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Here’s What Happened When I Used CBD Before & After a Workout
written by Seth Lorinczi As a moderately dedicated fitness buff, I tend to stick to the basics when it comes to working out: I warm up and cool down, stay hydrated and pay attention to the signals my body sends me. But while I’d read a little bit about CBD benefits before—how it might help me tame stress, mostly—I hadn’t really thought about adding it to my self-care and exercise regimen. Believe me: I’m glad I did. In today’s post, I’ll share a little about my experience using CBD before and after working out. The effects were subtle in some ways—and very profound in others. But after experiencing the gentle way it soothed my muscles before and after exercise, I’m convinced that CBD for workout recovery is an essential part of the equation. Here’s what I learned. CBD Before Workout: Loosening and Limbering from the Inside Out I already knew that CBD is a cannabinoid, or a plant-based compound derived from either cannabis or its cousin, hemp. Because CBD isn’t intoxicating (that cannabinoid is THC), I knew that it wouldn’t make me feel “high.” But I wondered if I would feel anything at all using it to prepare my muscles for exercise. I tried both a CBD topical and a CBD oil ingestible. My sense was that they both worked in subtle ways to instill a very gentle sense of calm and preparedness. It wasn’t a huge revelation or a shift in perspective, but I found it quietly grounding. Because I can suffer from performance anxiety around workouts or other challenges, this sense of inner relaxation really helped set me up for deeper and more demanding workouts without worrying that I’d overdo it. By the same token, I was actually grateful that the effects of the CBD were so subtle. I find that some products—like so-called “heat rubs”—are overly distracting, blocking normal pain signals and leading me to overexert myself. By comparison, I found that CBD didn’t completely numb the normal discomfort I associate with a good workout. It just turned down the volume of hair. CBD After Workout: Loosening and Limbering from the Inside Out CBD helped set me up for better workouts and it really came into its own after I was finished exercising. I’m familiar with what some personal trainers call "Delayed onset muscle soreness," or “DOMs.” It’s the usual stiffness and soreness that appears after hard physical exertion, and while I know it’s not anything to really worry about, it can be uncomfortable. Well, guess what? Using CBD after a workout—again, in topical or edible CBD oil formats—made a huge difference in my experience of muscle strain. It didn’t disappear completely, and again, to be clear: it was never excruciating to begin with. But CBD really helped loosen up my tired muscles, offering a subtle and long-lasting sense they were healing and well supported. Later, I wondered if part of this effect was due to something besides what the CBD was doing for my muscles. And it turns out that over and above the potential for CBD’s anti-inflammatory properties, it’s been shown to tame stress and improve sleep quality. I can’t be 100% sure, but my guess is that it’s these qualities that helped give me that feeling of relaxation and confidence in my own body. I can tell you this much: It made a huge difference in the way I approached each post-implementation workout. My body felt ready to tackle a new day of fitness. Now that I know there’s a gentle and plant-based medication I can lean on, I’m pretty sure it’s going to be my go-to workout buddy for the foreseeable future. Do you have other questions about using CBD for workout recovery? Just ask! We’re here to help.
