CBD for athletes is an area of massive controversy. However, over the last few decades, more and more sportspersons have jumped onto the pro-CBD bandwagon for different health reasons. This naturally occurring cannabinoid is derived from the cannabis plant and is already making waves in treating joint pain, inflammation, and other common ailments that plague athletes. You might be wondering whether CBD is legal and even allowed in sports since it comes from the cannabis plant!
Industrial hemp and its derivatives inclusive of CBD have been legalized across the country thanks to the 2018 Farm Bill. CBD has also received the green signal from U.S. Anti-Doping Agency and World Anti-Doping Agency since it’s not directly performance-enhancing or psychoactive. CBD is the only compound from hemp plants that are allowed and we should stick to products containing CBD isolate rather than broad-spectrum or full-spectrum CBD. Both the latter products contain terpenes and cannabinoids that a competitive athlete is prohibited from having in their system. Read on to know about the role of CBD in helping athletes enhance their performance:
- Better sleeping patterns
Athletes require between seven to nine hours of sound sleep but travel, rigorous training, insomnia caused by stress and anxiety, and excessive screen time might interfere with their sleep cycles. All these sleep deficits can adversely affect the performance of athletes in terms of their alertness, psychomotor vigilance, cognition, mood, reaction times, and overall athletic ability.
CBD doesn’t induce sleep but helps reduce the factors which prevent us from either falling or staying asleep. Some examples of such conditions are high levels of stress, chronic pain, or anxiety. Researchers have found the role of CBD in dealing with various sleep disorders like excessive daytime sleepiness and insomnia. These CBD products also contain other ingredients carrying sleep-inducing properties like lavender oil, melatonin, valerian root, ashwagandha, and tryptophan.
Regular consumption of CBD won’t force us to put our phones away an hour before bedtime, but it will help create an internal vibe that will help us fall asleep. Though this field requires further investigation, researchers believe that the sleep-related benefits are because of the presence of CB1 receptors in the hypothalamus.
Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) breaks down as carbohydrates are burned by our brain to form energy. This process causes the gradual accumulation of adenosine in our brain binding to neurons inhibiting the release of neurotransmitters and slowing down brain activity to make us feel sleepier. CBD helps inhibit adenosine reuptake by binding to the same receptors that adenosine would bind to. As a result, we feel sleepy sooner and enjoy a more restful sleep.
- Prompt physical recovery
CBD can help alleviate inflammation and pain. While it provides general relief on being taken orally, you can tackle pain with the topical application of lotions, balms, oils, jells, and foams. This is why runners swear by CBD products as a part of their pre/post-run ritual to ease pain caused by repeated movements. CBD products can help out because of the position of the ECS receptors in different body parts like muscle tissues, skin, bone marrow, lungs, spleen, immune system, liver, pancreas, colon, and vascular system.
Workouts are designed to break down muscle fiber and rebuild stronger muscles. But this causes athletes to experience stiffness and soreness. CBD can help athletes during the pre-and post-workout phase by limiting inflammation and DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) after a workout. CBD helps limit pain and soreness by targeting the joints and muscles where the inflammation is most likely to happen. Catabolic hormones contribute to muscle loss and since CBD accesses and binds to the endocannabinoid receptors located all over the body, it functions as an anti-catabolic. It helps with the athletes’ recovery and growth while reducing the risk of muscle loss.
- Reduction in pain and inflammation
Prolonged training is one of the biggest triggers behind the pain and inflammation of athletes. These can be tackled in different ways including adequate hydration, proper diet, and quality recovery. CBD might be beneficial in addressing the persisting pain and inflammation in our bodies. The anti-inflammatory and antioxidative properties of cannabidiol can keep us buffered from free radicals while mitigating pain caused by inflammation and reducing oxidative stress. Topical solutions like rapid relief CBD creams are perfect for athletes looking for fast and localized help for sore joints or aching muscles.
Irrespective of the sport, athletes complain of occasional pain and soreness. As they push their body to its limits, it can affect their muscles significantly causing the sportspersons to turn to painkillers to relieve pain. Usually, pro athletes consume anti-inflammatory painkillers like ibuprofen and naproxen. At times, they might require more potent prescription drugs which might cause addiction. CBD does not bind with our cannabinoid receptors and this makes it a safer painkiller. It helps manage pain by acting on our TRPV receptors and opioid so that we feel less pain.
Athletes often consume NSAIDs like naproxen sodium and ibuprofen which might increase the chances of renal damage when taken during long training sessions. Even in the case of short workouts, NSAIDs can increase our chances of having a stroke and heart attack. This is why more and more athletes are relying on the pain-relieving attributes of CBD to completely eliminate the use of NSAIDs. The same can be said for opioid pain medications like codeine, morphine, and oxycontin, all of which carry a significant risk of addiction. Though cannabinoids aren’t as effective in relieving high-intensity pain as opioids, they can serve as an effective solution for long-term pain management.
- Better gut & digestive health
A well-balanced diet can provide our body with the nutrients required for its proper functioning while enhancing our performance and helping in its repair. But eating the right foods and staying optimally hydrated doesn’t guarantee that everything will get absorbed and digested into our system. ECS has a big role to play in activating CB1 and CB2 receptors in our body that affect our gastrointestinal process. CBD has been accredited for treating inflammatory bowel diseases which benefit overall homeostasis by allowing beneficial gut microbiota to flourish. As our digestion improves our performance will be better both on and off the field.
Since ECS controls our appetite, CBD can help us attain our body fat percentage goals by controlling our appetite. Various studies have throned CBD as the magic formula to reduce obesity rates and achieve a smaller waist. CBD being a mild appetite suppressant can help athletes relax by acting on the GABA-A receptors. It can also be beneficial for athletes having lower insulin sensitivity as it improves the glycogen and glucose storage space in the liver and muscles.
