Athletes usually take some food supplements that provide all the nutrients to their body, along with a balanced diet, to improve their performance, providing macronutrients such as carbohydrates and proteins, and micronutrients such as amino acids, vitamins, minerals among some others.
On the other hand, when the body is subjected to high-impact training or sports, it is necessary to have a lifestyle that adapts to the demands of competition, proper nutrition, balanced in the hours of sleep so that the body can recover from Physical wear and tear, resulting in tiredness, muscle pain, fatigue and other elements that negatively influence the athlete’s progress.
CBD has reached the world of sports, providing significant benefits to the lives of athletes, however, due to the bad reputation that precedes the plant from which this compound comes, there are still some misgivings regarding the use of Cannabidiol in the Sports world. Is the use of CBD legal if you practice any professional sports? What benefits does CBD bring to an athlete? What is the effect of CBD on the body? These and many more are the doubts that arise daily regarding this issue. In this article, we will solve those unknowns with the help of scientific bases, keep reading, and you will be able to obtain all the necessary information that will help you to clear up your doubts.
BENEFITS OF CBD IN SPORTS
CBD has a positive impact on the world of sports, both professionally and in amateur practice. It provides significant improvements in the person’s performance in different aspects of their life. The list of benefits that CBD, as a dietary supplement, brings to the life of an athlete, go beyond providing nutrients, it helps to improve many aspects that can make the person a better athlete.
Reduces Inflammation and Pain
Muscle pain and swelling come hand in hand with high-performance training, triggering other exhausting factors such as fatigue, poor quality of sleep, physical discomfort due to fatigue, reduced performance, and many other factors.
CBD has anti-inflammatory properties capable of considerably reducing these problems, in turn, preventing the athlete from having to resort to drugs such as ibuprofen, aspirin, or diclofenac, which, although they have shown excellent results to reduce pain post-workout, they could also have side effects that worsen over time. Reducing these levels of inflammation also helps to have more growth in the muscle. With CBD, you do not run the risk of side effects, it is not a compound that causes addiction, and it is not toxic, all this has been studied and confirmed by institutions such as the WHO.
Increases Muscle Mass in CBD
When you want to build muscle, it is necessary to maintain a correct balance between the anabolic and catabolic processes of the body. The first is responsible for helping to have a more defined muscle growth through the intake of calories and protein. In contrast, the second is responsible for degrading fats, carbohydrates, and proteins, for getting more energy, catabolism can be higher than anabolism, thus achieving muscle breakdown.
Using CBD helps to avoid an excess of catabolism, preventing the loss of muscle mass, causing the same effect that is wanted to be achieved through a higher protein intake and a caloric surplus and when food is rationed in several servings a day. On the other hand, CBD also helps reduce the levels of cortical production, a hormone that, when produced in excess, can trigger a muscle protein catabolism. The cannabis compound acts by protecting muscle proteins from a hormonally stimulated breakdown.
CBD Reduces Hand Sizes
Some people, who start in the world of sports, usually begin with a weight above what is recommended for their height, so they want to lower it. CBD will be a useful ally in these cases, and it helps regulate blood glucose levels, which implies that the hormones responsible for storing fat in the pancreas will be reduced, and this fat is used in other ways, allowing It is possible to lose weight healthily, always hand in hand with a balanced diet.
CBD as an Antioxidant
In sports such as Boxing, Rugby, American Football, Wrestling, and many others, the athlete runs the risk of suffering a brain injury, which can lead to death, and in other cases, triggers neurodegenerative diseases. Several studies have shown that CBD works as an antioxidant, inhibiting the possibilities of cell death caused by a chemical flow. Therefore, it also works as a neuroprotector, helping to protect brain cells when the person suffers from a cerebrovascular disease or is a victim of sports injuries.
Enhances Sleep Quality
Every person needs to fulfill the corresponding hours of sleep to allow both the body and the mind to rest enough, thus achieving a complete recovery from day to day.
Athletes must be able to comply with those hours, but it is also necessary that they be of quality, so that the body can generate new cells that help the recovery of muscles and resistance.