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CBD For Sleep: A Plant-Derived Sleep Aid
Many people struggle with sleep problems that can seriously affect their quality of life. Many also turn to over-the-counter medication in order to help them get the full night’s rest they need. However, over-the-counter or prescription medication is not your only hope for getting sleep. CBD for sleep may be a better option for getting the restful sleep you deserve. The Problem With the Pharmacy An over-the-counter sleep aid can certainly help you to fall asleep, but oftentimes sleep medication can come with unwanted side effects. The most common of these is daytime sleepiness and drowsiness. While a sleeping pill may have you dozing off in no time, its effects won’t just end exactly when you wake up. Many people who take these medications struggle with daytime drowsiness the day after which can seriously affect their ability to function. Additionally, benzodiazepines such as xanax that are commonly prescribed for sleep problems can cause long-term dependency. As a result of these side effects, it’s not uncommon for people to skip the pharmacy and seek out all-natural sleep aid alternatives instead. Supplements like valerian root and lavender are often used as all natural alternatives for relaxation, but they’re not the only options. Another plant-derived compound that has been gaining attention for its possible sleep benefits is CBD. CBD for Sleep: An Effective, Plant-derived Alternative? Many people are turning to CBD to help them sleep. A recent survey found that 11% of people who use CBD products do so for improving their sleep. Another recent survey found that sleep was the second most common reason for using CBD among a survey group of more than 300 people. For some people struggling to shut down for the night, the calming and relaxing effects of CBD could be just what the doctor ordered. By calming their mind, reducing stress, and taking a load off their overburdened brains, CBD may be able to get people in a state of mind to fall asleep. CBD for Sleep: Dosing and Side Effects What’s the best CBD for sleep dosage? That’s tough to say. You’ll have to experiment a little in order to find a dosage that works well for you. A good rule of thumb is to start low and move up slowly each night if you don’t experience the desired effects, so you don’t end up wasting your CBD if a lower dosage may actually work just as well. 5–10 mg is a good starting point for better sleep. CBD is generally well-tolerated, but just like any other supplement, it may come with unwanted side effects. Some side effects can include headache, upset stomach, dry mouth, and drowsiness. If you find yourself experiencing any of these side effects, lower your dosage or stop taking CBD. CBD for Better Sleep: Is it Right for Me? At the end of the day, CBD is just one of many different options for helping you fall asleep. Everybody is different and while one strategy, supplement, sleep aid, or medication may work for one person, there’s no guarantee that it will work for others. Additionally, from capsules to oils and edibles, there are many different kinds of CBD products to try, each with their own advantages. Finding the best CBD sleep product for you will inevitably require some experimentation. Ultimately, it’s up to you to experiment with different options in order to find what works best for you and your needs. If you’re looking to try out some CBD, check out our shop right now to browse some of the best CBD for sleep products around.
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CBD vs. CBN for Sleep: What You Need to Know
If you know Papa & Barkley, you know we’re passionate about leveraging the healing power of cannabinoids. If you’re already familiar with the cannabinoids CBD and THC, you’re in the perfect place to learn about a cannabinoid that hasn’t gotten as much attention (though we have a feeling that might soon change). It’s called CBN, and we’re thrilled to showcase it in our forthcoming CBN gummies for sleep. But this presents a question: If you’re already a fan of our CBD for sleep products, what’s better: CBD or CBN for sleep? In today’s post, we’ll answer that question and others, including: What is CBN? What is the difference between CBD and CBN? Does CBN help with sleep? What’s the best CBN for sleep? Ready? Let’s get set to get drowsy! What Is CBN? As regular readers of our CBD Blog know, CBD is part of a family of compounds called cannabinoids, natural compounds found in hemp, that elicit some very useful effects. CBN—short for cannabinol—is another cannabinoid, and like CBD it interacts with our bodies through the endocannabinoid system (ECS), a vital regulatory network that helps our bodies stay healthy, regulate memory and sleep, and maintain homeostasis, among other functions. What Is the Difference Between CBD and CBN? As “cannabinoid cousins,” CBD and CBN share similarities and differences. As we referenced a moment ago, neither imparts a psychoactive euphoria or intoxication. CBD can impart a very mild cerebral “buzz” and has been shown to potentially ease your mind into relaxation (often a precursor to a good night of sleep). On the other hand, CBN may prompt drowsiness—providing promising potential for CBN use as a sleep aid. Research continues as academics study CBN’s potential to play a role in stimulating the appetite and does appear to offer significant pain-fighting properties, though most researchers tend to agree that CBD is an overall better choice for fighting routine aches and strains, if that is the reason sleep eludes you. That said, there’s no reason you can’t combine CBD and CBN for sleep. In fact, many clinicians point to the “entourage effect,” a phenomenon in which cannabinoids and other cannabis compounds act in partnership to elicit stronger effects together than they do on their own. Does CBN Help with Sleep? CBN is created by the breakdown of the cannabinoid THC, and some researchers believe this explains their overlaps in the possibility of imparting a gentle sleepiness. But CBN exhibits very different effects from its “big sibling.” Instead, many people find it contributes to a gentle drowsiness that makes it ideal as a sleep aid. CBN Sleep Aid: What’s the Best CBN for Sleep? Our solventless CBD extraction techniques produce a pure oil that’s as naturally rich in cannabinoids and terpenes. We believe that for our products to be good for you, they have to be good for everyone: Our customers, our workers, our neighbors and the planet. The commitments we’ve made to providing chemical-free gentle extractions that preserve the integrity and benefits of the hemp plant are what makes our products among the most clean and potent available, offering you your best sleep experience yet. CBN Gummies for Sleep: A Delicious New Way to Get Drowsy We’re thrilled to announce the launch of CBN gummies for sleep. Like our CBD Releaf Gummies, our new CBD CBN Sleep Releaf Gummies are vegan, gluten-free, soy-free and handcrafted in small batches. By combining CBD with CBN these gummies deliver effective, sustainable support to help you get to sleep, stay asleep, and wake up feeling refreshed and recharged. CBD and CBN for Sleep: Taking Charge of Your Rest At Papa & Barkley, we’re committed to harnessing the power of plants as simply and safely as possible so that our whole-plant infusions contain the full spectrum of terpenes and cannabinoids present in each and every plant we harvest. CBN is an exciting new option for a sustainable and natural sleep aid. We’d love for you to try our new CBN gummies for sleep and find out for yourself! Do you have other questions about our CBN sleep aid? Just ask! We’re here to help.
