CBD in MMA: Cannabis has long been banned in professional sports. Although THC (the main intoxicating compound in cannabis) remains banned under WADA, USADA, and other anti-doping organizations, regulators have since lifted the ban on CBD & CBD products. Thanks to this and the overall rise in CBD’s popularity, many MMA fighters are now using CBD as a natural, safe, and legal way to improve their recovery. In particular, CBD has given MMA fighters an excellent alternative to opioids for pain management. Unlike CBD, opioids are notoriously addictive and come with a host of negative side-effects. In addition, they lack the many additional health benefits of CBD, such as the ability to speed up recovery by reducing inflammation.
CBD in MMA: What is CBD?
CBD stands for cannabidiol — it’s just one of over 100 cannabinoids present in the Cannabis sativa plant. These natural compounds are responsible for the many health benefits of cannabis. Most people are familiar with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) — the cannabinoid responsible for the intoxicating marijuana high.
Unlike THC, CBD is completely non-psychoactive. At the same time, it has many beneficial effects on inflammation, pain, anxiety, sleep, and other common health concerns. This combination makes CBD a perfect supplement for MMA fighters. MMA is one of the most grueling sports imaginable, and fighters regularly suffer from pain, concussions and other head trauma, soreness, damaged ligaments, and a heavy dose of inflammation. More importantly, one of the best-kept secrets of MMA is that most of this damage occurs not during a fight, but in regular training.
These effects not only break down the body and prevent fighters from recovering completely but also make it hard to sleep. As a result, fighters have difficulty performing at 100% in the gym and carrying on with their life outside of it.
CBD in MMA: The benefits of CBD in MMA
CBD & Muscle Recovery:
No matter how often you exercise, you still need to allow your muscles to recover between workouts to avoid injury.
When it comes to professional MMA athletes, the more time they can spend training the more ready they’ll be for the upcoming fight. CBD has anti-inflammatory effects — which works to speed up the recovery process, so inflammation doesn’t linger for any longer than it needs to.
CBD & Sleep: Every professional fighter understands the importance of getting a good night’s rest. In fact, good sleep is arguably the most important thing for recovery and overall performance for any person — MMA athlete or not.
Getting enough high-quality sleep is a common problem for fighters. They are kept awake not just by pain and soreness. But also the stress and pressure placed on them by the nature of their sport. The good thing is that CBD is an excellent natural sleep aid. CBD can promote sleep indirectly by reducing anxious thoughts. One of the leading causes of being unable to fall and stay asleep.
CBD & Pain: Injuries happen, and although there are a lot of things athletes do to prevent them from occurring. They can never be avoided completely.
The conventional treatment for pain has been opioid painkillers. Which can not only cause addiction but also bring a long list of undesirable side effects.
CBD, on the other hand, has very few side effects — and is not addictive. The most common side effects experienced by CBD are sleepiness and dry mouth. Both of these are relatively minor and go away as soon as the effects of CBD wear off.
This isn’t the case with opioid painkillers. Once addicted, it can take weeks to reverse the effects. And some people report digestive disturbances that remain several months after stopping treatment. Which is less than ideal for someone performing in front of millions of fans around the world.
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