Living an active lifestyle is often associated with pain and physical discomfort. Working out and going on adventures is bound to lead to injuries and just plain exhaustion. That discomfort is part of the fun, or at least part of the experience, but you don’t have to deal with those without help. Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a natural remedy that can greatly reduce your discomfort without putting your health at risk? If that sounds good, then you need to hear about CBD oil.
What is CBD oil?
There are around 113 active cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant. Each of them has different impacts on your body, but two only two of them are well-known — THC and CBD. Both substances are very similar at a chemical level, but perform very different functions in the human body.
THC is a stimulant. The substance causes a feeling of energy and euphoria. In high doses, THC can induce paranoia and hallucinations. The substance also causes a subjective feeling of intoxication — THC is what gets people high when they smoke marijuana. It is what gets you “stoned.”
CBD, on the other hand, is a mood depressant with no intoxicating properties. The substance has anxiolytic properties, it helps you calm down, and helps bring down your levels of both stress and anxiety. In high doses, CBD can induce drowsiness and a tendency for mid-day naps.
For a long time, CBD was ostracized for its cannabis origins. But today, CBD extracted from hemp is gaining traction all over the world. It is legal in the European Union and in the United States, with regional exceptions in both cases. The World Anti-Doping Agency also excluded CBD from its list of banned substances back in 2017, which makes it much easier for athletes around the world to use the substance without the fear of failing a drug test.
And why would athletes want to use CBD? Well, for the same reasons why you should start taking CBD before your morning workout.
How CBD helps you workout
On top of its anxiolytic properties, CBD also works as an anti-inflammatory and an analgesic. It may sound like a lot of benefits from just one substance, but CBD acts directly on the endocannabinoid system (ECS). That network of neurotransmitters is universal to all mammals, and it helps regulate everything from sleep to pain levels. Your ECS even regulates your immune response, which is how CBD manages to affect so many areas of your health. Most medical marijuana users choose strands that contain high amounts of CBD.