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How Going Solventless Better Protects Our Planet
If you’ve ever tried any of Papa & Barkley’s CBD and other wellness products, you already know that we’re big believers in the power of all-natural ingredients. If you look at what’s in our award-winning CBD Releaf Balm, for instance, you’ll see it contains things like beeswax, coconut oil, and tea tree oil. You’ll also see what it doesn’t contain: chemical solvents. What are solvents? In this context, solvents are chemicals commonly used to extract CBD from plants. While they’re effective at separating CBD and other medically active compounds from cannabis, solvents can present serious drawbacks as well. What’s more, there’s a cleaner, more environmentally friendly way to achieve the same goal by relying on relatively simple solventless infusion equipment instead. This begs a question: Why would you use solvents in the first place? In today’s post, we’ll explore that topic and more. As you’ll learn, solvent-free CBD infusion is not only kinder and gentler on our planet and the people who live on it, but it’s at the very leading edge of functional medicine production, allowing us to access all the benefits of the cannabis plant without the use of chemicals (or anything else that shouldn’t go on our inside your body). Are you ready? Let’s dive in! Solvent Free CBD Extraction: Why It Matters If you’ve spent any time on our CBD 101 Blog, you know that CBD is a cannabinoid, or what you might think of as an innate “active ingredient” of the cannabis plant. As shown by a number of clinical studies, CBD has the potential to help us fight stress, support faster muscle recovery, and impart other beneficial effects. But not all CBD is created equal. As a growing number of us are realizing, how it’s extracted from the cannabis plant makes a difference, both in relation to its purity and to its impact on the environment. CBD can be extracted from plant matter in one of two basic ways: Through the use of solvents or without them. Solvent-based extractions use chemicals such as butane, CO2, or propane to remove the CBD and other active compounds from the plant matter. Then the solvent is “purged” (or washed away) so that the resulting concentrate is safe for you to use. By contrast, solventless infusion equipment relies on gentle heat and pressure to remove the CBD from the plants. It’s an inherently simple process with a lot of downstream benefits, which we’ll explore in greater detail in just a moment. One of the major issues with solvent-based extraction methods is that producers who use them must safely dispose of those chemicals once they’ve been purged. This requires the use and upkeep of sophisticated and costly waste-management systems to ensure that no one is harmed by such compounds—both onsite during production and outside in the air we breathe and the water we drink. What’s more, many of those solvents give off high levels of volatile organic compounds, otherwise known as VOCs. These chemicals pose a threat to the people handling them. According to the American Lung Association, VOCs can cause multiple health problems, including difficulty breathing and nausea, and they can damage the central nervous system and other vital organs. We’re not willing to take that risk with our team. As we mentioned earlier, a properly made solvent-based product should be free of any solvent residues. But here’s our point: At Papa & Barkley, it’s our stance that any given product should be assessed not only for its health benefits or risks to the end user, but to everyone who comes in contact with that product. In other words, stating that a solvent-based product is safe to use isn’t the whole story. From the impact on workers who must handle such chemicals to those who live in the vicinity of such production facilities, we feel that solvent-based extraction is a decidedly unnatural way to access the healing power of this all-natural product. Why Are Solventless Products Better? A Holistic Approach That said, we’d prefer to focus on the positive, and at P&B we believe solvent free CBD infusion is only one part of a more balanced approach to CBD-based care. Here are just a few of the ways we use this technique to produce our thoughtfully made wellness offerings. Outdoor Growing Some cannabis cultivators prefer to grow their plants indoors, arguing that this allows greater control over light, moisture, and