CBD for Athletes is booming! Why? Cause it has been shown time and time again to curb pain, improve sleep cycles and promote faster healing.
So, who’s Sporting CBD?
All athletes suffer from aches and pains at some point during training or competition. The body has natural built-in defence mechanisms designed to prevent it from harm and damage; aches and pains are some of these early warning signs.
Professional athletes walk a fine line between a mild strain and a debilitating injury. They know if they have over-reached and just need a break or if they have over-exerted themselves and caused some serious damage.
Whatever the case may be, athletes are body and performance-focused and physical fitness is a top priority for success. Similarly, recovery from any injuries is also an important factor. CBD is becoming more trusted to service both sides, the performance side and the recovery side.
Can CBD oil for Athletes Help?
It seems athletes accept that pain is par for the course, but is this necessary? When training, it’s usual for athletes to be pushed, either by themselves or professional coaches. Pushed to go a little faster, longer, higher, harder and this is how they get better and beat records. But all this also takes its toll on the body.
Such discomforts seem inevitable in the sporting world where performance is everything. But inevitable is not enviable and it is no fun at all to show up at a track or field for more physical exertion when the body is already struggling or in pain. Besides, no one can perform at their best if they are injured.
Whilst muscle soreness usually only lasts a couple of days, it can take longer for strains or damage to muscles and joints to heal. Usually, an athlete will carry on regardless because often there isn’t an opportunity to rest or heal. Sometimes it’s intentional and out of fear of replacement particularly in high profile sports like the Premier League. But this can lead to aggravating an injury and making it worse, sometimes even permanently.
Athletes are always looking for ways to be able to train harder without risking their game. This is where CBD for athletes comes in.
CBD Oils – The Front Runner
According to a ruling by the World Anti-Doping Agency {WADA}, CBD products have now been struck from the prohibited substances list. In addition, other large government sports authorities are also revising cannabis and CBD by-product law. This leaves the way clear for professional athletes to use CBD without fear of any comeback and the results to date are extremely positive and encouraging.
Most athletes or physically active people choose to use CBD products after vigorous training or to treat an injury. Whilst more research results are eagerly awaited in the sports arenas, for now, the signs look good and we can only wait in anticipation for the science fields to give their official stamp of approval.
In the meantime, there are some important points to consider when choosing the right CBD product. It depends on what the CBD is being used for and what the aims of using it are. All CBD products contain other elements, come in various forms and are used differently and some CBD products take longer to work than others. So what’s available and what is the best CBD product for athletes? Let’s break it down.
CBD – The Broad and the Full of it
All Full Spectrum CBD products contain varying amounts of THC but for legal reasons, there is not enough THC content in any CBD products currently on the market to ‘get you high’. But as THC provides several benefits that CBD does not, for this reason, it is the preferred choice for many. However, because THC is currently still a controlled substance in the UK and most of the world, it is for now prohibited.
In Europe, recent rulings by the EU High Court and the Judicial Review in the three-year-old Charles Hughes case, all in relation to the permitted use of CBD, are indicative of the changes that must come. Until then, CBD products containing THC should not be used by professional athletes or where drug testing is mandatory in the UK. Instead, THC Free products like Broad Spectrum CBD Oil is the recommended product.
5 Benefits of CBD for Athletes
Many Athletes Use CBD to Reduce Pain
A growing number of university studies continue to show that cannabinoids like CBD are effective to help reduce pain; which includes stiff joints and musculoskeletal pains from physical exercise. More research is needed to prove this finding, but we do have testimonials from athletes that say hands down CBD helps to relieve pain effectively for them. Ratios of cannabinoids is also a factor that needs to be explored to truly tailor a product for specific needs. For now, the best anyone can do is to find the balance of CBD and rest that suits their needs. That is until science can catch up.
Alternative to NSAIDs
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAID(s) have been the go-to for decades. Ever heard of ibuprofen or naproxen sodium? Yep, then you know what an NSAID is and chances are, you’ve taken a few in your lifetime. Something you probably didn’t know is; they may not be as safe as you think. NSAIDs are not recommended for any athlete who is running marathons or any other ultra distance sports. They’ve been proven to damage the renal and other known harms including gastrointestinal ulcers, acute kidney injury and a risk of cardiovascular events.
On the CBD side, there is a large and growing number of athletes who are now using CBD to reduce or eliminate using NSAIDs for pain related to exercise; and with minimal side effects. MMA fighters who spend long hours in the gym training at very high intensity use CBD multiple times daily. It isn’t about masking the pain, it is about addressing it internally and naturally.
