After becoming legalized in some states, cannabis has become a hotly debated issue as researchers continue to examine its possible health advantages. Although medical cannabis has received a lot of attention, there is growing interest in the possibility that cannabis might also indirectly enhance sports performance.
Professional and amateur athletes are beginning to investigate the possibility of using the plant to enhance their training and recuperation regimens. Cannabis can have a significant influence on important aspects of health, including sleep, healing, pain management, and mental clarity. Even though these aspects do not immediately improve performance in the same way as standard supplements, they can be extremely helpful.
In this article, we will explore how cannabis can indirectly improve athletic performance.
Enhanced Sleep Quality
Athletic performance is fundamentally reliant on rest and recuperation, and one of the most reliable effects of cannabis use is better sleep. For athletes, sleep is more than simply a means of recovery. It’s a significant time when the body mends broken tissues, solidifies memories, and replenishes energy.
Cannabis can help induce relaxation and hasten sleep. According to an NCBI study, many people who use cannabis can help reduce the use of prescription medication for sleep. The study of 38 patients found that 15 of them were able to minimize or discontinue prescribed sleep medicines. Moreover, around 71% (27 patients) of the participants cited subjective improvement in sleep quality.
Anxiety, which frequently keeps sportsmen up at night before a big game or competition, has been demonstrated to be reduced by CBD. Cannabis can assist athletes in getting a full night of restorative sleep, which is necessary to sustain top performance.
This can be done by both cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) products from cannabis plants. Within THC, you can choose between Delta 8 and Delta 9 tetrahydrocannabinol. The difference between the two is that the former causes less high while the latter has more potency.
So, if you have been awake for several days, you may want to get Delta 9 for a better high and sleep quality. Several studies have found that using THC reduces REM sleep. This is the sleep stage where you get dreams or nightmares. It is helpful for some people with mental health conditions like PTSD.
REM is the fourth of the four stages of sleep. Most people experience this stage 60 – 90 minutes after falling asleep. The most restorative sleep state is deep sleep, which may be achieved by reducing the REM sleep cycle. It is recommended, therefore, that you use it sparingly and only after speaking with your healthcare specialist.
Which form of treatment works best for sleep issues?
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is usually recommended as the first treatment choice for those who have insomnia. CBT often works just as well as or better than sleep aids. The cognitive component of CBT helps you identify and modify thoughts that impact how well you sleep. It can help you regulate or stop unpleasant thoughts and anxieties that keep you awake.
Pain Management and Recovery
Athletes will inevitably experience pain throughout their lives, whether it’s injuries received while training or tired muscles after a strenuous workout. Therefore, managing pain well is essential to sustaining consistency in sports performance.
Many sportsmen depend on prescription drugs or over-the-counter medicines, which might have unfavorable side effects or possibly cause long-term reliance. Cannabis is a safe and all-natural way to relieve pain.
Cannabis, especially CBD, is well known for having anti-inflammatory qualities. Excessive physical activity frequently results in inflammation, which, if left unchecked, can cause injuries and extend healing periods. Athletes may exercise more regularly and prevent injury-related downtime by using CBD to reduce inflammation and speed up the healing process.
By interacting with the body’s endocannabinoid system, which regulates a number of processes, including pain perception, THC also helps to manage pain. Cannabis usage by athletes frequently results in alleviation from chronic pain, stiffness, and soreness in their muscles. This enables them to resume training sooner and with less difficulty.
When should I take cannabis for pain?
The evidence that is now available suggests that there isn’t a perfect moment to take cannabis. One may want to think about utilizing it if they wish to help manage their anxiety or wake up feeling more alert and awake.
Taking cannabis throughout the day may be beneficial for treating migraines or certain epileptic episodes.
Supporting Overall Well-Being
Athlete performance is more than simply physical ability. An athlete’s ability to compete depends just as much on their mental and emotional health. Burnout is a serious issue for athletes, which results from their inability to manage their lives and the mental demands of training. Cannabis may provide a way to unwind and heal mentally, which can lessen symptoms of exhaustion and burnout.
Moreover, it has been suggested that cannabis improves mood, possibly as a result of its interaction with serotonin receptors in the brain. A ScienceDirect study found that the use of cannabis led to a high positive effect among college users. The positive effect was relatively high compared to the negative effect.
Increased motivation and enjoyment during exercise can result from elevated serotonin levels. Mentally healthy athletes usually exhibit higher levels of motivation and superior physical performance.
As stated by Drink Delta, an essential function of the endocannabinoid system is to modulate pain perception. When Delta-9 THC is used, it binds to brain cannabinoid receptors that are connected to pain perception.
THC has the ability to alter how pain signals are sent in these regions by attaching to these receptors. Thus, taking THC 9 before exercise may lessen your feeling of pain through several processes.
The use of cannabis is also associated with recovering from exercise among trained individuals. A BMC Journal study found that around 93% of participants cited that using CBD assisted them in recovery. Moreover, around 87% cited THC was helpful in recovery from exercise.
There are many ways to consume cannabis, be it as edibles, drinks, oils, tinctures, etc. However, taking THC drinks can get the effect to kick in relatively faster. Due to the fact that your liver must absorb the THC completely, standard edibles take a lot longer to take effect.
Searching online for THC drinks near me can help you find reliable suppliers in your locality or online retailers who can ship to your location. Using the drinks usually onsets THC faster, and the effects may start to kick in within 10 to 15 minutes.
How does cannabis improve quality of life?
Fatigue, pain, and emotional limitations were reported to have significantly decreased by the participants of a study mentioned by Forbes. The frequency with which a patient utilized medicinal marijuana was also found to have an impact on the patient’s general health and well-being.
Cannabis may not provide the same direct physical performance-enhancing effects as pills or some training methods. Yet, it’s getting harder to overlook its tangential advantages.
Cannabis helps athletes maintain a balanced approach to training and recuperation by promoting mental clarity and focus, controlling pain, lowering inflammation, and increasing sleep. The growing interest in its possible advantages indicates a move toward more all-encompassing methods of improving athletic performance.
