Wellness for BJJ
4 Reasons you should use CBD after your Jiu Jitsu workout
Jan
Jiu Jitsu workouts give us a great feeling, but the day after, it’s usually all about sore muscles and aching joints. Trust, we know the feeling.
Being stressed about an approaching competition? Lacking quality sleep on a consistent basis? We already do yoga for BJJ and eat muscle recovery foods. We started looking for an additional solution to our problem.
That’s when we tried CBD.
What Is CBD?
CBD, or Cannabidiol, is a non-psychoactive compound found in cannabis/marijuana and hemp plants. CBD has been growing in popularity as of late, but that doesn’t mean it’s anything new – Chinese Emperor Sheng Neng looked to a cannabis-based tea for medicinal relief all the way back in 2727BC.
And don’t worry, taking a CBD product is not the same as consuming cannabis/marijuana. CBD is different from THC, the primary compound responsible for causing intoxication when consuming cannabis or marijuana. Although CBD is one of the hundreds of compounds that make up medical cannabis/marijuana, CBD on its own does not cause a high.
How Does CBD Work?
The biological mechanism of action (i.e. how and why does this actually work in the body?) for CBD is currently unknown. But what we do know about CBD is that it works mainly within our body’s endocannabinoid system.
Cannabinoid receptors in our brain, nervous system, and other organs and tissues, accept endogenous (made by our own body) and exogenous (not made by our own body) neurotransmitters called endocannabinoids.
This system is believed to play a role in regulating physiological and cognitive processes, such as pain, appetite, sleep, mood, and more
Although more human studies are needed to fully understand the benefits of CBD, as well as how it works in the body, existing research points to a host of potential therapeutic and medicinal uses that can help you on your Jiu Jitsu, martial arts, or athletic journey.
Keep reading to learn about why you need CBD if you train Jiu Jitsu!
CBD to help you with your Jiu Jitsu workouts
1. Reduces inflammation, relieves aches and pains.
Sore joints, bumps and bruises, injuries – the life of a martial artist is not always easy.
Learning to live with constant inflammation and aches and pains is one thing, but CBD may offer some relief to the non-stop discomfort that a lot of people who train jiu jitsu deal with every single day.
CBD has been shown to reduce inflammation and help some people manage pain.
Maybe a nagging injury is keeping you from going all out in training, or maybe it just takes a while to warm up because of some stiff joints and sore muscles. Whatever it may be, CBD can help manage the inevitable aches and pains and keep you on the mats stronger for longer!
2. Improves quality of sleep.
A good night’s sleep is essential in order to properly recover and be able to sustain more training sessions in the following days.
Not only that, but sleep has also been shown to be a key factor in memory and learning. Missing out on those 7-9 quality hours of sleep may affect how much technique you’re learning and retaining.
Thankfully, CBD has been shown to improve quality of sleep and has been used in some instances to treat cases of insomnia.
Researchers think that CBD improves sleep quality by interacting with certain receptors in the brain to influence the sleep/wake cycle.
Another thought is that sleep quality may also improve due to CBD’s effects on reducing symptoms of pain, inflammation, and anxiety, which may be secondary obstacles to getting a good night’s sleep.
Whether it be to recover muscles and the nervous system, or to engrain new techniques and concepts in your memory, CBD can help you get the quality sleep you need to be your best.
3. Reduces anxiety and stress.
Stress can affect our performance at work and on the mats when training jiu jitsu.
Maybe you’re nervous about an upcoming competition, a belt promotion, rounds with a scary training partner, or maybe your stress has nothing to do with jiu jitsu. Either way, stress and anxiety are the enemies, and CBD can help fight back against them.
One way researchers think CBD helps to reduce anxiety is by encouraging the release of anti-anxiety compounds such as serotonin, and blocking the release or transport of compounds such as cortisol, which can contribute to stress.
Stress and anxiety, whether they be from life or from jiu jitsu, can get in the way of your progress on the mats. CBD can help you get past that so you can continue to train, improve and most importantly live a happy life.
4. Aids digestion, regulates appetite.
Diet and jiu jitsu go hand in hand. Whether it be eating properly before training, refueling after training, or trying to lose some weight along your jiu jitsu journey, CBD can aid digestion and help regulate appetite.
CBD has been shown to reduce appetite overall, helping some people manage their eating habits ultimately leading to weight loss and improved body composition.
Likewise, CBD may also have an effect on metabolism and blood sugar levels. Clean eating and healthy digestion are essential in order to get the most out of training and be fully prepared for competition, and CBD can help optimize that part of your life.
These are all important ways that CBD can help someone who trains Jiu Jitsu be at their best, physically and mentally.
Interested in learning more about CBD products and how they can help you?
Visit shopCBD!
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