Boost Performance and Recovery: How CBD Can Help Athletes Stay In The Game
Updated: Feb 7
We all know athletes need a healthy body to be on top of their game but many athletes overlook the importance of having a healthy mind. In addition to a nutritious diet and strict fitness regime, several natural remedies including CBD, are being shown to help athletes maintain optimal physical and mental health.
Unfortunately, many factors, such as anxiety, pain, stress, and injury-induced depression, can prevent thousands of athletes from reaching their true athletic potential. If you are an athlete looking to relieve any of these problems so you can enjoy a successful athletic career, you should be aware of the natural attributes and calming effects of CBD. Using CBD oil has shown promise in reducing fatigue, speeding-up recovery periods, and allowing you to combat stress and anxiety.
Thousands of individuals use CBD oil every day. However, when it comes to athletes it can be especially important to fully understand suitable concentrations and other information about CBD before incorporating it into your training. Fortunately, Easy Day Hemp is here to help.
Let’s delve deeper into how different CBD products can help keep athletes at the top of their game, relieve conditions associated with competition and get the most out of training sessions.
The Benefits of CBD for Athletes
In addition to helping pain and fight inflammation, CBD offers a variety of health and mental benefits for athletes at all levels. Here are just a few ways CBD can help keep you performing at a high level:
Relieves Muscle Soreness
Because of its anti-inflammatory properties, athletes can turn to CBD for relaxing muscles and helping stave off soreness without worrying about any severe side effects. Additionally, CBD can help runners and athletes recover faster after a strenuous training schedule or an exhausting performance. If you are tired of trying ice baths, chocolate milk, and foam rollers to relieve muscle soreness, CBD is a great, natural alternative for quick muscle relief.
Improves Sleep
Using CBD can be a game-changing decision for athletes who have trouble sleeping before a big game or a performance. Getting a good night’s rest helps recovery after extensive training and combats stress to prepare you for the challenges ahead. This is our body and mind’s time to heal from the day prior, realigning our thoughts and memories. Without proper sleep neither your body or mind will be able to operate optimally. Premium-quality CBD products can help you achieve a restorative and deeper sleep to keep you alert and the adrenaline flowing when you need it most.
Tackles Performance Anxiety
Many athletes find it difficult to cope with the challenges and pressure of performing in front of large audiences. According to several scientific journals and reviews, performance anxiety can also disrupt sleep patterns and affect nutritional intake. Because CBD has the potential to affect serotonin levels in the brain; which helps regulate our mood, digestion, behavior and sleep; it can be a valuable tool for managing sports performance anxiety. One you will definitely want to have readily available.
Elevates Mood
It’s common among athletes to experience negative emotions, which can interfere with their athletic performance. Working hard and fighting to win every time can lead to stress and anxiety. Whether you want to calm down your nerves or uplift your spirits, CBD offers a wide range of benefits to help. Less anxiety leads to better moods and improved performance.
Supports Weight Loss
Another benefit of CBD is that it can help athletes manage weight and curb emotional eating. Because it also has the ability to convert fat white cells into brown white cells; CBD helps the body keep beneficial fat instead of storing unhealthy fat that can lead to obesity or weight gain.
Reduces Oxidative Damage
Apart from being anti-inflammatory, CBD is also rich in powerful antioxidants. By reducing oxidative damage, athletes can bounce back into action and recover more efficiently. This should be top of mind for any human athlete or not; we want our bodies as healthy as possible for as long as possible.
Prevents Gastrointestinal Damage
Strenuous exercise can put athletes at risk of gastrointestinal stress which can impact performance and post-exercise recovery. According to a study in Sports Medicine; while more research still needs to be done; CBD may be able to protect athletes against exercise-induced gastrointestinal damage associated with inflammation.
Alternative to Opioids For Managing Pain
Most of us are aware by now of the potential risks of using opioids. Because CBD can help in relieving pain and reducing inflammation; it’s a great option for athletes looking for a natural alternative for treating muscle and exercise pain without the dangerous side effects that can come from opioids or over the counter medications.
CBD for Athletes: What You Should Know
Before you make CBD a part of your daily or weekly regime, it’s important to first conduct plenty of research. It’s also a good idea for athletes to discuss with their trainer and doctor before switching to any new supplement.
The good news is that using CBD is legal and safe for athletes at all levels. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) and World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) have clear and updated policies allowing CBD.
According to the World Anti-Doping Agency website: “all natural and synthetic cannabinoids are prohibited except for cannabidiol (CBD)” but it’s important to understand which products to choose and what to look for. That said, to be safe you should always remember to check the lab results of any product before using it to make sure there is little to no THC content.
A few sports organizations such as FIFA also follow the WADA policies. However, despite its many benefits; these policies do not imply that athletes all over the world are free to use CBD. In the U.S., several organizations have their own regulations and policies regarding the use of CBD.
While many professional organizations prohibit the use of THC; by looking for CBD isolate or broad spectrum products (that contain no THC) and buying from brands that provide third-party lab test results which prove that their products have no less than 0.3% THC you can help avoid potential trouble.
From cbd tinctures to oils and gels, there is a wide range of CBD products on the market designed to help athletic performance and recovery for you to choose from. As long as the product you buy is hemp derived and from a reliable source, you should be able use it without needing to worry about the risk of getting ‘high’. Many athletes are under the misconception that it is impossible to buy CBD with little or no amounts of THC; but the latest extraction methods make it possible to source CBD without those prohibited compounds.
Professional Athletes Who Use & Support CBD
Thanks to its many benefits, CBD is becoming increasingly popular among athletes all around the globe. Many professional athletes advocate using CBD to relieve muscle fatigue and soreness and calming nervous energy.
CBD continues to be a source of relief for hundreds of professional athletes, especially those associated with contact sports. According to Men’s Health, the world’s largest magazine for men, some famous professional athletes who recommend using CBD include retired NFL linebacker David Ahrens and NHL player Ryan VandenBussche.
Other reputed athletes who advocate CBD include Derrick Morgan and Nate Diaz. Morgan, a former NFL player, turned to CBD to relieve a condition that resulted from repeated blows to the head. Meanwhile, Diaz, a popular MMA and UFC fighter, explored CBD products to relieve inflammation.
What is the Best Dosage of CBD for Athletes?
There is no standard dosage of CBD for athletes. CBD products from different brands may vary, and the most appropriate dosage can depend on the primary purpose of using it and the person’s physiology.
However, we recommend starting with the lowest dosage and working your way up slowly over time. That way you can experiment with different dosages and products to know how your body will react and whether it’s okay to take before a competition.
Finding A Brand You Can Trust
From tinctures, oils, balms and more; there are plenty of products for athletes to choose from but you should steer clear of low-grade products because they can contain toxins that can affect your physical and mental well-being. Always choose a reliable brand and check out reviews from past buyers to know you are buying a safe and reliable product.
Whether you are looking for help performing at the highest level, a safe alternative to relieve muscle soreness after a tough workout or just a better night’s sleep; Easy Day’s wide selection of CBD products has what athletes need to stay in the game.