5

CBD Oil: What We Do and Don’t Know For Athletes

20 June 2023

We are discovering more and more about the many possibilities that the substance CBD can offer us. New CBD Oil research shows that we don’t know everything yet. The benefits for your body, your mental wellbeing, but also for your athletic life, are stacking up. In this blog, we look at what we do and don’t know for certain about CBD and sports, and also what the future might bring us.

 

What CBD Oil research teaches us

Research into CBD Oil is actually still in its infancy, even though almost everyone has heard of CBD these days. There are now research teams worldwide trying to decipher the secrets of this plant-based substance, but scientific research takes a lot of time, so our knowledge is growing steadily.

Over the past few years, a lot of interesting and promising results from CBD Oil research have emerged. Some of those studies also focus on the combination of CBD and sports. Here, we give you a few key examples, then look at questions that we would love to find the answers to in the near future.

The most important discovery from CBD Oil research is our understanding of the workings of our own endocannabinoid system, or ECS. Israeli researcher Raphael Mechoulam did groundbreaking work in the 1980s to understand the function of this receptor network. The endocannabinoid system keeps our body in balance by coordinating all sorts of vital processes.

The ECS is controlled by neurotransmitters that we produce ourselves, but it can also collaborate with certain substances from plants. CBD is one of them. CBD (cannabidiol) can therefore help in your body to inhibit or accelerate various processes. This also explains why CBD Oil can have so many different effects. We take you through a number of those effects that illustrate the link between CBD and sports.

 

Better recovery after sports, says CBD Oil research

While research into the precise operation is still ongoing, scientists largely agree that CBD Oil can aid recovery after sports. Both your body and your brain need time to recover after intense exertion. CBD can assist in this, as several studies have shown. This means returning to the gym sooner for your next workout, so you can improve your performance even faster and more effectively!

 

Exercise relaxed and rested with CBD

One of the key effects of CBD for those who enjoy sports is its calming and sleep-promoting action. CBD Oil research has shown that many people sleep better, longer, and deeper when they use a CBD supplement. This has significant implications for your athletic ability, as if you’re rested and relaxed, you can better focus on your tasks, whether it’s a school exam, your work, or your next workout in the gym.

 

Less bothered by aches and injuries

Pain can be a significant limitation if you’re trying to do a lot of intensive sports. Unfortunately, a little bit of pain and discomfort is also part of a lifestyle in which you train hard. Fortunately, CBD Oil research has shown that this substance can have analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects. Muscle pain, tendon problems, and painful joints during or after sports can be better managed with CBD. That naturally makes sports a lot more enjoyable!

 

What CBD Oil research can still teach us

We are learning more and more through CBD Oil research, but there are also still many unanswered questions. For example, we still don’t know what the optimal dose of CBD for sports should be. Luckily, more and more athletes are using this supplement, so that provides more information to base research on.

Another important question is what the effect of long-term CBD use for your sport exactly does to your body. We know that it doesn’t get you ‘high’ and that it isn’t addictive, but it’s not clear for athletes how long-term CBD use turns out. We expect to learn more about this soon, especially as there are more and more athletes who have been swearing by CBD for years.

And it may sound strange, but it has never been conclusively proven that CBD Oil leads to better results in sports. This is because there has been no longitudinal (long term) research done where athletes who take CBD Oil are compared with athletes who don’t or receive a placebo. Such research is urgently needed, but this too takes a lot of time. Therefore, more clarity in this area will be revealed over the next few years.

Fortunately, you don’t have to wait for this! The WHO states that you can use CBD safely and the anti-doping authority WADA has removed CBD from the doping list. Therefore, nothing stands in your way to discover for yourself how CBD Oil can enhance your sports performance and enjoyment!

Check out our range of CBD oil