How Can CBD Help Athletes?
There was once a time where accessing CBD would be difficult for just about anyone, let alone athletes. But even with cannabis legal in Nevada, there are lots of questions surrounding how CBD can help athletes, whether CBD is safe for athletes to use, and whether athletes are allowed to use CBD in the first place. With that in mind, we wanted to share some of our insights into how CBD can help athletes and how they can use it responsibly to increase their performance and overall wellness.
What is CBD?
First of all— what is CBD, exactly?
CBD is a cannabinoid, which is the scientific word for the natural chemical compounds found in cannabis that give it many of its effects. When you get high from cannabis, experience reduced anxiety, enjoy pain relief or reduced inflammation, or any number of other benefits, chances are they’re coming from cannabinoids. These cannabinoids interact with natural processes within your body to send signals throughout your body and brain, telling it do things like reduce swelling, increase serotonin levels, and more. CBD is one of the most well-known cannabinoids, and THC is the other.
THC is the cannabinoid that makes you ‘high,’ while even significant doses of CBD won’t cause any high at all. The people who use CBD use it for its many health benefits, from the physical to the mental and emotional.
Benefits of CBD for Athletes
CBD has been shown to have a range of health benefits that are powerfully beneficial for not only the average person, but especially athletes. It has been shown to both relieve pain and reduce inflammation from sports-related injuries, boosting the body’s natural recovery process and allowing athletes to get back on the field more quickly without risk of worsening injuries. It also helps improve sleep quality, a vital recovery-time for athletes, and calms nerves relating to big games, matches or events.
So with all of these benefits, let’s see what pro athletes have to say about the role of CBD in their lives.
What Athletes Have to Say About CBD
Athletes in a range of sports and parts of their careers are starting to advocate for the powerful effects of CBD on performance, injury recovery, pain relief, and a whole lot more.
Rob Gronkowski, famous former New England Patriots football star and now CBD investor, tells the story of his first experience with cannabis.
“I jammed my three toes playing soccer and they were black and blue. I throw the [CBD] cream on and, boom, it temporarily relieved the pain. I got to go through the rest of my day, put the shoes back on.”
Meanwhile, U.S. soccer star Megan Rapinoe talks openly about why she’s drawn to CBD.
“I wanted a healthier, more natural option for pain management, sleep aid, relaxation while flying, and general recovery.”
Even former Los Angeles Lakers star Lamar Odom says that cannabis helped him kick addictions to hard drugs and get his life back on track.
Is CBD Legal for Your Event?
Athletes who believe in the power of CBD for athletic performance scored a major win in 2018. That’s when World Anti-Doping Agency, which governs the general global rules for what substances are prohibited for competitive athletes, removed CBD from its list of prohibited substances. THC remains prohibited, for now.
Generally, athletes who take CBD won’t test positive for THC. However, there have been some exceptions. It’s believed that these come from cannabis sources that are unreliable, contaminated, or incorrectly labeled, so if you’re going to take CBD while participating in a sport where you may be drug tested, make sure you know exactly what’s in it. If you want to be completely safe, you always have the option of refraining from CBD use during the season.
Want to check out some great CBD-based products to help athletic performance, recovery, and mental well-being? Browse our menu today and place an order for curbside pickup or delivery.