- Lower stress & anxiety
Athletes are always under pressure to deliver their best performance and this causes them to develop stress and anxiety. This is another region where CBD can help them feel relaxed and protect their mental health, especially before important events. On feeling stressed, our body releases cortisol and adrenaline hormones and this is commonly experienced by athletes competing professionally. Ignoring anxiety and stress increases the risk of developing different health problems and disorders in the long run which can prove to be very expensive for an athlete or anyone having an active lifestyle. If you prioritize your mental, emotional and physical health, then you can’t ignore the anxiety-relieving effects of CBD.
- Lower chances of developing an addiction
Using CBD for pain relief doesn’t pose similar risks of addiction as that of opioids or THC. Rather, it holds the potential of breaking different varieties of substance dependence or abuse. Athletes who are performing during a sporting event, undergoing training, or recovering from either of these can benefit immensely from CBD products. Being a natural antioxidant, it can also shield us from free radical damage and improve our lifestyle as a whole.
- Increases focus
Athletic performance requires more than impressive speed and strong muscles. Your performance might get impacted if you lack adequate focus. Many athletes use pre-workout supplements to boost their energy levels and enhance focus. CBD has earned its spot as a pre-workout supplement that helps increase focus, energy, and performance. Whether you are running long distances or lifting heavy weights, CBD can help improve your overall workout by reducing fatigue and muscle burnout.
How can athletes take CBD?
CBD is an indispensable tool in the kitty of every athlete provided it is applied or taken correctly. But we need to understand which CBD product will suit our needs to benefit fully from them. Each type has a separate set of pros and cons and our aim should be to search for a product whose limitations aren’t a deal-breaker for us. Let’s now take a look at some common ways of consuming CBD:
- Oral products – This category comprises CBD tablets, capsules, beverages, gummies, oil, and more. While some of them have to be taken in their raw form, others need to be mixed with other food and drinks. The advantage of oral products is that the effects are felt gradually and for a longer time span. This is generally recommended for athletes who wish to manage various health challenges ranging from faster recovery to pain management, sleep, anxiety or stress, focus and energy, appetite control, immune deficiencies, and more. On the downside, these CBD products take up to an hour for being absorbed by our body and some of the products might call for additional prep work.
- Sublingual – Under this method, a bit of CBD tincture oil has to be held underneath our tongue for some time before swallowing it. The best thing about this way of consuming CBD is its quicker absorption when compared to simple ingestion. If we want to feel the immediate effects of CBD and bask in a lingering sense of relaxation for the following few hours, then we need to try this method. It is imperative to note here that this requires some pre-measuring for getting the right dosage and isn’t as tasty as most CBD edibles.
- Topicals – Products designed for external applications such as CBD body creams, lotions, jells, balms, foams, and bath bombs fall under this category. These yield excellent results on being applied directly on or near the painful or inflamed part of our body. Athletes use topicals to relieve pain, loosen their muscles, accelerate the healing process and reduce stress. The topicals stay effective for just 2-4 hours and don’t affect other ECS-controlled systems.
- Vaping/Smoking – Vaping CBD oils or waxes and smoking hemp flowers is another way of consuming CBD. We can feel the effects within 10 minutes and enjoy varying potency levels according to different CBD flower strains. On the downside, some vape pen cartridges contain chemicals that can cause negative reactions on being inhaled. This isn’t recommended for people suffering from pre-existing lung conditions.
How Much CBD Should Athletes Take?
The CBD market isn’t regulated with each CBD product having varying levels of cannabinoids. This inconsistency makes it difficult to decide on a general standard for consumption. Our CBD consumption will depend on different factors like the dosage, type of CBD product, size, and reason for liking it. It is recommended to start with a small dose and increase it gradually until we attain the desired results. If we are using CBD for pain management, then we can start by administering between one to six milligrams for every 10 pounds of our weight. Oral consumption of CBD is recommended to improve sleep and reduce anxiety. Professionals recommend taking between 25 to 75 milligrams of CBD to sleep better and alleviate stress. Athletes who suffer from anxiety related to public speaking can take higher doses of CBD between 300 and 600 mg.
What Kind of CBD Is the Best for Athletes?
Primarily, we should get our CBD product from a trustworthy manufacturer. Here it is advisable to stick to brands that conduct third-party testing and deliver highly-reliable products. CBD products can be broadly divided into three categories. Full-spectrum CBD often contains higher levels of THC and uses whole hemp extract. Broad-spectrum CBD is free from THC but has rarer and unique cannabinoids compared to full-spectrum CBD. Lastly comes CBD isolate which is the purest form of CBD product not containing any other cannabinoids.
Athletes should stick to broad-spectrum CBD and CBD isolate as neither of them contains THC. Broad-spectrum CBD induces therapeutic effects as it contains other cannabinoids like CBG, CBN, and CBC. CBD isolate is the safest option for athletes as it contains only CBD cannabinoids. Full-spectrum CBD contains different cannabinoids that can improve sleep, reduce stress and alleviate pain but its THC content makes these CBD products a risky option for athletes.
Conclusion
The biggest USP of CBD lies in its versatility as it can be consumed as therapy creams, energy shots, and other products. The World Anti-Doping Agency allows professional athletes to use CBD. However, they are required to conduct further research on the regulations of their particular league regarding CBD use. It’s only natural to feel overwhelmed by the huge number of CBD products plying the market. Though the final decision rests solely on us, athletes and runners usually take CBD topicals that are ready to use, portable, and deliver impactful effects.
