If you took up running during the 2020 lockdowns as a means of escaping the house (like much of the rest of the world), you've probably been on receiving end of muscular pain. But, all things considered, it's a pretty sweet sport - whether you're beating the streets, hitting the hills or sprinting the shoreline, it's a sport that doesn't require (too much) training and the benefits have been heralded - from improving your heart and cardiovascular system, reducing blood pressure rates, strengthening muscles and lastly, but by no means least, helping out with cabin fever and anxiety.
So, what about the aches and pains? Running places your body under a good deal of strain. If you're running on concrete, the impact of footfall alone can cause inflammation and joint pain. Posture, warming up and warming down are crucial elements to any training programme, and many are now asking what supplements can help out with running regimes.
Can CBD improve my running performance?
While CBD research is still in its infancy, several studies have suggested pure cannabidiol can be a practical addition to training, aiding muscle recovery, soothing inflammation, and helping with daily anxiety.
The problem with CBD oil mixed with other ingredients.
Sublingual use of CBD oil has become one of the most popular methods of enjoying the perks of the cannabinoid. However, many companies now sell CBD oil with additional ingredients - ashwagandha, lavender, and turmeric. While these elements may have beneficial properties of their own, they decrease the bioavailability of the CBD content, meaning you receive less of the advantages of a pure CBD oil.
You can think of it like eating a meal - the more things on your plate, the faster your body becomes satisfied. However, if you skip your greens by eating an entire chicken, your body doesn't get the benefits of those veggies. So instead, we recommend choosing a CBD oil specifically crafted around purity, quality and heightening the powers of bioavailability and absorption. Check out our article here on making the most of bioavailability.
CBD for better sleep and better restoration
Recovery and restoration have a major impact after a gruelling jog, and the best form of rest is sleep. This gives your body time to rebuild your muscles and your mind the space to relax. Without rest, you're more likely to burn out and cause significant damage to your body.
Taking our &CALM CBD tincture around 30 to 60 minutes before hitting the pillow can help relax the mind, slow your thoughts and help ensure you receive all the benefits of a refreshing night's sleep before a run.
CBD For Arthritic Pain
Arthritis affects 10 million people in the UK, including children - it's also more prevalent in our sedentary lives where we're often sat down for long periods, using laptops, phones etc. Arthritis causes stiffness, swelling and pain in our joints and, while recent studies have confirmed it's not any more prevalent in runners - these are symptoms any runner knows only too well.
Clinical studies on CBD and arthritis are still being undertaken, and medical professionals have not been able to confidently say who might benefit from CBD, at what dose and in which form. Still, there's agreement on several points:
- CBD is no substitute for disease-modifying treatment for inflammatory arthritis.
- There's no such thing as an exact CBD product for arthritis - the primary consideration should be to ensure you choose a quality supplier you can trust.
- Animal studies suggest that CBD has pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory properties, but these effects are not confirmed in studies in humans.
- If you're interested in trying CBD for your arthritis, you should first talk to your before trying CBD. This way, you can ensure you effectively review and evaluate the results.
CBD and runner's pain relief.
In the same way that taking paracetamol every time you run is terrible for your body, relying on CBD to relieve pain pre and post-run fatigue shouldn't be considered a cure. CBD may act as a pain reliever, but it doesn't remedy a runner's knee, sprains or swollen ankles. You'll still have to take time off to solve the root cause and heal any injuries you incur. Furthermore, masking chronic pain with any pain reliever is a recipe for worse problems down the line.
If you're the type of runner who uses over the counter pain medications for post-run issues, CBD might be a safer alternative. CBD works by interacting with our brain's receptors, affecting our mood and perception of pain.
What Is CBD Oil?
In 1988, Professor Allyn Howlett and her graduate student William Devane at the St. Louis School of Medicine discovered the endocannabinoid system (ECS). This nerve signalling system helps control many essential processes within the body. For example, the ECS affects the body's responses to sleep, stress, chronic pain, inflammation and metabolism. Essentially, the ECS helps regulate your body's homeostasis (science-speak for "balance").
CBD (or cannabidiol) is a cannabinoid that interacts with the ECS's CB1 and CB2 receptors and can help relieve various symptoms associated with fatigue, stress, and anxiety. Over the last thirty years, much research has been carried out (and there's much more to be done), and some studies have found that CBD can support your body in sustaining a healthy, balanced state, which is beneficial to successful recovery.
CBD For Short & Long Distance Runs
Both leisure and endurance runners fall into particular categories regarding the types of injury sustained while exercising, but the aches and pain are often similar.
Running marathons makes it much more likely to encounter sore and inflamed joints and muscles, despite being in top physical condition. Therefore, CBD oils can prove helpful in maintaining healthy sleep cycles and circadian rhythms needed for maximum recovery between runs. While the results are still out and much more studies need to be done, anecdotal evidence suggests CBD can help with pain management.
The runners at V&YOU HQ have found that CBD pouches and CBD oil tinctures are only partly helpful where the pain was acute, but it has seemed to help dramatically with lower-level aches and pains.
