The fast-growing CBD industry exploded in recent years and is expected to be worth $20 billion by 2024. Every man and his dog seems to be taking it these days.
It’s no surprise. After all, CBD offers a plethora of positive outcomes to adults and animals alike. Anybody using this natural derivate of the Cannabis Sativa plant stands to gain in physical, mental, and emotional ways.
This includes athletes. Indeed, there are manifold benefits of CBD for athletes to enjoy. Are you big on sports and want a natural solution to improve your performance in the gym or on the field?
Keep reading to learn all about the potential benefits of CBD for athletic performance.
Better Sleep
All athletes understand the importance of a good night’s sleep in the hunt for peak performance.
It’s a pivotal component in everything from your rate of recovery to having enough energy to function. Of course, there’s nothing like tiredness to lower your mood and leave you irritable and unfocused to boot.
Needless to say, none of these issues contribute to making you a better athlete.
CBD can help though. It’s well-known for its calming effects (more on this later), helping to reduce stress-levels of stress and soothe both mind and body. You’ll feel more relaxed as you go to bed and should, in theory, get a better night’s sleep as a result.
Better Focus & Productivity
The best athletes work hard in practice, play hard on the field, and stay focused in high-pressure moments. Do you want to do the same?
Give CBD a try!
Even small doses of cannabidiol are reputed to facilitate focus and allow you to perform at your best for prolonged time periods. Your mind should feel more centered, helping you concentrate on the task at hand. That’s good news whether you’re waiting for the starter gun, shooting the last-minute free-throw, or throwing the final pass of the game.
Reduced Pain Levels
All athletes need a higher degree of pain tolerance than the average person.
After all, they’re constantly working hard, exerting themselves, and putting their bodies through the wringer. Hurting’s a pivotal part of the process of improvement! Whoever is more willing to suffer tends to take home the prize.
Pain and discomfort may be present before, during, and after training sessions or actual competition, especially in fast-paced, high-impact, contact sports such as football or ice hockey.
Having a natural way to dull that pain is an almighty boon. That’s exactly what CBD can do. It’s commonly used as a natural pain-killer. Even better, unlike other options, you’ll suffer minimal side-effects and no chance of addiction.
Reduced Stress & Anxiety
Athletes have to be adept at handling pressure situations.
It’s the nature of any competition. You’re going up against an opponent, in front of a crowd, and being tested every step of the way. A certain amount of nerves are to be expected.
Unfortunately, in excess, those butterflies in your stomach can hinder your ability to perform.
You worry about outcomes, get stuck in your head, lose focus, and make mistakes. A vicious spiral soon develops. Initial mistakes affect your confidence, which exacerbates anxiety and leads to more mistakes.
Do you struggle with anxiety before and during competition? CBD might make a positive difference. As we said above, it’s widely used for its calming effects. It can take the edge off any nerves and enable you to focus more on the task at hand.
Reduced Inflammation
Inflammation is another enemy to athletic achievement.
It also happens to be commonplace. Through intense training, injuries, sickness, or impact, various parts of your body can suffer from inflammation. It’s a natural and protective physiological response to harmful stimuli.
It’s never good in excess. Indeed, chronic inflammation can lead to an array of debilitating conditions, including problems with your heart and other vital organs. Even short term inflammation can be problematic, hindering your ability to recover fast from injury.
CBD is a natural anti-inflammatory. Even small quantities have the potential to reduce any negative inflammation that’s present.
Improved Gut Problems
Inflammation causes a wide array of physical health problems.
One of the worst from an athletic perspective involves your gut. There’s nothing quite like an unsettled stomach to stop you functioning at 100%. In worst-case scenarios, you may even be unable to compete.
Think about taking CBD if you’re suffering from inflammation-induced tummy trouble. As we’ve just noted, it’s an effective anti-inflammatory, which makes it a quality salve for these kinds of problems.
However, be aware that stomach upsets can occur for various reasons. Everything from dehydration and fatigue, to food poisoning, could be a factor. CBD may help reduce nausea and anxiety you’re experiencing, but it’s unlikely to alleviate the tummy upset itself.
Swifter Recovery
Getting fitter and stronger is one long process of damage and recovery.
You push your muscles to failure in training, tearing the muscle fibers in the process, which then recover (with the help of essential nutrients) and get stronger as a result.
As you can imagine, the recovery stage is all-important. The faster you recover, the quicker you can get back into the gym or onto the field to do it all over again!
CBD may help with this essential process. By helping you sleep and reducing levels of inflammation, you should feel better far sooner following training sessions, competition, and even injury.
Enjoy the Benefits of CBD for Athletes
CBD has become incredibly popular for its positive impact on human wellbeing and people from all walks of life have started using it in support of their health.
However, as we’ve seen, athletes are one particular group of people who stand to gain from it. Hopefully, this post has highlighted the many benefits of CBD for athletes.
Do you want to try sports CBD for yourself? Click here to see which products we have available right now.
