The runner’s high
CBD is gaining popularity among sports, and running is no exception. Many runners, and more and more, are now turning to cannabidiol, especially edibles, as a resource to enhance their overall running experience.
There is an effect generated when running called “runner’s high.” It is a powerful feeling that runners can have when they run long distances. Many scientists believed that the “runner’s high” was due to the release of endorphins, but that is not entirely true because endorphins are significant blood lipids and cannot quickly bypass the blood-brain barrier. Later, scientists found that the “runner’s high” wasn’t due to endorphins alone but to the cannabinoid receptors in the brain. Specifically, a cannabinoid called anandamide is responsible for the “runner’s high”. CBD oil helps increase anandamide levels and also helps them stay stable. This means that the hypersensitive and analgesic properties of the “runner effect” can be partially induced and possibly prolonged by the use of CBD.
CBD effect over endurance
There are roughly a billion reasons why CBD could increase running endurance. The endocannabinoid system is so complex that scientists are beginning to understand the importance of its role in our body’s response to pain, anxiety, depression, calm, nausea, inflammation, body temperature, cancer, and many other physiological functions.
Hundreds of factors related to the endocannabinoid system could be partially responsible for the overall increase in runners’ endurance.
CBD interacts with the body’s TRPV-1 receptors that regulate body temperature, inflammation, and pain. It also activates the serotonin 5-HT1A (hydroxytryptamine) receptor in the brain, which plays a role in many physiological processes in the body, such as anxiety, addiction, pain perception, and nausea.
Furthermore, CBD also inhibits GPR55 which plays a role in bone resorption and osteoporosis and, according to some studies, cancer.
Cannabis is famous for its stress-relieving and mind-opening effects, so taking small doses could provide positive outcomes for a run.
CBD, pre and post-training
Practice is more important than running, and pre-workout and post-workout are just as important. Whether you’re running or supplementing your training with weightlifting or yoga, CBD seems to play an essential role in pre and post-workout athletes.
CBD regulates adrenal glands and helps reduce cortisol levels in the body, which plays a vital role in stress and inhibits muscle growth. As we mentioned earlier, CBD increases serotonin levels, which can help you maintain a positive mood and conserve energy after exercise. It can also help regulate muscle imbalances, thereby reducing some of the stress created by training. It helps regulate pressure, reduce pain, and improve calm because of its analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects. Therefore, using CBD as a post-recovery aid is the right choice; it also enhances sleep quality.
At the end of an intense workout, the muscle fibres become inflamed and, although it is part of the natural process, the pain appears. This process causes toxins to accumulate in the inflamed area. CBD supplements increase blood circulation, which allows discarding all those toxins. Applying CBD cream or taking CBD frequently will help muscles deflate faster.
CBD will not only provide aid athlete’s recovery, easing inflammation and easing any pain, but it will also predispose their bodies to the maximum for a perfect performance.
CBD improves recovery
The most widely used method to combat pain symptoms for amateur and professional athletes is based on anti-inflammatory medications and other opioid medications that can have many side effects. CBD could be the ideal solution since it does not generate any side effects; it does not increase the heart rate, nor does it harm the functioning of the stomach, unlike other anti-inflammatory drugs.
Studies and research show that CBD can control the leading causes of swelling, inflammation and muscle pain, so it works in a way that protects muscle cells.
Athletes who struggle with extreme muscle pain after a race can use cannabis-based topicals, such as CBD creams, lotions, and transdermal patches, which provide a much stronger effect. Transdermals will enter the bloodstream, providing more available products, while topicals will act only on the applied area.
Muscle pain is part of every runner’s day. When running, small tears and inflammations are generated in the muscle fibres that help muscles grow stronger. This is entirely normal.
CBD protects the central nervous system
The central nervous system comprises the brain and spinal cord, and it controls internal communication and perception by sending signals within your nerves and neurons.
This system is more active when stimulated and less vibrant when not.
Athletes with central nervous system exhaustion will feel slower and perform less at the same effort rate. If the recovery process continues to be ignored, the muscles of these athletes may stop responding to normal neural activation.
CBD is a significant neurotransmitter, and it can help synchronise neuronal signalling and help balance pre-and postsynaptic neurotransmitters. The compound can also help nerves retain their myelin insulators.
It is the endocannabinoid system that directly promotes neural health. And such a system is strengthened and revitalised by consuming CBD.
CBD can even help a tired, nervous system recover and become more flexible because it aids endocannabinoids in their role as a “key modulator of synaptic plasticity” within the nervous system.
CONCLUSION
CBD is an excellent supplement for athletes; however, each person is different from the other at the end of the day, so it makes sense that it might work for some and not others.
It is crucial to keep the mind open and start trying out CBD products to see if CBD and running work together. The results may be positively surprising.
Before you buy CBD oil, it is essential to consult an expert to know the proper dosage of CBD each needs to take.