Alternative to Opioids
According to the CDC, in 2016 opioids were involved in more than 42,000 deaths in the US. Opioid pain medications (i.e. morphine, codeine, oxycontin) are highly effective for pain management, but carry a significant risk of addiction and death by overdose. Cannabinoids are not as effective as opioids for relieving acute, high-intensity pain (5), but may be effective for long-term pain management – either alone or in conjunction with other medications – with far less risk of dependence or accidental death.
In the United States alone, opioid-related deaths totalled an astounding 42,000 in 2016. The opioid death toll in the UK trails far behind at 2,160 for the same year. Needless to say, addiction and abuse is the main reason for this staggering number but, the gateway to many of these opioid deaths is rooted in pain. Medications like morphine, codeine and oxycontin are highly effective at managing the pain but are risky to use due to their highly addictive properties. Once addicted, a user will tend to abuse the drug for years until seeking professional help or overdosing.
Athletes are much better off using cannabinoids like CBD. They are not as effective as opioids but are a great long-term option. CBD can be used alone or with other medications giving the athlete many tools to stay away from opioids and handle pain effectively. CBD is an all-natural, non-habit forming and generally safe alternative and will have you performing at the top of your game according to top athletes already using CBD.
Reduce inflammation
It is important to know that a small amount of inflammation can potentially be good for athletes by helping to reinforce positive adaptations from training. But, too much inflammation can hinder recovery speed and quality which reduces an athlete’s performance. The CB2 receptors are located in the brain and the body but they are more highly concentrated in the immune tissues. Cannabinoids that bind to CB2 receptors are found to have an anti-inflammatory effect by reducing the production of a compound call cytokine which is responsible for messaging cells. This process helps to calm the body’s response when your immune system is most active, especially after hard workouts.
Improve Sleep Quality
Getting a great night’s sleep is probably the single most effective way an athlete can continue to develop their game. It is well known in the sports world that CBD can lead to better quality rest. It is so important to find sleep easily, especially the night before a competition or match. CBD works to stop the reuptake of adenosine in the brain.
Adenosine triphosphate, or ATP for short, converts to adenosine and stores itself in the brain while training. More adenosine in the brain means slower brain activity at night which leads to a more calm brain. A calmer brain that isn’t overthinking allows us to sleep easier. As you sleep, your body will metabolise the stored adenosine until there is very little left. This lower concentration helps you to wake up and start your day.
CBD works by binding to the same receptors in our brains as adenosine would. This combined with CBD’s ability to inhibit the reuptake of adenosine allows the compound to build up more quickly and makes you feel sleepy faster.
Athlete’s Favorite CBD Products
CBD Oil UK Products
CBD oils are all readily available these days. Although because most of these products can take from two hours and more to enter the bloodstream it is ideal to take them before a workout. If you stay consistent with your CBD dosage, you will have plenty of CBD stored in the body’s fat cells. This makes it readily available for use during even the most rigorous of training sessions and events.
Our CBD oils in the UK work by administering drops of CBD Oil just under the tongue. Ideally, it is held there for as long as possible before being swallowed. This allows the CBD Oil to be absorbed directly into the tongue’s membrane which enters the bloodstream much faster than other methods and therefore is ideal for faster results.
CBD Sleep Products
Whilst we sleep, our bodies get busy working on repairing any of the damage we cause when we are awake. A good night’s sleep is important for athletes and other active people who actually need more sleep than the average person.
Sleep enhancing CBD can really make the difference between getting the rest you need or not. These specialized CBD products can also be taken with Melatonin, which is known for its sleep-enhancing properties too. Taken around an hour before you go to sleep, these products are easily incorporated into your night-time routine to ensure you sleep well and wake up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.
CBD Topical Products
CBD Topical products usually come in gel or cream format and are applied directly to the skin. They contain some other well-known compounds such as lidocaine, menthol and glucosamine. These pain relief products are a quick and easy way to treat minor injuries such as a sprained wrist or ankle, aching muscles and joint pains.
This can be invaluable for those who need to get through training or a competition whilst nursing a minor injury. So for anyone who plays sports or has an active or physically demanding job, CBD Topical products are a great addition to any Kit.
CBD for Athletes – Stay One Step Ahead
As further research is undertaken and science learns about other beneficial uses of cannabis, more products will become available on the market. All this bodes well for the health, fitness, and well-being of both professional and amateur athletes. Our company wants to be the most trusted CBD brand among them.
Particularly in the last year, there has been a noticeable and dramatic increase in the number of athletes and sportspeople using CBD, many of whom are now in the public eye for it. The figures are rising fast and are predicted to continue to do so in the future.
For the sportspeople out there who want to keep their treatments as natural as possible, Pure Organic CBD oil products are the preferred choice. Using CBD as part of the daily routine is one way for athletes to ensure they are always one step ahead.
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