other environmental factors. However, this approach requires significant amounts of electricity to maintain a temperature- and humidity-controlled environment. That’s one reason we prefer to let Mother Nature do the work, growing our vibrant cannabis plants outdoors instead. Organic Growing Methods When your goal is producing exceptional all-natural products, it makes sense to refrain from adding anything you wouldn’t want in your body or on your skin. This includes synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, and other questionable products. Instead, we source our sungrown cannabis from farmers who cultivate using organic and regenerative principles, and chemical-free inputs for healthier soil and a healthier you. Solvent-Free CBD Infusion As we referenced earlier, our solventless infusion equipment uses gentle heat and pressure—really, that’s all!—to extract the purest CBD possible from our 100% USA-grown plants. That means our partners and employees aren’t exposed to the VOCs present in most solvents, and there’s no need for complex waste management systems to dispose of such solvents, either. Renewable Ingredients Finally, we go out of our way to use renewable ingredients such as beeswax and medium-chain triglyceride (MCT), a pure coconut-derived oil that provides its own benefits as well. As numerous studies attest, MCT oil may promote weight loss, help manage blood sugar levels, and provide other corollary advantages. Solvent-Free CBD Infusion: Why It Matters to Us At Papa & Barkley, we’re committed to harnessing the full power of plants. That’s why all of our products are made with solventless, whole-plant infusions that contain the full spectrum of terpenes and cannabinoids present in each plant we harvest. From our award-winning topicals to our joy-sparking edibles and our convenient and effective tinctures, you’re putting these therapeutic plants to work with each and every one of our products. Do you have other questions about the benefits of solventless extraction? Just ask! We’re always here to help.
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Why Your Mental Health Can't Be Ignored: CBD for Sustainable Support
With stress on the rise even before COVID knocked us for a loop, maintaining emotional balance and a healthy mindset was finally on our radars as core components of health and longevity. The challenge for many of us, though, is finding a gentle and sustainable approach that doesn’t rely on numbing ourselves (or turning to potentially harmful pharmaceuticals). That’s a major reason why so many people are turning to CBD for mental health. Whether in the form of CBD oil or other CBD ingestibles, this all-natural plant medicine is currently under intense study for its potential benefits, including supporting better mood and overall wellbeing. If you’re considering trying CBD for stress, here’s what the current science tells us. CBD for Mental Health: The Concept of Cannabinoids When it comes to using cannabis or hemp products, it’s important to understand the concept of cannabinoids and how they interact with the body. A family of compounds occurring naturally in plants, the cannabinoids include THC and CBD, the two major medically active components of the cannabis plant. THC is the cannabinoid associated with the plant’s characteristic “high,” as well as some analgesic effects that our classic Releaf Balm captures. By comparison, CBD imparts at most an extremely mild psychoactivity, sometimes described as a gentle cerebral “buzz.” But there’s even more to CBD. Mental health and mood support are especially important as we approach two years of COVID, the cannabinoid has demonstrated a special affinity for boosting a healthy mood and vitality. Some people labor under the misconception that CBD is merely a “medical” version of THC. In fact, the two major cannabinoids interact with our bodies in very different ways, even when they’re used to combat the same symptoms (such as aches and strains). What’s more, the oil used in our line of CBD Releaf products is made using CBD harvest from USA-grown, non-GMO hemp flowers. While it’s a close cousin of the cannabis plant, hemp doesn’t contain appreciable amounts of THC. That’s one reason our CBD products can be shipped nationwide. So if you’ve found in the past that THC’s intoxicating buzz is distracting or otherwise unwelcome, you may find that CBD’s mild soothing effects are more to your liking.
