Can Cannabis Products Help in Sports Performance?
Smoking weed to perform better at sports? Sounds crazy, but while that isn’t exactly what this post is about, the question to be raised is, “Can cannabis products enhance performance in sports?” Marijuana has long been banned from sports participation as an illegal drug. The effects from the cannabis have been generalised as calm, floating, euphoric feelings, malaise, and “stoned.” Those terms do not elicit much in regard to sports performance- no adrenaline rush or increased focus, so how could this help athletic performance?
The mental aspect of performance has become targeted as a key to success over the past 10–15 years. This can include things that enhance your performance such as imagery, concentration, self-confidence, self-esteem, and emotion management to name a few. There are also things that can detract from performance such as anxiety, depression, and lack of focus. It is well documented that feelings like anxiety and depression can produce physical symptoms such as shaking, nausea, rapid heart rate, and muscle tightening. Would you contemplate reducing variables that detract from performance to be considered performance enhancing?
Derivatives of the cannabis plant include products such as CBD, CBN, CBG, and THC. These goods appear to have properties that can help people with anxiety, depression, inflammation, and sleep deprivation. While those assertions in research and anecdotal evidence seem to help with the above mentioned, there is no research now that shows it enhances anything from a physiological standpoint in regards to strength or speed.
It can be argued that prepping yourself as an athlete in a way that will reduce anxiety for competition will help your performance. In addition, the anti-inflammatory aspect to the products can aid in performance by keeping pain levels down or at a minimum. The effects of sleep provided by these products can also aid in recovery, so the athlete performs at their highest level. Wouldn’t it be better to use a more natural alternatives to pain and sleep medications?
While cannabis products may not increase your strength or speed, it could take down some barriers that impede an athlete from peak performance. There is still a great deal more to learn, especially in the longer-term effects. It has promise over manufactured synthetic products to improve the ancillary pieces to performance in a healthier manner than some of the current alternatives.