When you’re ready to ramp up your workouts, adding CBD supplements to your recovery process can greatly reduce soreness and tension. It can also lower your cortisol level, which will enable to you to build your new muscle tissue more quickly.
1) Reduces Muscle Tension
After a hard workout, you may find that your muscles cramp or twitch. CBD can prevent these actions, which can run the gamut from annoying to crippling. Of course, you must hydrate, consume glucose and stretch after a workout, but adding CBD as an edible, topical or vape can help you get on top of muscle cramping and twitching, letting your body relax more deeply so you can get on with your day.
2) Deepens Rest and Promotes Healing
The best thing you can do for your body after a hard workout is to sleepy deeply. Deep sleep allows the systems of your body to carry away toxins. From your brain to your feet, quality sleep is key to almost every system.
CBD is a terrific way to improve the quality of your sleep. If you can’t fall asleep, consider a sublingual dose of CBD oil before you brush your teeth. If you find that you can’t stay asleep, particularly if you’re sore, you can stack a CBD gummy with your sublingual dose. Edibles are effective, but they enter the bloodstream more slowly. By the time the sublingual dose has done the work of getting you to deep sleep, the gummie can help you stay there.
3) Prevent DOMS, or Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness
CBD will act on your pain receptors, reducing the intensity of the transmittal to your brain. Of course, CBD is not a block, but if you’re truly injured, you don’t want a total pain block. Do your best to monitor any pain so you can distinguish between a serious tear and simple post-workout soreness.
4) Reduces Joint Inflammation
Part of the reason your muscles get sore is that you’re putting a lot of pressure on your joints. An inflamed joint can stop your ability to work out pretty quickly. To keep your joints healthy so you can put a bit more pressure on the muscles attached to the joint, consider using a CBD cream or topical after a workout.
Many CBD creams include menthol and arnica as an additional boost to help reduce pain and inflammation. The menthol will cool a hot muscle or joint, while the arnica reduces inflammation and lowers pain. Enjoy a steam or sauna after a hard workout, drink a cooling cucumber and CBD water, then wear gloves to work in a CBD topical to the muscles that worked the hardest. You may find that your post-workout pain is much lower after your workout if you can stack your CBD dosage.
5) Suppresses the Action of Cortisol on Muscles
While cortisol is necessary for glucose regulation, it gets in the way if you’re trying to build muscle tissue. A hard workout indicates to your body that you’re in trouble, or at least under stress. If you’re pushing hard to build muscle in any area of your body, your endocrine system will increase this “stress hormone” production in an attempt to lower the pressure on the body.
We tend to build muscle overnight, when our cortisol production is lowest. By adding CBD to your workout supplement routine, particularly in the morning when your cortisol levels are naturally high, you may find you have an easier time building healthy new muscle tissues.
CBD products are legal in all 50 states and are proving helpful to athletes of all levels to prevent inflammation and soreness after a workout. If you vape, you can also use a CBD pen to microdose for occasional soreness through the rest of your day.