4

Anxiety in Athletes: How CBD Oil Can Help

23 June 2023

As an athlete, you are often under enormous pressure, and you may experience anxiety, but fortunately, CBD oil can help. Whether it’s a competition or a normal training session, most people want to perform well. This places a lot of pressure on you. Thankfully, CBD can help alleviate this pressure.

 

Performing is the Essence of Sports

Sports are all about improving and performing. Who doesn’t experience this regularly? In a team sport, you strive to score higher than the opposing team (and maybe you even want to outperform your own teammates). But even if you practice sports alone, you’re continuously working on enhancing your own performance. You can experience this pressure even if you’re not competing.

Often, athletes dread making mistakes. The fear of making mistakes leads to enormous performance pressure. Unfortunately, this is one of the causes of stress in athletes. And the more anxiety you feel about making mistakes, the more likely they are to occur.

You’ll also notice tension in your body. Your muscles are tense, leading to less control over your movements. It’s no surprise that your performance will likely suffer. All of this has led to an increasing number of burnouts and stress-related complaints among athletes in recent years.

 

The Cause of Performance Pressure

Where does this immense performance pressure originate? On the one hand, there are athletes who impose high pressure on themselves. They set very high, often unrealistic, goals for themselves. These athletes want to be the best, avoid making mistakes, and feel like they have failed if they do not win.

External pressure can also be a factor. It could be family pushing you to perform or even a coach. If a coach disapproves of mistakes and even punishes them, an athlete can become increasingly anxious. They’ll only strive to avoid making mistakes, which doesn’t benefit the sport.

Sports should not be associated with fear and stress. This takes all the joy out of the sport and hinders your performance. CBD oil can potentially help alleviate anxiety in athletes.

 

What is the Effect of CBD Oil on Anxiety?

When you experience anxiety, various processes occur in your body. It produces stress hormones, your heart rate and breathing quicken, and your mood changes. All of this happens under the influence of the Endocannabinoid System (ECS).

This system aims to maintain balance and affects your emotions, memories, mood, pain, and coordination. CBD can influence cell receptors via the ECS and thereby their function. In this way, CBD oil can assist with anxiety.

CBD can influence the production of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that plays a significant role in mental health. Low serotonin levels are associated with the occurrence of depression and can potentially also lead to anxiety.

A 2011 study explored the effects of CBD oil on people with seasonal depression. They received 400 mg of CBD or a placebo. Those who received CBD experienced less anxiety.

CBD oil can also help with PTSD, a condition where people suffer from anxieties and past traumas. Recent research showed that CBD could reduce symptoms like reliving negative memories and nightmares.

Moreover, it can also help reduce stress. In 7 double-blind clinical trials involving 232 participants, it was found that CBD could significantly reduce the stress response.

 

How CBD Can Help Athletes

Do you want to use CBD oil to reduce anxiety and stress? CBD can help in several ways. When you experience less anxiety, your performance will improve. CBD can help you stay calm, even when you need to perform. You’ll thus experience less stress, palpitations, and muscle tension.

Additionally, CBD leads to more clarity and better concentration. Since you’re not worrying, you can stay better in the “now,” helping make the right decisions and react quickly. Moreover, you’re likely to feel better in your skin and enjoy your sport more.

CBD also helps outside your training or competition. It promotes a peaceful night’s sleep. When you sleep well and deeply, your body can recover better, leading to improved daytime performance.

 

How to Use CBD Oil Against Anxiety

Are you an athlete struggling with stress and anxiety? Then it is advisable to start using CBD oil. There are various ways to take this natural remedy. You can opt for CBD Oil, CBD Tablets, or CBD edibles. Each has its benefits. CBD Oil and Tablets are easy to use and work quickly and effectively. By choosing Oatmeal with CBD, you get a delicious and healthy meal that provides a lot of energy for your training, with a dose of CBD in one.

Start with a relatively low dose, for example, 2 or three drops of CBD oil per day or half a CBD tablet. If you do not notice a sufficient effect, you can increase the dose after a few days. You can take this supplement when you need it most. Take it directly before a competition or training session to benefit from its anxiety-reducing and calming effect.

If you want to sleep well, without lying awake due to worrying, and recover well, take it before going to sleep.

Check out our range of CBD products