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When Sal, a personal fitness trainer, started upping her workout game, she noticed she was having trouble recovering from workouts, often finding herself in pain for extended recovery times. Knowing that strenuous workouts can cause post-workout pain due to inflammation of the muscles, Sal decided to look into alternative medicine methods for muscle recovery. She had heard about how CBD can reduce pain in fibromyalgia patients and wondered if it would work for post-workout muscle pain. It turns out that CBD can reduce post-workout inflammation and pain, giving you faster recovery times.
CBD, which stands for cannabidiol, is the second most active ingredient in cannabis (marijuana). THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, is the first. As an essential component of medical marijuana, CBD derives from the hemp plant. The hemp plant is a cousin of the marijuana plant. Even though CBD is an element of marijuana (it’s just one among hundreds), it does not cause a psychoactive “high” as THC does. But, it does have many medicinal and healing benefits, including muscle recovery.
In a 2018 review of 132 published studies in Frontiers in Neurology, researchers proved that CBD decreases inflammation and improves mobility and pain in patients with multiple sclerosis. CBD’s antipsychotic, antiemetic, neuroprotective, antioxidative, and anti-inflammatory characteristics help reduce inflammation and pain. The review’s findings suggest that people with post-workout inflammation and pain can also benefit from CBD.
CBD is taken in several ways, including by ingesting it, inhaling it, or applying it to the skin. The various forms of CBD are edibles, pills, concentrates, flowers, or topicals. Since CBD is marketed as a supplement and not a medicine, the FDA does not regulate it. The FDA does not oversee the safety and purity of supplements. That said, it is difficult to determine just how much CBD you should take for muscle recovery. It may take some time to adjust your dosage to what your body requires for muscle recovery. One thing is for sure, when you take CBD and how you take it affects your recovery. For post-workout recovery, you must take CBD immediately after your workout. And, it should be in the form of ingestion. One of the best ways to ingest CBD is with chewy CBD gummies. CBD from the authorized marijuana dispensary is highly effective and provides longer-lasting effects.
There are over 14,000 published medical and scientific studies proving the health benefits of CBD. And, they found five specific benefits of CBD for muscle recovery.
- CBD Can Reduce Muscle Inflammation. CBD can help reduce inflammation, making it a critical component to post-workout recovery, and applying ice to prevent or reduce inflammation after a workout is not enough. Those who are working out strenuously or are athletes need more. That is where CBD comes into play. By inhaling, ingesting, or applying it to the skin, you can reduce inflammation that has already occurred, giving you faster recovery time. According to studies, CBD inhibits some inflammatory molecules, therefore shortening recovery time and relieving tension and inflammation in the tissue.
- CBD Might Decrease Muscle Tension. Post-workout muscle tension is usually an indicator that there is an injury to a tissue. If this has ever happened to you, you know how painful it can be. So painful that you need to take something to help reduce the pain. Most athletes turn to muscle relaxers for this type of pain. But, muscle relaxers are benzodiazepine drugs that have side effects like depression, trembling, dizziness, confusion, and sedation. CBD, on the other hand, is not known to produce any side effects and is all-natural. CBD is beneficial for treating post-workout muscle tension.
- CBD Can Help Reduce Pain. CBD is thought of as a miracle painkiller. A natural alternative, CBD can reduce pain through three mechanisms by stopping pain transmission in the brain and spinal cord, decreasing inflammatory messenger activity, and reducing muscle ache sensitivity.
- CBD Can Improve Sleep. Sleep is essential to your health, including muscle recovery. With quality sleep, you can improve your fitness level because muscles recover while you sleep. The body goes through many processes during sleep, including restoring damaged proteins, removing cellular debris, converting lactic acid to glucose in the liver, and stimulating stem cell differentiation into muscle fibers. On the other hand, sleep deprivation can boost cortisol levels, decrease the insulin-like growth factor, and reduce testosterone production. CBD can help these processes, resulting in better quality sleep.
Insomnia is prevalent and is associated with increased health risks. A May 2020 study revealed how cannabinoids help improve sleep in patients with chronic insomnia disorder. And, as believed, subjects found improved sleep after taking a pharmaceutical-grade oral oil solution containing 10mg of Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and 200mg cannabidiol (CBD). The study does not address how much THC is affecting sleep quality.
5. CBD Can Improve Energy Levels. For fitness lovers and athletes, being low in energy can be detrimental. It could be the result of many reasons, including some medical conditions, so it is a good idea to see your doctor first. CBD works in conjunction with the body’s endocannabinoid system with its cannabinoids that help restore and manage a natural balance or homeostasis in your body. This process allows for steady, increased energy.
With these five health benefits of CBD for muscle recovery, you can improve your fitness level and quality of workouts. If added as a supplement, you may notice faster muscle recovery with every workout.