Is CBD Beneficial For Athletes?

Athletics are an important role in the field of the Olympics, and athletes need to be well-prepared for them to represent their various countries. CBD is becoming recognized in the sports sector for its researched benefits are believed to contain various symptoms connected to different diseases. This article discusses CBD and the different forms and products made from CBD that can assist athletes in their day-to-day activities.

CBD can be of great help to athletes in helping them to deal with various problems they face either during practice or after.Athletes are known to train hard to win specific titles and medals. However, this does not come easy since they have to excise their body muscles hard which in most cases may leave them exhausted. Top-notch performance needs overall body wellness, and CBD contains harsh effects caused during practice with the help of a doctor for one to acquire the proper dosage. CBD use is simplified since products are readily available in all CBD forms, which range from full-spectrum products to broad spectrum and CBD Isolate.

What Is CBD?

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a compound of cannabis that interacts with the endocannabinoid system to contain symptoms linked to various disorders and is also responsible for the body's overall wellness. It is not responsible for the high effect of cannabis caused by tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

CBD can be used in many ways to give effective results. It may be prepared in bath bombs, topical products such as lotions, edibles such as chocolates, gummies, and cakes. In cases where CBD is needed urgently, vaping options offer quicker means of introducing CBD into the bloodstream.

How CBD Works for Athletes?

Athletes may prefer CBD over other drugs that relieve pain. According to Gamelin (2020), the World Anti-Doping Agency removed CBD from the list of prohibited medications. However, this did not allow the use of THC as it is seen to contain adverse effects that may prohibit athletes from attaining better performance. Athletes willing to start using CBD should first visit a medical practitioner for proper dosage and advice on the effective method connected to the condition the athlete is experiencing.

Gamelin et al. (2020) showed that Cannabidiol could help athletes since they may experience; a lack of sleep, loss of appetite, inflammation, pain in joints, and lack of concentration.

Here are various challenges and how CBD helps to contain them;

Lack of Sleep.

Adequate sleep is necessary for any athlete to facilitate good performance on the field. According to Shannon et al. (2019), CBD has positive effects on sleep; thus, a proper prescription of CBD can help attain enough sleep after a long day of practice, increasing productivity the next day.

Muscle Pain

Athletes push hard to break records and hold titles. Some of them work extra hard, which at times leaves them with pain after workouts.

Eskander et al. (2020) concluded that CBD significantly affected pain. Pain in the body can reduce effectiveness and performance on the field, which is not recommendable for any athlete. Athletes may use any form of CBD to achieve the desired effects depending on the conditions they are aimed at containing.

Inflammation

Peyravian et al. (2022) supported that CBD could regulate inflammation in different symptoms. CBD works with different receptors in the endocannabinoid system to achieve overall body wellness by containing inflammation symptoms. Inflammation can cause discomfort during workouts or even missing out on practice. Athletes

May prefer the use of CBD since it contains mild or no side effects such as addiction which keeps the athletes on the safer side.

Nausea

Grimison et al. (2020) insisted that CBD use could greatly impact counter-nausea symptoms experienced by athletes, which may even lead to loss of appetite. Food consumption is necessary for the human body to facilitate quick metabolism. According to Narvaez et al. (2020), metabolism breaks down food substances to get energy.

It should be noted that not all forms of CBD can be a solution to the containment of nausea. Different symptoms have different methods to counter them since products vary in the forms or modes used to introduce CBD into the system.

However, the athlete should determine the CBD prod after consulting a doctor and reviewing the symptoms connected to their medication.

What to avoid when using CBD for Athletes?

Drugs alter the body's normal functioning either positively or negatively. In case of any misuse reported, negative effects should be expected, and this is no exception in using CBD.

Although research on the proper dosage of CBD products has not yet been concluded, it is highly recommended that even athletes willing to begin using CBD should visit a health officer to get advice on the proper dose to follow. This is done to avoid cases of overdose on CBD, which may lead to adverse side effects.

Consumers should be very cautious with their choice of products and the source. Most companies are not transparent; in most cases, they omit the necessary information to guide consumers. The amount of CBD in the products may not be well labeled. Some may contain lower percentages than indicated on the product. On other occasions, amounts of THC may be found in the products the World Anti-Doping Agency highly bans. This can be discouraging as it may lead to a total ban on the Olympics. Consumers should take quality CBD products from well-known sources to be on the safer side.

Athletes are advised to go for either broad-spectrum or isolate to experience the effects of CBD and, on the other hand, counter the use of THC.

Conclusion

The use of CBD products is gaining popularity in various fields. In athletics, it is seen to help the athletes to achieve normal wellness of the body and, at the same time, enjoy different flavors and scents accompanied by the various forms of CBD. Natural CBD can greatly impact those who are not a fan of various flavors hence proving to accommodate all consumers. A doctor's advice is recommended since CBD might interact with other prescribed drugs, thus achieving negative side effects. However, starting with a lower dosage is advisable and then increasing to a relatively higher one after experiencing how CBD interacts with your body.

References

Eskander, Jonathan & Spall, Junaid & Spall, Awais & Shah, Rinoo & Kaye, Adam. (2020). Cannabidiol (CBD) as a treatment of acute and chronic back pain: A case series and literature review. Journal of opioid management. 16. 215-218. 10.5055/jom.2020.0570.

Gamelin, F. X., Cuvelier, G., Mendes, A., Aucouturier, J., Berthoin, S., Di Marzo, V., &Heyman, E. (2020). Cannabidiol in sport: Ergogenic or else? Pharmacological Research, 156, 104764.

10. Grimison, A. Mersiades, A. Kirby, N. Lintzeris, R. Morton, P. Haber, I. Olver, A. Walsh, I. McGregor, Y. Cheung, A. Tognela, C. Hahn, K. Briscoe, M. Aghmesheh, P. Fox, E. Abdi, S. Clarke, S. Della-Fiorentina, J. Shannon, C. Gedye, S. Begbie, J. Simes, M. Stockler, Oral THC: CBD cannabis extract for refractory chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting: a randomized, placebo-controlled, phase II crossover trial, Annals of Oncology, Volume 31, Issue 11,2020, Pages 1553-1560, ISSN 0923-7534,https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annonc.2020.07.020.(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0923753420399968)

Peyravian N, Deo S, Daunert S, Jimenez JJ. The Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Cannabidiol (CBD) on Acne. J Inflamm Res. 2022 May 3;15:2795-2801. doi: 10.2147/JIR.S355489. PMID: 35535052; PMCID: PMC9078861.

Shannon, S., Lewis, N., Lee, H., & Hughes, S. (2019). Cannabidiol in anxiety and sleep: a large case series. The Permanente Journal, 23.