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Separating Fact from Fiction: CBD and the Placebo Effect
If you know Papa & Barkley, you know that we’re passionate about CBD news and the potential of this all-natural plant medicine to reduce age-related aches, support faster muscle recovery, and even foster a natural state of calm and wellbeing. Today, we’re especially excited to share recent CBD research that offers new and fascinating insights into the placebo effect and how it affects our experience of acute pain. If you’re interested in how to leverage cannabis as a gentle and sustainable response to physical discomfort—even including acute pain—this post is for you. CBD for Pain Relief: The Experience of Acute Pain Like it or not, pain is a part of life. While pain can be bothersome, it’s helpful to think of it as an essential warning system that tells us when something threatens our physical health and safety. Even so, when we’re experiencing pain—especially high-volume acute pain—it can feel like the warning came too late. There are many pharmacological responses to pain, ranging from gentle homeopathic remedies such as massage to more intense medicines like opioids, all with their own pros and cons. The reason we focus so keenly on CBD here at Papa & Barkley is a very personal one: Our best-in-class topical Releaf Balm helped our founder’s father overcome debilitating back pain. That’s because CBD can promote our bodies’ natural ability to regulate pain, reducing pain by helping modulate the actions of signaling and repair cells. CBD also impacts pain-perception mechanisms in the brain by stimulating receptors to dampen the signals of pain. What Is the Placebo Effect? How Placebo and CBD Work Together A moment ago, we mentioned the placebo effect. What is the placebo effect? Simply put, it’s a phenomenon whereby a pharmacologically inert substance—such as a sugar pill—stimulates healing effects simply because the subject believes it will improve their health. It’s a fascinating quirk of our physiology, and it’s 100% real. So, what does this have to do with CBD? As we mentioned earlier, CBD exerts effects on our experience of pain. But as recent CBD research from Syracuse University suggests, part of its efficacy also comes from the power of the placebo effect. Let us explain. We tend to think of the experience of pain as being a single variable, like when doctors ask you to rate your pain on a scale of 1 to 10. But as Martin De Vita—one of the authors of the study—explained in an interview: “If you think of pain as the noxious noise coming from a radio, the volume can represent the intensity of the pain, while the station can represent the quality.” In other words, how the discomfort feels on a qualitative level is different from how severe it is. And as the study found, CBD—in addition to reducing the severity of some types of pain—had an effect on the quality of the pain, making it less unpleasant and more manageable. Echoing the findings of other clinicians, De Vita points out that it’s important to know where your CBD actually comes from. At Papa & Barkley, we make our award-winning CBD products from 100% USA-grown hemp plants, then triple test it for purity and safety. Our complete line of Releaf products—including topicals, capsules and drops— are thoughtfully formulated to ease discomfort and support your body’s natural ability to regulate pain. In Conclusion: More Evidence for CBD’s Ability to Soothe Discomfort The role hemp and cannabis play in relieving discomfort is complex, and research is currently underway to illuminate how cannabis terpenes (the aromatic “essential oils” that give hemp and cannabis plants their unique aromas and flavors) and other active compounds in the plants might be impacting its efficacy. But one thing is clear: This latest study adds weight to the notion that CBD helps us manage physical discomfort in several different—but complementary—ways. Do you have other questions about the placebo effect or using CBD for acute pain?Reach out anytime; we’re always here to help!