On some occasions, this tends to present a problem for them. Due to all the activity carried out by the body during workouts, cortical levels rise, which increases stress, making it more difficult to sleep, resulting in the person’s sleeplessness. CBD helps control sleep, considerably reducing insomnia levels and allowing the body to carry out the necessary anabolic processes for better muscle definition.
CBD also increases the levels of anandamide, the hormone that is responsible for regulating the mood, so the athlete can feel more willing and motivated to perform the routine, helping to function it correctly, as well as also achieving that, once the method is finished, it enters a state of relaxation, improving the athlete’s mood.
Reduces Anxiety
Before an event or when you want to reach a goal, due to the pressure on a professional athlete, anxiety levels associated with fear of failure tend to rise, there may also be a rise in cortical, causing stress when making decisions and elaboration of strategies that require a competence. Even after you have achieved your goals, anxiety can be maintained, reducing your performance and causing your mind to wander. CBD helps control stress and keep you focused.
Antispasmodic Properties
In the case of athletes, it is widespread for them to suffer from muscle spasms at any time in their life. These tend to intensify after a training session, making it difficult for them to do many other daily activities. CBD works by relaxing the muscles and reducing pain, largely preventing these spasms.
CBD Benefits and Recommendations for Athletes
For athletes, it is recommended to use CBD sublingually, in this case, taking advantage of products such as CBD Oil, which you should apply 30 minutes before training or once you have finished, so that you can take advantage of the analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties of the compound. The dose that is mostly recommended is 2.5mg; from there, you can increase the dose until you achieve the desired effects. If you want to use it to take better advantage of your sleep, you should take it 1h before going to sleep. Another way an athlete can take advantage of CBD is with Creams and Balms, which applies it directly to areas where they feel discomfort or pain. In all three cases, CBD will take effect 30 minutes after it has been applied or ingested.
It is recommended to verify the percentages of THC in the product you are going to buy. In the case of professional athletes, tetrahydrocannabinol may appear in toxicological tests and be harmful to their profession. CBD has significant benefits to improve the lives of athletes, both those with high performance, and those who are starting in the world of sports.
Is the use of CBD in sports legal?
Many athletes have used CBD and even medical cannabis to alleviate certain conditions caused by long training sessions. It is no secret that cannabis has many legal restrictions in many countries. In some, these restrictions also apply to CBD; however, thanks to the fact that this composite is capable of providing significant benefits to people, the laws that prohibit its use have been changed. In sports, it is a sensitive issue because it can sometimes be considered doping, but this is being eradicated little by little within various disciplines, and associations such as WADA have their own beliefs regarding the use of CBD. on the sport.
What does the AMA say about CBD in athletes?
The World Anti-Doping Agency removed CBD from its restriction lists, opening the door for athletes to a world where they can use CBD without legal restrictions, to benefit their performance and health in the hands of this cannabinoid.
This is because CBD does not act as an enhancer of the athlete’s abilities, nor does it put their health at risk or violate the sportsmanship laws by not being psychoactive.
Many athletes use and defend CBD as an excellent pain reliever and a product that benefits them in various aspects of their health, especially in terms of improving lung capacity and increasing resistance. The WADA advised athletes to take into account that some CBD products may contain high levels of THC, which is a substance that is still prohibited within the WADA lists, so if the oil-rich in Cannabidiol contains THC, it can putting the professional life of the athlete at risk. This elimination of the ban on CBD occurred thanks to the WHO issued a report, giving scientific faith that CBD’s use can bring significant benefits and can be used to treat different diseases and ailments without running the risk of overdose, addiction or toxicity.
Conclusion
CBD can improve people’s health, but it has also given them the possibility to get away from upload drugs, used to alleviate all the annoyances caused by training, but are associated with a myriad of adverse effects, both legal and legal. Health. It is still expected that other associations such as WADA, join this initiative and help facilitate and protect the lives of athletes so that they can continue giving their best for many more years.
