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Muscle recovery after an exhausting workout or a sports activity can be a grinding struggle. If you’re active in sports or are a fitness enthusiast, you may have heard that you can speed up the muscle recovery process. You do not have to suffer needlessly.

Luckily, CBD can help your pulverized muscles feel a lot better. 

More and more professional athletes are promoting CBD supplements. The reason — CBD has shown to help them recover from sports activity and workouts as it promotes healing after injuries. There is a variety of CBD product options available for muscle recovery — edibles, weed vapes, tinctures, capsules, creams, and lotions.

Formerly known as cannabidiol, CBD offers several health benefits. In the case of muscle recovery, it can assist in numerous ways. So, in this post, we’ll discuss six ways CBD can assist in muscle recovery.

Why Use CBD for Muscle Recovery?

In the case of normal muscle recovery, it is believed that muscle pain is caused due to the body’s attempts to remove lactic acid and other toxins from the tissues formed during considerable exercises. The stiffness or soreness, in turn, is an immediate result of the active healing of muscle damage.

In such cases, many prefer anti-inflammatory medicines to speed up recovery. But these medicines have unpleasant side effects like nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, heartburn, or even diarrhea. On the other hand, CBD, which is a plant-based medicinal compound, acts as a natural anti-inflammatory, painkiller, and muscle relaxant without any side effects. 

Let’s discuss the six ways CBD can assist in muscle recovery.

  • CBD is a safe and effective painkiller: CBD is a powerful painkiller that acts quickly. The recovery speed of CBD can be similar or even faster than the most commonly used opioid drugs. Unlike opioids, CBD does not cause intoxication and also has no risk of physiological or psychological dependence. 

CBD is also known for its useful property of painkilling. Since CBD works in sync with your endocannabinoid system, the receptors of this system help slow down the neurons which alleviate pain. 

  • CBD reduces inflammation: Inflammation increases the blood flow to the muscles and joints to help in muscle recovery. This blood flow delivers oxygen and essential nutrients to the affected area. In turn, it clears up the damaged proteins, lactic acid, and cellular debris. 

You can treat this inflammation with ice or just pop an NSAID such as ibuprofen. Or you can opt for natural CBD products from a reputed weed shop. The anti-inflammatory property of CBD speeds up muscle recovery without any side effects.

  • CBD improves sleep quality: CBD has a stable and long-lasting impact on improving sleep quality. Some people use CBD extracts to calm the body and mind before going to sleep. Due to pain and discomfort, athletes can face sleep and anxiety issues, CBD is helpful in these cases.

Available studies reveal that CBD has proven to be very useful in improving sleep quality. It also improves your spiritual health & It has a potent anti-anxiety effect which can help people have a restful sleep. 

  • CBD is a muscle relaxant: CBD, in any form, can provide faster muscle relaxation. It reduces muscle pain and stiffness that arises due to bruises, injuries, or edema. CBD alleviates pain by eliminating muscle weakness after physical exertion. 

Since it provides relaxing and cooling effects, the tense parts of the body cool down. CBD also reduces swelling and relieves muscle fatigue. This speeds up muscle recovery and accelerates the regeneration of joints and limbs.

  • CBD boosts stamina: The endocannabinoid system facilitates what is popularly known as the “runner’s high”. A naturally occurring compound in the endocannabinoid, Anandamide, is responsible for boosting energy. 

CBD is known to reduce cortisol, inducing a person to sleep hence enabling muscle growth. This direct effect on muscle growth proves that CBD can boost one’s stamina and enhance mood.

  • CBD prevents distress: Gastrointestinal distress (GI) and intestinal inflammation are the leading causes of athletes dropping out of sporting events. CBD won’t treat this distress but can help reduce the inflammation. Inflammation can cause gut problems during or after exercises and can help alleviate these symptoms. 

A study reveals that CBD can be a novel anti-inflammatory drug. There are CB1 and CB2 receptors in the colon. Cannabinoids activate these receptors to reduce symptoms of colitis. 

To summarize, CBD products offer many health benefits and also assists in muscle recovery. From an anti-inflammatory and pain reliever, to sleep aid, CBD has a great potential to accelerate muscle recovery. The fact that CBD can reduce the consumption of opioids, prescription sleep aids, and NSAIDS, is a great victory.