Is CBD Good For Muscle Recovery?
CBD has analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects, which can help reduce muscle soreness. Thus, helping your body recover faster.
Why Does It Take So Long For Edibles To Kick In?
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What Is CBD?
CBD is short for cannabidiol, which is derived from industrial hemp. It is one of the chemical components found in the Cannabis plant.
Additionally, CBD is the substance that does not cause psychoactive side effects. Instead, it produces the healthy, beneficial effects of the hemp plant. You can achieve the benefits of CBD by taking them in different kinds of forms. But in this article, we’ll focus more on its use as a supplement.
CBD-containing supplements are used to reduce pain, inflammation and improve sleep quality. For this reason, a growing number of fitness enthusiasts are now taking CBD as part of their regimen.
Exercise and CBD
Daily exercise can wear your body down over time, especially for those individuals who are also active in sports and athletic activities. After working out, your muscles get damaged, causing stiffness, soreness and inflammation. As a result, your immune system responds by starting to repair it.
During muscle repair, your muscles become bigger and stronger. This is the reason why working out is easier the next time you exercise. To help your muscles recover faster, you need to sleep and eat healthily. Doing so helps replenish your energy, therefore leading to speeding up muscle repair.
Does CBD Help in Muscle Recovery?
The use of CBD supplements does not directly help in muscle recovery. Instead, it helps alleviate symptoms of muscle pain. An example is the Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness or DOMS for short. DOMS is a kind of muscle pain that you start to feel after working out. It typically begins after 1-2 days and can’t be felt during a workout.
To identify DOMS, you need to look out for the following:
- Muscles that are tender to the touch
- Feeling pain and stiffness of muscles when moving
- Muscle swelling and muscle fatigue
After a workout, there is microscopic damage to the muscle fibers. As a result, these fibers break down, causing inflammation to the muscles.
Why recover? It’s because exercise can stress the body. Once you feel tired and sore, it means your body is healing itself. In addition, the rest day between workouts is essential to prevent injury. It allows your body to heal naturally, therefore a faster recovery.
A 2017 study suggests the ingestion of CBD helped lower stress-induced during exercise. This research warranted further research for CBD as a treatment for cardiovascular disorders.
Chewable edibles must first be chewed and swallowed before absorption happens. It needs to pass through the digestive system. Afterward, it needs to pass through the liver for metabolism, consequently entering the bloodstream and brain. Thus, the effects finally appear. Although the effects of edibles in the form of chewables takes slower, its effects last longer.
Can CBD Reduce Pain and Inflammation?
It will help if you create gentle movements to lessen the soreness you feel in your muscles. An example of gentle movements are walking and cycling. Now, this is where CBD comes in. CBD helps alleviate pain, which in turn can help you move better despite muscle stiffness—in turn, helping you aid in recovery.
A in 2020 conducted animal research study indicates that CBD may help reduce inflammation and pain, which can help for quicker muscle recovery.
Meanwhile, Adam from Muscle And Fitness shared how CBD helped him alleviate pain using CBD cream.
Another 2009 study indicates that cannabinoids, including CBD, can help reduce inflammation. It stated that CBD has a potential therapeutic opportunity in treating inflammation.
Anti-inflammatory effects can help regenerate muscles faster and reduce muscle soreness. These studies have promising results that illustrate the benefits of CBD for muscle recovery.
Does CBD Help With Restorative Sleep?
Sleep is vital for muscle recovery and provides you energy for the next day.
A 2017 study stated that CBD helped improve sleep in 2/3 of participants. However, research for sleep is still in its infancy.
In addition, a 2019 study with human subjects indicates that CBD is well-tolerated by people. Their study stated that CBD is also helpful in improving sleep quality in 66.7% of patients.
CBD For Increased Focus
The anti-anxiety benefits of CBD can help increase focus during workouts.
A 2019 animal study (published on Science Direct) states that CBD can reduce anxiety and other anxiety-related behaviors. Moreover, a 2015 study (published on Link Springer) highlights the potential of CBD as a treatment for anxiety.
How To Use CBD?
It’s always best to start taking CBD with a low dose. Then gradually increase it based on the effects you experience.
CBD Oils And Tinctures For Muscle Recovery
Tinctures and oils like the Unflavored Diamond CBD Oil – 550mg usually take around 30 minutes to 1 hour to take effect. But when mixed in smoothies or drinks, they take longer, at around 1 to 2 hours. However, when administered sublingually, the effects are achieved quicker. In addition, absorption is better when you hold oils and tinctures under the tongue for to up to 90 seconds.
CBD Creams, Salves, And Topicals For Muscle Recovery
Topical products are applied or massaged on the affected area of the skin. Usually, topicals are formulated to produce anti-inflammatory effects. Meanwhile, creams generally help alleviate soreness and pain. Both also have local effects and help treat the area it’s rubbed on. A great example for this is the CBD Hemp and Arnica Muscle and Joint Balm – 500mg.
Using CBD for Workout
CBD for Preworkout
Taking CBD can give you a boost to your performance. Hence, improving focus and concentration. CBD can act as a stimulant that can provide you enough energy for workout sessions.
In addition, CBD can help reduce sensitivity to pain. It’s because of its pain-relieving properties. Overall, it can help you endure a high-intensity workout longer.
If you take CBD in the form of edibles or capsules, you should take it for about 1-2 hours before your workout. But if you’re using other forms of CBD, such as oils and tinctures. You can take them at least 30 minutes to 1 hour before your work out.
CBD for Postworkout
CBD is more effective when taken immediately after a workout. It would help if you started the CBD’s absorption early since the digestive route takes longer to produce its effects. You can also take other forms such as tinctures and oils sublingually to gain its effects faster.
Athletes often incorporate CBD in their supplements to gain its anti-inflammatory benefits. Anecdotal evidence suggests taking CBD after a workout helps improve sleep quality. Additionally, it helps in pain relief. Thus, muscle recovery.
Dosing
There is no correct dosing available for CBD since the FDA doesn’t currently regulate hemp products. CBD products are for supplement use only, and the effects vary for each person. The best thing to do is to start with a small dose. Then you gradually increase the quantity until you achieve the desired effect.
Is CBD Safe to Use for Athletes?
A 2018 study (published on fronteirsin.org) states that humans well tolerate high doses of up to 1,500 mg of CBD per day.
An upcoming study (on Swinburne University, Australia will be conducted. It will be focusing on CBD’s effect on muscle recovery after exercise. This study can help us specifically identify the potential of CBD as an aid for muscle recovery in the future.
Will CBD Show Positive On A Drug Test?
Quality CBD products will not make you get a positive drug test result. Some products will have a mixture of other compounds of CBD. However, products made of poor quality have trace amounts exceeding the <0.3% THC threshold.
Generally, obtaining a pure CBD extract or oil is very difficult. You have to choose a reputable source for your CBD. It is best to check the lab reports of the products to ensure that they comply with the less than 0.3% of THC standard.
Takeaway
Fitness enthusiasts and athletes are now incorporating CBD into their regimen because of the anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of CBD. Whether for pre-workout or postworkout, CBD doesn’t fail, giving us its healthful benefits. With the upcoming study that will focus on its use for muscle recovery, I hope this can lead to discovering its potential as a treatment or as a supplement.