There are many little things that can affect athletic performance, whether it is for the positive or negative. Some athletes struggle with inflammation, others experience apprehension that makes performing athletically difficult. So, where can they turn to for help? One potential option is cannabidiol (CBD).
Let’s learn more about CBD
Cannabis plants like hemp and marijuana have 113 different kinds of a chemical component known as a cannabinoid. CBD is one of these. There is another cannabinoid that is arguably better known than CBD. It is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
The reason why THC is so well-known is likely because it is a cannabinoid with psychoactive effects. It creates the high associated with marijuana use. It is important to remember that CBD does not have a psychoactive effect. So, it does not create a high.
CBD is normally extracted from the hemp plant. There are a couple of reasons for this. One of these we will cover in a minute. The other is that hemp has much higher levels of CBD than THC. In fact, hemp only has less than 0.3% THC content.
Knowing where CBD comes from, that does lead to questions beyond if CBD can get you high. It also leads to questions about legality.
Is CBD legal?
CBD is federally legal in the United States. This is because of the 2018 Farm Bill. This bill did a number of things, one of which was making industrial hemp legal to grow and sell across the country. It also included legalizing products made from hemp, that includes CBD products.
So, yes, CBD is legal in the United States, but how do sports organizations feel about it? Afterall, there are a lot of things that are banned from use in professional sports. However, when it comes to CBD it is not that much of a worry.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) protects athletes and ensures that competitors are held to the same standards on what supplements athletes can take. This allows athletes to compete equally without performance enhancing drugs. Because of a concern on safety and performance, WADA bans most cannabinoids and products from cannabis, natural or synthetic. The one exception is CBD. This is likely because while CBD has the potential to offer help to people, it does not, as discussed above, create a high. The WADA does warn, however, that some CBD products do have other cannabinoids in them. This means that athletes who use those kinds of CBD, may test positive for those banned cannabinoids.
Now that we have covered CBD’s legal status, let’s talk about what CBD may be able to help you with.
How may CBD help with athletic performance?
Research into CBD has increased since its legalization. Many of these studies have found many interesting things that CBD may be able to help with.
Inflammation is something that many people struggle with. It often leads to difficulty with movement and can cause serious discomfort. Many of these studies have looked at how CBD may be able to help with inflammation. For example, this study looked at what CBD’s potential effect may have on inflammation caused by oxidative stress. This study and others suggest that if you struggle with inflammation, then you may want to try CBD. It may be able to help with movement and maybe comfort as well.
Nerves and jitters can make facing any task very difficult. Some studies have also focused on the effect that CBD has on a user’s state of mind. This study looked at CBD’s effect on Social Anxiety Disorder. It found that CBD was able to help the test subjects calm down. This means that if you struggle with jitters before a big game, CBD may be able to help keep you calm and, as a result, perform better.
These are just a couple of examples of what exactly CBD may be able to do for you. It is worth looking into all of the things that CBD may be able to help you with.
What is the right amount of CBD to take?
There is no set amount of CBD that everyone should take. Everyone reacts to CBD a little bit differently. Some people require much more CBD than others. In order to figure out how much you need requires a bit of experimentation.
The best way to do this is by starting small. Try taking low amounts of CBD and see how you react to it. If it settles with you okay, then you can try taking some more. This will take a lot of time, so you will need to be patient.
It is good to remember, during this experimentation, that some products will take longer to take effect. For example, edibles will take a long time to start working. This is because they need to digest before the CBD can start working. Other products, like tablets and tinctures, will take much less time to start working, if they are placed under the tongue.
If you take too much CBD there could be some unpleasant side effects including gastrointestinal upset and fatigue. Clearly these side effects are not life threatening, but they certainly are not fun. So, to avoid these you need to take starting CBD slowly and try to find the right amount for you.
There are some medications that do not work well with CBD. So, it is best to talk to a healthcare professional before you start adding CBD to your nutritional regimen. This is especially true if you take serious medications. It is always good to be on the safe side.
There are many potential benefits that CBD may be able to provide to everyone, including athletes. If you struggle with inflammation or nerves, it may be a great thing for you to try. It may be able to help improve your athletic performance.
Do you want to browse some great CBD products? Do you want to learn everything there is to know about CBD? Then you are on the right site. Here on Panacea Life Sciences’ website you can find all kinds of fantastic CBD products. You can also read a bunch of articles covering a number of different topics relating to CBD. On this site, you can also find a way to contact members of our team or you can email questions to us on [email protected].