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How CBD Supports a More Balanced Outlook
With 2021 behind us, it’s time to breathe a sigh of relief and look for ways to get a fresh start. If you’re still experiencing a bit of the winter blues or any other kind of strain on your mental state, we’d like to propose a simple strategy for increasing your wellbeing: CBD for stress relief. If you’ve leaned on our best-in-class CBD topicals in the past, you know that CBD can be a game-changer when it comes to supporting achy muscles and tired joints. As a growing body of clinical evidence suggests, one of the very best CBD oil uses may be inside our bodies, where it may diminish feelings of stress and support a better mood. Here’s what the latest research says about this gentle and all-natural response to life’s many ups and downs. CBD for Stress Relief: A True Partnership with the Body Even in the best of times, most of us experience some form of stress. According to one survey, over three quarters of us feel stressed at least one day in a typical week. Over time, that feeling can sap our emotional wellbeing, leading to what so many of us know simply as “the blues.” CBD can help. As a cannabinoid, a natural plant compound derived either from cannabis or its cousin, hemp, CBD interfaces with a regulatory network in our bodies called the Endocannabinoid System (ECS). While the discovery of this bodily system only dates back to the 1990s, scientists now believe that the ECS is of crucial importance, helping us modulate critical functions including pain, memory, sleep, immune response, and several others still. If you picked up on the similarities between “cannabinoid” and “endocannabinoid,” you’re catching on. Because CBD is a cannabinoid, it’s “speaking the same language” as our body’s regulatory network. Compared with many pharmaceutical responses to stress, CBD offers a gentler approach, working in synergy with our body rather than overriding its natural responses. If you’re interested in trying CBD for stress relief, it’s important to note that unlike its cousin THC, CBD’s effect is often described as a very gentle cerebral “buzz.” That’s one reason our award-winning CBD products can be shipped nationwide. Oh and by the way: the shipping’s on us if you choose one of our Subscribe and Save packages! So, are you wondering how to use CBD oil to support wellbeing? Here’s what the current research says. CBD for Stress Relief: Clinical Evidence We’ve written before on the intersection between CBD and mental health support. Given the ongoing stresses associated with the COVID pandemic, CBD oil is already having a positive impact, helping frontline medical workers cope with emotional exhaustion and symptoms of burnout. Separately, another recent study found that: “cannabidiol (CBD), a nonpsychotomimetic and nonaddictive main component of the Cannabis sativa plant, reverses anxiety-like behavior.” This additional research slots in nicely with a pair of animal-model studies that suggest CBD acts like an antidepressant in our bodies. A new way to fight the blues (that won’t leave you feeling groggy, disoriented, or distracted)? Yes, please! CBD for Wellbeing: In Conclusion We sincerely hope this post gives you inspiration as to how you can keep a positive outlook and achieve a balanced mental state, despite life’s challenges. We invite you to try out our line of exceptional CBD ingestibles, designed to support your overall health and wellness. If you have any other questions about how to use CBD oil for a better mood, just ask. We’re always here to help!
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Cannabis and the Gender Gap: How Men and Women Use It Differently
Even as research into cannabis unlocks a number of potential uses for cannabinoids such as CBD, there's one little-noticed detail: Men and women tend to use it for different reasons. Let's drill down into the stats to see how different genders use it (and how they could derive even greater benefits from this gentle and sustainable plant-based medication). CBD for Women, CBD for Men: What the Science Tells Us In previous posts, we’ve focused on some of the many benefits of using cannabis to boost mood and support better sleep, among others. In addition to supporting deeper, more restorative sleep, clinical studies suggest that this remarkable plant-based compound has a role to play in reducing the changes in wellness associated with aging, empowering faster muscle recovery from overexertion, and supporting our mental health and wellness. Exciting as these developments are, they ignore an intriguing fact about CBD for women: They tend to use it differently than do men. Here are a few examples of how—and why—this might be the case. When it comes to CBD for stress relief, a study indicates that women tend to absorb it differently than men. One study done at Yale’s Cchool of Medicine suggested that women absorb more CBD more quickly than men, and researchers there hypothesize that women may in fact derive greater anxiety relief from CBD as compared to men. This idea is supported by a cross sectional study that found, in general, women tend to use CBD for sleep and stress relief, while men tend to use it to relieve post-workout muscle discomfort. In addition, that study suggested that women tend to derive more subjective effects from CBD, an effect generally supported by the Yale study. But here’s a crucial aspect of that study: One of its goals is to determine whether there’s a “ceiling” on the effects of CBD for stress relief in women. According to Dr. Sarah Lichtenstein, who headed the Yale study: “If there is a point at which higher doses trigger a neurobiological mechanism that blocks the anti-anxiety effects of CBD, that could very likely lead to different effects for women and men.” This would be an illuminating discovery. As we’ve shared previously, while CBD is well-tolerated even in very large doses, it’s important to determine your optimal dosage for best results. When it comes to CBD for men, the trend appears to be more towards treatment of specific complaints—such as helping overexerted muscles recover—than for generalized health and wellness support. There’s another intriguing detail about CBD for men: According to one animal study, CBD may suppress the natural breakdown of testosterone in the liver. Does this have any effect on libido? It’s hard to say, but the concentration of endocannabinoid system receptors in male sex organs suggests that cannabinoids such as CBD have a role to play in regulating the production and breakdown of this crucial sex hormone. The fact that CBD may reduce levels of the “stress hormone” cortisol—a known suppressant of testosterone production—may add weight to this argument. CBD for Women, CBD for Men: Shopping Differences The differences between men and women do not stop at how active compounds from cannabis may work in their bodies: Men and women tend to purchase differently, too. While historically there have been more male than female cannabis consumers, more and more women are seeking out cannabis to support health and wellness. When shopping, women purchase topicals, tinctures and edibles more frequently than men. In contrast, men purchase more cannabis flower and concentrates. CBD for Health and Wellness: In Conclusion We’re passionate about our customers’ health and wellness and the potential of this all-natural plant medicine. Do you have other questions about how to use CBD to support your health and wellness? Reach out anytime; we’re always here to help!
