As an athlete, you know the importance of working your muscles to increase your strength and endurance. You may also be painfully familiar with the after-effects of a productive workout. The discomfort you feel in the days or weeks after increasing your workout intensity is caused by the microscopic tears and injuries to your muscle fibers. Once the damage is detected, your immune system is alerted, resulting in muscle pain and inflammation.
Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is quite common in the first weeks or months of a new workout regimen. After a workout, you may be well aware of some of the following symptoms:
- Pain with muscle movement
- Stiffness in muscles and joints
- A temporary reduction in muscle strength
- Inflammation
You may have tried over-the-counter or prescription medications to alleviate your discomfort. Your concern about the potential side effects or chemical dependency may have you searching for a natural alternative to conventional pain relievers.
Why CBD for Athletes Has Potential Benefits
Many athletes, just like you, are looking into the potential health benefits of CBD (cannabidiol) and the role it could play in alleviating muscle pain, muscle fatigue and supporting the natural healing process.
Understanding The Two Potential Sources of CBD
Some people are quite uncomfortable with the thought of trying CBD when they realize that CBD is extracted from cannabis plants. Their concerns are typically resolved when they learn that there are two potential cannabis sources. CBD can be obtained from marijuana or hemp. There is one very meaningful difference between the two plants, the levels of THC.
- The CBD from marijuana contains high levels (5-30 percent) of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the cannabinoid responsible for the type of intoxication marijuana is so well-known for. Though marijuana use is now legal in some states, it is still federally classified as a schedule 1 drug. Where allowed, a prescription can be issued for medical use.
- The CBD from hemp contains only trace amounts of THC (.3 percent). This is not enough THC for hemp oil to cause any type of psychoactive effect, even in very large amounts. Because it does not cause intoxication, CBD from hemp is classified as a dietary supplement and does not require a prescription for use.
CBD Interacts with Your Endocannabinoid System
Now that you know that CBD from hemp will not interfere with your cognitive abilities, you may want to learn more about this fascinating product. CBD has the potential to influence the receptors and supplement the messengers of your endocannabinoid system. Your endocannabinoid system is responsible for nearly every vital process in your body. Just some of those functions include:
- Neuroprotection and muscle movement
- Pain Perception and Inflammation
- Thermal regulation and metabolism
- Regulation of your sleep cycles
- Your circulatory system and digestive processes
- Stress responses and mood regulation
The Differences Between Endocannabinoids and Exogenous Cannabinoids
As you can see, pain perception and inflammation are one of the many processes regulated by your endocannabinoid system. Cannabinoids are the messengers that communicate with the receptors of your endocannabinoid system. The two cannabinoids your body produces (anandamide and 2-AG) are called endocannabinoids. These cannabinoids are made as needed and broken down quickly by enzymes.
CBD is an exogenous cannabinoid, a cannabinoid from a source outside of your body (cannabis). Exogenous cannabinoids mimic the functions of exogenous cannabinoids, but the effects are stronger and longer lasting.
The Potential Relieving Properties of Topical CBD Products
When applied topically, CBD absorbs through the skin, mimicking the messengers and engaging the receptors of your endocannabinoid system. Topical CBD can be quite fast-acting. Since topical products absorbed through the skin, the cannabinoids bypass digestive processes. Many athletes prefer using topical CBD products because topical CBD salves and creams can target specific areas of the body that are affected. CBD is shown to inhibit the breakdown and encourage the production of anandamide, one of the endocannabinoids made by your body. The more anandamide in your system the less discomfort you will feel.
Removing the THC from Hemp Oil
Now you know that CBD derived from hemp will not impair your athletic performance or cloud your senses. When applied topically the minute levels of THC do not pass through your skin into your bloodstream. Even knowing that, we fully understand that THC carries powerful implications. That is one of the many reasons that products made with CBD isolate are quite popular among athletes.
CBD isolate is simply a full-spectrum CBD extract that is processed in a way that separates the CBD from the other plant components. This additional processing results in a product that is 99+ percent pure CBD. CBD isolate contains no THC. You get all the potential benefits of CBD without the worry.
CBD isolate is quite versatile. The Isolate is a flavorless, odorless product that can be used to add CBD to your favorite recipes, added to vape e-liquids, or mixed with olive or hemp seed oil to create your own 0% THC CBD tincture for sublingual use.
The Synergistic Benefits of Broad-Spectrum CBD Wax
If you are interested in a CBD product with the additional nutritional and synergistic benefits of the additional plant terpenes, vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals of the hemp plant, without the THC, you also have the option of selecting a broad-spectrum CBD wax.
Broad-spectrum CBD wax, like CBD, isolate can be used for cooking, mixed with e-liquids for vaping, or mixed with an edible oil to create your own broad-spectrum CBD tincture for oral use.
A Potentially Beneficial Dietary Supplement
As an athlete, you understand the benefits of self-care. You are aware of the impact of physical fitness on your physical and emotional health. When considering CBD for its potential health benefits, it’s important to remember that CBD, topical products or ingested products, are not a medication or cure for any health conditions.
CBD is a potentially beneficial dietary supplement with the apparent ability to mimic the messengers and influence the receptors of your endocannabinoid system. The potential benefits of cannabidiol are based on information provided by laboratory testing, animal studies, and the personal testimonies of those who claim health benefits from using CBD as a dietary supplement.
To learn more about the many potential health benefits of CBD, and your endocannabinoid system, download The Ultimate CBD User Guide at CBDistillery. Then browse our selection of quality, non-intoxicating, hemp derived CBD products. Learn more about the many potential benefits of CBD and the impact CBD supplements could have on your health and well-being.
Sources:
- Shape. (2017, January 23). Should You Try Cannabis Creams for Pain Relief?
- Leafly. (2015, April 30). What are Cannabis Topicals and How Do They Work?
- Hello MD. (2016). Do Cannabis Topicals Pass the Drug Test?
- Project CBD. Inflammation.
- NCBI. (2017, September 1). Attenuation of early phase inflammation by cannabidiol prevents pain and nerve damage in rat osteoarthritis.
- Team Hotshot. (2017, May 30). An Athletes Guide to Coping with Muscle Soreness.
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