What is CBD?
CBD is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid. Due to its low concentration of THC, products containing CBD do not make you feel high.
CBD has become popular in recent years for its potential to help with pain, anxiety and sleep, and is available in various forms, including oils, vapes, and edible products. In the last few years, another cannabinoid called HHC has become available. Similarly, HHC is available in oils, vapes, edibles, and HHC flower.
You may have read that more athletes are using CBD.
Athletes and CBD
The 2020 Olympics were the first to allow athletes to use CBD, and were dubbed “the first CBD Olympics”.
Athletes such US footballers Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan, NBA champion Marc Spears, and skateboarder Paul Rodriguez have used CBD.
Dr James Morehen, a performance nutritionist who works for England Rugby, writes, “There’s no doubt the link between CBD and professional athletes is big and it’s happening right now.”
You may be wondering why athletes are choosing to use CBD and about its potential benefits.
Pain relief
Some athletes, including Morgan, are seeking help with pains that come from contact sports.
Morgan has said that she has used CBD on muscle aches and pains since finding it useful when she sprained a shoulder.
A 2020 study found that while the majority of 517 rugby players had never used CBD, 26% had either used it or were still using it. The study’s authors reasoned that because of rugby’s “frequent high-intensity collisions”, players were seeking “strategies to reduce soreness and accelerate recovery”.
The main reasons these athletes were using CBD were for improving recovery/pain relief and helping with sleep.
A 2021 review of evidence noted the “substantial barriers to conducting high quality cannabis research” but said that “CBD may have some promise for improving athlete pain and recovery”.
Improving sleep
Morehen writes that sleep disruption appears to be more common in athletes, and notes how sleep can help with recovery.
One common issue that athletes face is travelling between time zones and this impacting their sleep schedules. Certain sportspeople, such as tennis players, face uncertain start and finish times, which further impact their sleep times.
Motocross star Travis Pastrana has said, “Most medication that helps you sleep through pain destroys your body and leaves [your] mind in a mental fog”, and has found CBD to be useful.
A 2020 review said that “some case reports indicate that CBD improves sleep” but “robust evidence is currently lacking.”
Anxiety
A 2023 paper looking at CBD’s use in sport said that there is “no evidence of reduced anxiety or mood regulation in sports.”
However, a 2015 review of studies found “potential value” for CBD’s use in the treatment of anxiety disorders.
Morehen writes that the literature on CBD and anxiety is “ambiguous”, and notes other relaxation techniques, including visualisation.
A Healthline article similarly concluded that more research was needed on CBD and mental health disorders.
Conclusion
Athletes are exploring the potential benefits of CBD, particularly in the areas of sleep and recovery. Morehen writes that while this is an “exciting area” of research, more studies are needed.
