When thinking about cannabis, you might picture the stereotypical “stoner,” falling asleep on the couch.
That’s why it’s surprising to learn that plenty of elite athletes use cannabis. As it turns out, smoking weed and working out go hand-in-hand when it comes to getting peak performance. Here are five ways cannabis helps athletes turn in gold-medal performances.
1. Cannabis Helps Athletes Get Forty Winks
One of the benefits of cannabis is its effect on sleep. In fact, medical cannabis is sometimes recommended for patients with insomnia.
Sleep is key to recovery after a workout. The body repairs tissues while you sleep. If you don’t get the right sleep, your recovery and later performance can be compromised.
Elite athletes know that which is why they use cannabis to help them recover so they can train harder.
2. It Reduces Inflammation
Smoking weed after working out has another benefit for an athlete’s recovery. It can help reduce inflammation. Both CBD and THC reduce immune reactions, including inflammation.
Inflammation can cause pain and swelling. Athletes also use cannabis to reduce swelling and inflammation with minor injuries.
3. Maintaining Focus in Intense Training
Endurance athletes often train for hours at a time. Other athletes have shorter, but more intense training sessions. Using cannabis can help athletes of all stripes maintain their focus.
In short sessions, the athlete can keep up the intensity instead of letting negative thoughts intrude. In longer sessions, it helps them stay on track, especially when the mind wants to wander.
Better yet, cannabis can also increase the enjoyment of a workout.
4. It’s a Pain-Reliever
Pain relief is probably one of the best-studied advantages of cannabis. For athletes, it can soothe aching muscles or offer relief from sports injuries. Many athletes have turned to opioids for pain relief, but cannabis could be a safer option.
There is some evidence cannabis could do much more. For example, some studies show cannabis could help heal stress fractures.
Other studies have looked at cannabis use and athletes recovering from brain trauma. There’s evidence cannabis can ease inflammation in the brain and promote healing. For NFL players and other athletes engaged in high-impact sports, that’s good news.
5. It Eases Tummy Trouble
Cannabis has a reputation for stimulating appetite, but it seems to have other effects on the digestive system. Some research points to how it could be used to ease gastrointestinal inflammation. It’s also frequently used to control nausea and vomiting for cancer patients.
Intense workouts can induce nausea, while some forms of exercise reduce appetite. Athletes may find cannabis helps counteract these effects.
It can also ease gastrointestinal issues which may interfere with athletic performance.
Power Your Performance
The scientific evidence that cannabis helps athletes is growing. Cannabis can help you power your athletic performance too. Try it out before your next soccer match or after your next hard workout and discover the difference.
If you have questions about cannabis, we have answers. Take a look around and discover everything you want and need to know.
