CBD and Sports: Everything You Need to Know
What relationship is there between CBD and sports? For several years now, the world of sports has seen a growing interest in the anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, and relaxing properties of CBD, given the growing awareness around using cannabis therapeutically as opposed to more traditional opiates.
Next, we'll see the most important benefits CBD offers in sports.
Five benefits of CBD for athletes:
- CBD is highly valued and used for its anti-inflammatory properties, and it doesn't have as many side effects on the body as other drugs used for the same purpose. That's why it's an excellent option to treat muscle inflammation, which athletes commonly experience.<
- Taking CBD after physical exercise can help optimize the body's recovery time. That way, they can go back to training or racing much earlier.
- CBD supports good sleep and better relaxation. For athletes, this is essential to improve their performance and recover quicker after a hard day of training.
- CBD has analgesic properties, which are useful in treating sports injuries or chronic pain. CBD therefore mitigates pain and helps athletes be able to deal with training better.
- CBD helps calm generalized anxiety. An organism that is subjected to high levels of stress reacts negatively to training, which can impact any athlete's career.
CBD and doping
As of February 1, 2018, cannabidiol (CBD) is no longer on the list of prohibited substances by the WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency), even though other cannabinoids are still strictly prohibited.
From that date on, the use of CBD in sports has increased due to the enormous benefits it provides.
Even so, the WADA guidelines state that cannabidiol extracted from cannabis plants can contain various concentrations of THC, a substance that is still prohibited.
Therefore, athletes who use CBD to enhance their performance and want to pass drug tests with no problems should make sure that they are using a high-quality CBD that has been completely isolated from any traceable levels of THC.
