If you are a fitness freak, you have probably heard about CBD oil for muscle recovery. Known for its anti-inflammatory properties, CBD or Cannabidiol can serve as an excellent supplement for supporting the recovery process after a workout. It can also speed up healing after an injury.
In this article, we will be investigating the use of CBD oil in sustaining muscle recovery and how it can contribute to your fitness regime.
What Causes Muscle Weakness Post-Workout?
It is normal to experience muscle fatigue after a strenuous workout. When you exercise, it exerts pressure on your muscles. This causes microscopic tears in the proteins that help make up your cells, leading to pain and inflammation. This condition is also known as Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS).
It usually occurs a day after your workout session. You must give your body the time to recover from the soreness associated with muscle fatigue. Your muscles need time to heal before you can resume exercise. If you don’t, you could risk muscle damage, and your performance might decline. Your body may also undergo adverse metabolic changes.
There are multiple things that you can do to support the recovery process. These include:
- Resting
- Engaging in low-impact activities
- Maintaining a healthy diet
- Doing breathing exercises
- Taking supplements that help your muscles heal
While there are plenty of supplements available for reducing muscle weakness, let’s look at the use of CBD oil for muscle recovery.
What Are the Benefits of Using CBD Oil for Muscle Recovery?
CBD or Cannabidiol is one of the active ingredients found in Cannabis or Hemp. It is a cannabinoid that interacts with the body’s endocannabinoid system by impacting the CB1 and CB2 receptors. CB2 receptors are linked to your nervous system. They help boost your immunity and fight inflammation, which can aid in muscle recovery.
Some of the biggest benefits of using this supplement for supporting muscle healing include:
It Reduces Inflammation and Pain
Inflammation is a necessary part of the recovery process. It increases blood flow to the affected area and makes vital nutrients and oxygen available that aid in healing. Inflammatory markers such as NF-κB, TNF-α, TGF-β, and IL-10 also stimulate stem cells in your muscles to transform into new muscle fibers.
Despite these benefits, inflammation can also slow down healing in areas such as joints. This is why athletes use ice or anti-inflammatory medication such as Aspirin and Ibuprofen after exercising or suffering from an injury. These help treat Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) but may also compromise the benefits of inflammation for the body.
CBD oil offers a better solution. It helps reduce inflammation by inhibiting the production of a variety of inflammatory markers. However, it does not affect TGF-β and IL-10. On the contrary, using CBD oil has also been shown to increase the levels of IL-10 in your bloodstream.
Another study shows that CBD reduces inflammation and pain by targeting a3 glycine receptors. These receptors help control the body’s perception of pain.
Thus, the way CBD interacts with the body can enable more holistic muscle recovery post a workout session.
It Regulates Cortisol Levels
When you exercise, your body produces the stress hormone cortisol. This is a catabolic hormone that affects protein synthesis. Having high levels of cortisol in your system can also interfere with the growth of new tissue. This can slow down healing.
As per research, CBD is anti-catabolic in nature. It can regulate the amount of cortisol your body releases in response to stress. Regulating cortisol levels can help speed up protein synthesis and boost muscle regeneration, allowing your body to recover faster.
It Regulates Your Sleep Cycle
As mentioned, getting proper rest and sleeping is a vital part of the muscle recovery process. If you find it difficult to sleep at night, then taking CBD oil can help resolve this problem.
A 2017 study reviewed the use of CBD for sleep management. It was suggested that the use of CBD could help in treating REM sleep behavior disorder. This is crucial for muscle building and repair. CBD also reduces daytime drowsiness and can help you be more active during the day.
It Reduces Muscle Tension
You are likely to suffer from muscle tension after an intense workout session. Most people take muscle relaxants, such as benzodiazepine, to help alleviate this pain. While this is effective, it also causes drowsiness, vertigo, and cognitive decline.
CBD oil serves as a viable alternative to such muscle relaxants. It can help ease muscle tension without the adverse side-effects associated with taking benzodiazepine.
The Bottom Line
There are numerous supplements available that help in muscle recovery. Choosing the right supplement is important in streamlining the healing process and boosting new muscle growth. Using CBD oil for muscle recovery can help you avoid the side-effects of standard painkillers and anti-inflammatory medication. CBD also helps control the production of cortisol and lowers muscle tension.
Bear in mind though every individual reacts differently to CBD. If you are considering using CBD as an anti-inflammatory supplement, make sure you consult a physician first.
