Cannabidiol (CBD) needs no introduction. Considered the most therapeutic compound derived from cannabis, CBD has continually gained widespread recognition for its powerful analgesic properties. The substance also packs immense anxiolytic, antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties.
But you don’t necessarily need to be suffering from a medical condition to benefit from CBD’s therapeutic properties. You can also incorporate cannabidiol into your health and wellness routine to optimize your workouts.
This post shall examine the top benefits of combining CBD with your workouts, as well as some risks involved.
Benefits of Combining CBD (Cannabidiol) With Exercise:
CBD Relieves Pain:
One of the top benefits of combining CBD for exercise is that it reduces pain. Cannabidiol works against exercise-induced pain by improving the performance of the endocannabinoid system. The endocannabinoid system refers to a cell-signalling system consisting of endocannabinoids (also known as endogenous cannabinoids), endocannabinoid receptors, and various enzymes. It plays a crucial role in pain management.
When you consume excellent CBD gummies, the cannabinoids in the product enter your endocannabinoid system and affect the chemical structure of certain receptors. In doing so, CBD enhances the ability of your endocannabinoids to bind to those receptors, resulting in faster pain relief.
Now, there are numerous studies conducted on the analgesic properties of CBD. For instance, this study in the European Journal of Pain highlights the effectiveness of CBD against arthritis pain. CBD’s analgesic properties mostly come into play in relieving Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness (DOMS). DOMS refers to the pain and soreness that you experience in your muscles about 24 to 72 hours after engaging in strenuous exercise. While DOMS tends to go away on its own, it can set you back with your workouts while it lasts. By reducing the severity of DOMS, CBD ensures that your workouts don’t suffer any downtimes.
Also Read: Yoga, CBD Oil and Meditation To Get Rid of Stress & Anxiety
CBD Reduces Inflammation:
Engaging in strenuous workouts often leaves us with damaged muscles. And when that happens, inflammation can occur.
Inflammation is one of the body’s first lines of defence against workout-induced muscle damage. It happens when your body increases blood flow to the affected areas to replenish the fuel and oxygen used during workouts while also clearing out any waste products. The release of high amounts of chemicals to the target sites might result in swelling and fluid buildup.
CBD reduces inflammation by inhibiting your body’s inflammatory messenger activity. One of the ways the substance achieves its anti-inflammatory effects is by binding to the transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) cells in your endocannabinoid system. TRPV1 plays a crucial role in regulating temperature and inflammation.
CBD Promotes Sleep:
Sleep is a crucial requirement for any successful workout routine. It’s during sleep that your body repairs itself for your next workout program. Unfortunately, sleep remains elusive for many people.
Fortunately, CBD is renowned for its ability to shorten sleep latency. Therefore, consuming CBD right before bed allows you to drift off to sleep much faster.
Another way that CBD promotes better sleep is by treating some of the most common symptoms of insomnia, such as post-traumatic stress disorder. CBD also promotes better sleep by eliminating or reducing rapid eye-movement (REM) sleep.
REM refers to the sleep stage that’s characterized by involuntary eye movements, bodily movements, and more dreaming. The logic is that by eliminating REM, CBD allows you to dream less and sleep more soundly. Not only does CBD eliminate REM, but it also reduces the risks of REM sleep behaviour disorder, which is a disorder where people act out their dreams.
Also Read: 7 Amazing Benefits of Yoga and Meditation in Your Daily Life
Risks of Combining Cannabidiol With Exercise
Side Effects:
Cannabidiol may not present severe side effects for most people. But that doesn’t mean you should consume the substance with careless abandon, especially if you’re using it to optimize your workouts.
CBD can still present a host of side effects that might interfere with your workouts, including drowsiness, dry mouth, and fatigue.
Worse yet, combining CBD with your workouts might not be a great idea as the substance interacts adversely with certain medications. If you’re presently on medications like performance-enhancing drugs, you must consult your doctor before using CBD.
That’s particularly if you’re a professional bodybuilder or athlete, where traces of CBD may show up on drug tests. Remember that while the global trend points towards the legalization of CBD, many sports federations still impose strict measures against the use of CBD and other cannabis-derived products.
Possible decline of cognitive abilities:
On its own, CBD can improve your motor and cognitive functions. However, CBD products are not made equal. Some of these products, such as full-spectrum CBD, contain significant levels of the psychoactive compound tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
High doses of THC are associated with cognitive impairment and poor response time, which might work against your workout goals. If you’re ever in doubt as to which CBD product to combine your workout with, opt for those labelled ‘isolates’ or ‘broad-spectrum CBD.’
Isolates are formulated with CBD as the only active compound, while broad-spectrum products contain cannabidiol and other beneficial cannabis extracts, except for the mind-altering THC.
By and large, CBD is highly effective at optimizing workouts. The substance relieves pain, inflammation, and anxiety while also boosting your sleep. However, you should avoid using CBD if you’re presently on other medications. The conventional wisdom is to consult your doctor before adding cannabidiol to your workout routine.
