How Cannabidiol Can Help Your Physical Performance Reach a New All Time “High”

By Alex Eriksson

Posted 7 years agoHEALTH

How Cannabidiol Can Help Your Physical Performance Reach A New All Time “High”

After decades of debates on cannabis, the dust begins to settle as proven by the rise in the number of countries allowing the use of medical marijuana.  As someone aiming for a healthy lifestyle and staying fit, cannabis is probably far down on your list of healthy things to try.

With the possibility of addiction, it’s easy to understand why. But before you quit reading, you should know that cannabis products are not limited to “weed” and the high that comes with it.

One of the most recent major health supplement trends in the last few years are the use of cannabidiol oil, better known as CBD oil. If the term CBD seems familiar to you, it’s probably because you’ve watched, listened or read something about medicial marijuana before. CBD is one of the most medicinal substances derived from cannabis that you see on the market these days.

CBD Oil versus Marijuana

Unlike marijuana which traditionally has a bad reputation, CBD oil is actually not a drug and not seen in a similar light as the plant. But before we go into the benefits, let’s get a few things out of the way.

First and foremost, CBD is NOT marijuana. CBD is not some oil that could be produced by liquefying what you’ll usually find in a joint people would smoke. It is, however, derived from the same cannabis plant.

The production of quality CBD oil requires an entirely different set of cultivation practices and often other strains of the plant.

The cultivation of cannabis plants used for the production of recreational marijuana requires the segregation of males and females. This is to avoid the pollination of the female flowers. As a result, the flowers tend to have more of a compound called tetrahydrocannabiniol (THC). THC is the compound responsible for the high associated with marijuana use.

In contrast, growing cannabis plants for CBD oil production requires the pollination of the female flowers. This means that there’s no need to separate the male from the female plants. Thanks to the pollination, the flowers end up having high CBD content but low THC (less than 1%). Also industrial hemp plants that are used to make fabrics and paper, can also be used to manufacturer CBD oil and this is what enables it to be legal everywhere in the world.

What’s With CBD and THC?

CBD and THC are both different forms of cannabinoids – which is the technical name for compounds that are found in the cannabis plants. However, they don’t give the same medical benefits mainly because they respond to different canabinoid brain receptors.

Several studies suggest that CBD offers more benefits to those who want to stay healthy, reduce stress and increase their performance.  Additionally, products such as CBD oil (high in CBD but low in THC) are generally considered legal, safe  and non-addictive.

What are the benefits of cannabidiol

Are you ready to know get to know how CBD will help you in your health goals? Here’s what science has currently discovered about the cannabinoid:

Stops Inflammation

Working out is part of the process of getting and sustaining a good physique. However, you may get joint pain and other injuries and inflammation along the way. What will you do then? Those aches may stop you from doing even the simplest forms of exercise, and when you minimize or avoid physical exercise, how will your body burn calories faster and build more muscle?

There’s no substitute for exercise, but there are ways to make it doable when you feel like it’s unbearable. The use of CBD oil is potentially one of those ways. In a study, it was found out that CBD can significantly relieve inflammation and chronic pain in mice. Aside from helping you deal with workout-related pains, it also minimizes your risk of having severe and periods of prolonged inflammation.

Improves Sleep Quality

Sufficient sleep does wonders for your body, mind, and mood. Sleeping helps your body recover from the previous day’s activities and prepare you  for the next day’s undertakings. Without it, you will find yourself too tired to work out, grumpy and chugging expressos non stop just keep up at work.

Due to heavy workloads and distractions, it might be hard for you to prioritize sleep, right? Having a sleeping disorder is another story. Smoking weed has been proven to trigger or worsen sleeping issues in some people, but consuming CBD oil is surprisingly different.

A study showed that CBD could be a cure for insomnia and sleep apnea. It also had the potential to reduce daytime sleepiness and enhance sleep quality.

However, you should keep in mind that CBD can act as stimulant when consumed in low doses. You have to consume moderate to high dosages to reap its sleep improvement benefits. For a great pre-sleep ritual, we recommend adding some drops of CBD oil to some calming herbal teas for maximum sleep promoting effects. There are even CBD-based teas now that are worth incorporating into your bedtime routine for ultimate relaxation.

Reduces Stress

Building muscle may already feel like a tough and time consuming task in the gym, but don’t make it more difficult by getting stressed out a lot. Cortisol, more popularly known as the stress hormone, is beneficial at certain times. However, prolonged high cortisol levels in the bloodstream may lead to muscle breakdown. It also adversely affects the quality of your performance, sleep, libido and other important aspects of your well-being.

Once again, CBD saves the day with it’s cortisol regulation properties that can help you fight back against the bad effects of high stress levels. In fact, this is one of the primary uses of CBD oil and has been verified by a study that involved human volunteers. Aside from meddling in cortisol secretion, the compound also has mild sedative properties which can further help keep stress and anxiety at bay.

Suppresses Hunger and Enhances Insulin Sensitivity

CBD oil can also help you maintain or lose weight. You’ve probably don’t  know many heavy marijuana users who are surprisingly slim, munchies are a big part of the high from marijuana after all. However, to be fair, the various cannabinoids have different medical properties that can make weight management more attainable.

In one study, CBD supplementation was proven to significantly reduce food intake among rats. This entails that it can act as appetite suppressant, much like many of the weight loss products being sold on the market right now.

In addition to suppressing hunger, another study suggests that the compound also has the potential to improve insulin sensitivity. How does that relate to weight loss? Poor insulin sensitivity will make it harder for you to lose weight. You can work out several hours a day and cut down on your food intake, but you may still not get rid of that excess bodyfat due to your poor insulin sensitivity since this problem causes your body to store more fat from the calories you eat. Thankfully, CBD products can help you with that problem.

The Downside

While CBD has much potential, its low bioavailability is a major drawback. As a remedy, you can mix it with black pepper and turmeric for increased oral absorption and additional anti-inflammatory effects. Just be prepared for the quite unpleasant taste.

Also vaping CBD oil is starting to become popular as it makes its beneficial effects almost come on instantaneous and can be easily prolonged or increased in strength by taking another buff. We highly recommend vaping for anxiety and stress related issues since it enables you to use it as a quick fix when the stress presents itself.

Times are changing, cannabis products are no longer just for people looking for a recreational drug or for those who have affliction that only medical marijuana can manage. Now there’s a market full of isolated cannabinoids such as CBD oil that can help enhance your athletic performance and improve the quality of your life in many ways.

About the author Alex Eriksson

Alex Eriksson is the founder of Anabolic Health, a men’s health blog dedicated to providing honest and research backed advice for optimal male hormonal health. Anabolic Health aspires to become a trusted resource where men can come and learn how to fix their hormonal problems naturally, without pharmaceuticals. Check out www.anabolichealth.com to learn more about Alex and his work. You can also find him on Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook.

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