As athletes continue to experiment with CBD products, they report a laundry list of benefits, from pain relief and improved sleep to accelerated recovery time and better stress management.
However, one major factor seems to have the most significant impact on which athletes decide to use CBD as part of their training regimen, and that is the fact that it’s non-psychoactive.
In a culture where professional and amateur athletes are tested for any traces of THC, CBD products offer a safe alternative that will not land them in hot water with drug testing organizations.
Here are seven reasons why athletes turn to CBD for recovery.
- Helps In Pain Management
As mentioned, many athletes risk their long-term health by using opioids or other prescription painkillers to manage the physical stress accompanying intensive training.
While these substances can help athletes perform at their best during games and matches, they can also cause long-term health problems such as addiction, cardiovascular disease, and gastrointestinal disorders.
CBD is a non-addictive substance that has been shown to reduce pain without the risk of addiction. This makes it an ideal alternative for athletes who want to recover from intense training and competition without putting their long-term health at risk.
- Has Neuroprotective Properties
As a result of physical collisions, high-level athletes are at risk of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Research has found that athletes who play contact sports such as football and ice hockey are more than twice as likely to develop brain injuries and disorders compared to non-contact athletes.
Not surprisingly, physical impacts and concussions have been found to increase an athlete’s risk of developing serious diseases, including chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
Unfortunately, many of these conditions go undiagnosed for years after the initial trauma. Fortunately, CBD products such as Sunday Scaries CBD gummies have been shown to act as neuroprotective antioxidants that can limit the neurological damage caused by concussions and other injuries.
This makes it an essential tool for reducing the long-term health risks faced by high-level athletes who risk traumatic brain injury.
- Has Anti-inflammatory Properties
Professional basketball players put their bodies under tremendous physical stress like other high-level athletes. Due to the high intensity and rapid movements involved in the sport, sustaining an injury is inevitable.
Not surprisingly, many professional athletes are forced to quit playing due to joint pain caused by repetitive stress or injuries. Fortunately, CBD has been identified as a safe and effective anti-inflammatory that can reduce joint pain without slowing athletes down.
This makes it an excellent alternative for high-level players who risk their careers by abusing opioid painkillers to cope with the physical demands of training and competition.
- Viable For Overuse Injuries
As well as being a safe non-addictive alternative to opioids for pain management, CBD is also an effective treatment for overuse injuries.
By enhancing the growth of new skin cells and collagen, CBD can promote faster healing without the potential for addiction or gastrointestinal side effects associated with standard treatments such as NSAIDs.
This makes it an ideal treatment for all types of overuse injuries, such as tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow, and runner’s knee.
- Boosts Post-surgical Recovery
In addition to the physical stress athletes put on their bodies during training, they often need invasive surgical procedures such as knee or hip replacement surgery.
While these surgeries can help athletes continue playing, they can also cause serious complications such as infection and chronic pain. Fortunately, CBD is an effective treatment for post-surgical pain.
By reducing inflammation in the affected area, CBD can help speed up recovery without the risk of addiction or overdose that opioids carry.
- Reduces Oxidative Stress
This is the kind of stress that causes damage to the muscle fibers and abnormal fatigue. As an antioxidant, CBD can neutralize free radicals in the body before damaging cell membranes or DNA.
By minimizing oxidative stress, CBD gummies can help protect cells from damage caused by physical exertion. This makes it a suitable alternative for high-intensity activities such as sprinting and boxing.
By reducing oxidative stress, CBD can help protect the brain from the debilitating effects of physical exertion. As well as preventing athletes from having to end their careers prematurely, CBD can also help athletes recover faster from concussions and brain injuries.
- Reduces Physical and Mental Fatigue
These kinds of fatigue are primarily caused by lactic acid buildup in muscles. During high-intensity exercise, the body produces lactic acid due to inefficient energy production.
This causes athletes to ‘feel the burn’ and experience muscle fatigue that dramatically impacts performance. Luckily, CBD has been shown to reduce lactic acid concentration in blood plasma after strenuous physical exertion.
CBD can help athletes train harder and perform better by reducing physical and mental fatigue. As a bonus, research has found that CBD has powerful antioxidant properties which can reduce muscle pain and cramping caused by lactic acid buildup.
Conclusion
All of the above suggests that CBD is an effective adjunctive treatment option for athletes who have sustained physical injuries or are at risk of developing chronic conditions.
As the global population becomes increasingly aware of CBD’s benefits, it will be interesting to see if professional sports leagues adopt a more lenient stance on Cannabis use by players.
Moreover, it will be exciting to watch how CBD research evolves in the coming years.