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The Best CBD Products for Muscle Recovery and How to Use Them
Wintertime may make you want to curl up by the warm fire, but for us, wellness is a year-round passion. Especially during the colder months, post-workout muscles need extra love and support. That’s why a growing number of fitness buffs and athletes are turning to the all-natural plant power of CBD for muscle recovery. If you’re interested in treating your body right this season, today’s post is for you. Take a deep dive into the reasons why muscles become sore after working out, how cold weather may change your workout routine and some potential CBD benefits that may make all of this more easeful. CBD for Muscle Recovery: Why Do We Get Sore After a Workout? No matter what kind of exercise or wellness routine you subscribe to—yoga, cycling, or tennis, to name just a few—you’ve probably noticed that certain muscles can feel strained and achy afterward, especially if it’s been a little while since your last workout. The reason for this, typically, is something called delayed onset muscle soreness, or DOMs. The good news: DOMs are a completely healthy and normal reaction to exercise. It’s the byproduct of the natural breakdown of muscle fibers as they adapt to a new and stronger configuration. Unless you’re experiencing severe discomfort—in which case you should take a break from your workout routine until the sensation subsides—exercise and the potential achiness that follows are worth the mild discomfort. If your muscles are sore, many experts recommend gentle exercise to build your endurance and post-workout stretching to reduce the discomfort of sore muscles. There’s another way to help those achy muscles relax, too: our topical balm or CBD oil, such as the popular Releaf options. You may have used topical “heat rub” products such as Mentholatum or Bengay, which produce a characteristic sensation of heat or prickliness on the skin. Some fitness experts aren’t so keen on them, arguing that they essentially numb or distract us. Why Might CBD Work Better for Muscle Relief? By contrast, CBD interfaces with our bodies on a much deeper level, thanks to a network called the Endocannabinoid System (ECS). While it was only identified in the 1990s, researchers now believe it is one of the body’s principal regulatory systems. The ECS works with the natural chemicals known as cannabinoids. Some of them, known as endocannabinoids, are produced in the body. Others are found in—you guessed it—either the cannabis plant or its cousin, hemp. You’re already familiar with at least one of them: CBD. Cannabinoids such as CBD are unusually effective at eliciting effective anti-inflammatory responses because they “speak the same language” as the body’s own chemical signals. Some researchers believe that this is a key to understanding why cannabis helps modulate our bodies’ natural responses to soreness and strain. In fact, it’s the major reason Papa & Barkley exists in the first place: To use the gentle, sustainable power of CBD to make a positive and lasting difference in people’s lives. CBD Benefits: Adjusting for Colder Temperatures If you live in a warm climate, you may find that winter doesn’t have much of an impact on your soreness after a workout. But for the rest of us, the cold usually negatively impacts our muscle discomfort. According to some fitness experts, during this time of the year it’s not uncommon to feel extra tightness and soreness around working out. If that’s the case, we recommend you spend a little extra time warming up before an intense workout, and potentially use a slightly increased CBD dose to access the same soothing, anti-inflammatory benefits that you experience during the warmer months. Do you have other questions about using CBD for muscle recovery? Just ask! We’re here to help.
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