It’s common to feel sore after a workout. After all, you put in a lot of hard work! When completing strenuous exercise, whether you go for a long run or engage in an intense CrossFit session, micro tears are created in your muscles. This happens particularly when you have pushed your body much harder than you usually do. This could be due to either the duration at which you have worked out or your routine’s intensity.
When muscles take on microscopic damage, white blood cells start to repair them, basically making them stronger. This is called inflammation, and it is your immune system’s response when making repairs to your tissues.
Read on to learn about what’s called exercise-induced inflammation and how you can use CBD to achieve muscle recovery in support of your workout routine.
Causes of Inflammation
Exercise-induced inflammation happens when you push your body through a tough workout. Usually, weight-bearing exercises, whether running or weight-lifting, will result in inflammation. However, low-impact exercise such as walking may also result in inflammation because your body hasn’t been used to doing all that exercise.
Inflammation will trigger pain receptors whose job it is to signal that you have to take a break. You may still do some low-impact exercises such as walking or swimming, but you shouldn’t repeatedly exercise at a very strenuous level without proper periods of rest. This leads to ongoing inflammation.
Why is Inflammation Important?
Inflammation is beneficial, as it is the process your body needs to go through in order to repair and strengthen the muscles. However, ongoing, chronic exercise-induced inflammation will result in long-term health issues like joint pain in your knees and elbows.
To be able to recover from inflammation, your body must rest. A 2019 report done by NBC News says that when your muscles aren’t given a chance to repair, your risk of injury increases. Without proper muscle recovery and rest, you won’t reach your exercise goals.
Luckily, there are things you can do to maintain exercise-induced inflammation in a healthy way.
CBD: Does it Help with Inflammation?
Many studies show CBD oil can reduce exercise-induced inflammation. Personal trainers and athletes often take CBD, or cannabidiol, to achieve muscle recovery.
A study appearing in “Future Medicinal Chemistry” revealed that cannabinoids can suppress the inflammatory response, shortening recovery time and relieving exercise-induced inflammation of the tissues.
A 2018 review appearing in “Frontiers in Neurology” showed that CBD can improve mobility while decreasing discomfort.
CBD: How Does it Reduce Inflammation?
CBD interacts via the Endocannabinoid System (ECS) with your body. The ECS, a receptor system, regulates processes to maintain a healthier balance in your body, such as sleep, cognition and relaxation.
You may wonder what impact this has on your fitness level and post-workout recovery. Because the ECS supports your immune system, when you use CBD to relieve exercise-induced inflammation, this helps to moderate inflammatory chemical messenger production. It also helps to maintain healthy recovery so you can return to the gym faster and start up your workout routine again.
CBD may also support additional processes that reduce inflammatory responses. CBD supports stress response systems and sleep, both having an effect on inflammation as well as recovery time.
How Much CBD Should You Take for Exercise-Induced Inflammation?
Everyone is different, so the best CBD serving sizes will vary by person. You should start with the serving size recommended for each product—usually two gummies every day daily before or after you exercise. Then you can make adjustments as necessary.
For athletes and every-day exercisers, occasional soreness and inflammation are common. When you add CBD to your routine, you are supporting a healthier fitness pattern.
