that “if (he does not) sleep 11 to 12 hours per day, it’s not right”. Unlike traditional sleeping medicine, CBD does not create drowsiness on the next day which makes it perfect for athletes who have practice on the next day. Some athletes may experience turbulence with their sleep-wake cycle which can make them feel lethargic when they need to be energized and vice versa. 10mg of CBD a day can help balance those out and help athletes reach their potential and perform at their best.

Promotes Muscle Relaxation

One of the hardest things for an athlete to do is to constantly break his/hers thresholds in order to get better. Pushing your body to your limits comes with a lot of soreness and sometimes cramping. CBD is a potent muscle relaxant. Given that relaxing function, CBD helps the nervous system’s primary inhibitory neurotransmitters (GABBA) and thus stills, quiets, and calms the body down. CBD can also help with joint pains. A lot of athletes are applying muscle gel topicals in order to reduce inflammation. Many different companies offer different strengths, we recommend something with more than a 100mg like our products.

Alleviates Anxiety

CBD is one of the best natural anti-anxiety products on the market right now. Athletes have constant pressure to perform during practice and especially during competition. This pressure and anxiety rises the higher the athletes perform so it is crucial to have a product that can calm you down but not affect your mind and readiness to compete. It is important in the case of anxiety to use broad spectrum CBD in comparison to isolate because it contains all terpenes and flavonoids. It is recommended to take small but often doses when using CBD to decrease anxiety 3-10 milligrams will usually be enough to instill calmness.

Reduces Inflammation and oxidation

There is many different inflammation processes that can go into a human body and even become chronic. That can lead to pain, sickness, and gain weight. CBD can help alleviate that due to the cannabinoids in it which act as a potent anti-inflammatory agent. Another benefit that athletes can reap from CBD is with decreasing oxidative stress. Lower oxidation leads to less muscle soreness, better immune function, regulation of cellular recycling, and more. Glutathione may also promote insulin sensitivity, which in turn could allow athletes to improve their body composition and more efficiently utilize carbs. All great things for professional athletes. The best practice for using CBD is to start low and increase dosage with time. Also, another approach is to diversify the intake. For example, if a dosage of 20mg a day is not enough add a topical or a fuzzy tablet.

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