How To Use CBD For Your Health

Excuse us while we do a little cheer for one of our favorite days of the year, National CBD Day. Held every year on August 8, according to NationalDay.com, “this day celebrates and spreads awareness about the usages and capacities of cannabidiol, a hemp-based compound that is touted for its ability to relieve pain and anxiety.” Whether you’re a regular CBD user or you’re just now learning how to use CBD for your health, let’s deep dive into the benefits of this hemp-based compound.

Below are four new ways to help you use CBD to better benefit your health:

• Take CBD as a pre-workout
• Take CBD for recovery
• Use CBN for sleep
• Use CBD for inflammation

How to use CBD as a pre-workout tool

I get it, using CBD as a pre-workout may seem counterintuitive at first. Even the idea of micro-dosing before you work out may sound a little radical. However, both options can actually help you.

Firstly, CBD helps calm the nervous system by helping to regulate neurotransmission and other cell-to-cell communication. So if you’re new to how to use CBD, simply taking a puff or two from a CBD vape could be a great way to prime your body for an enjoyable workout session. In fact, many CBD users love doing this prior to exploring the natural world via bike ride or hike.

Consider trying it for yourself — we think you’ll find the hemp and nature combo incredibly relaxing.  

Wondering if cannabinoids can enhance performance when it comes to more competitive sports? While more research continues to take place on that subject, boxer Mike Tyson is known for toking up CBD prior to his big fights.

How to use CBD for recovery

You worked your ass off. Whether you hit up a boxing gym, ran 2 miles, did countless laps in your local pool, trail hiked, or roasted through a hot yoga class — you must leave time for recovery. If you didn’t know, cannabinoids can also be used as a post-workout recovery tool.

Research hints that CBD, THC, and several other cannabinoids may alleviate the chronic inflammation so many active people run into. Additionally, research also shows that cannabinoids may have an immunoregulatory effect.

But the real value of taking CBD for recovery lies in its ability to reduce stress. Exercise, after all, is actually a type of stress itself! And the faster you can recover from this stress, the more you’ll be able to enjoy pain-free, restorative exercise.

The way in which cannabis may reduce stress is actually quite simple. According to endocannabinoid expert professor Vincenzo Di Marzo it all has to do with your body’s built-in endocannabinoid system:

The endocannabinoid system accompanies the fight-or-flight system and maybe has been evolutionarily conserved to combat the consequences of stress and to [help vertebrates, which all have endocannabinoid systems] recover from stress as quickly as possible.

How to use CBD or CBN for sleep

In an ideal world, your health and fitness routine would have you sleeping soundly every night. And it’s true — exercise usually does make it easier to sleep well.

However, sometimes the very beneficial hormones from exercise can backfire on you. I don’t know about you, but boy, I hate it when that happens. A stress hormone named cortisol is the biggest culprit. If you’re not familiar with cortisol, it can easily keep you up at night with racing thoughts (especially if you work out closer to bedtime).

This is where CBN comes in. A special breakdown product of CBD, early research has shown that CBN may directly promote sleep. If you want to get some more zzzs, consider trying a CBN-rich cannabis/hemp extract several hours before bed.

Other cannabinoids may benefit your sleep quality, too. Why? Because virtually all cannabinoids activate the endocannabinoid system, which is tied to your circadian rhythm itself.

How to use CBD for inflammation

Of all the cannabinoids discovered so far, CBD seems to be among the most anti-inflammatory ones. It ‘activates’ special receptors in the skin, muscle tissues, and vital organs. The result of this activation is simple, but effective: reduced inflammation. 

And when inflammation is kept in check, good things happen. Many CBD users report alleviated pain, increased mobility, and more. Getting these benefits is as easy as using a CBD topical after intense workout sessions.

As an added plus, topicals are ultra-easy to dose because you can tell how they’re working by how you feel. If you’re not experiencing relief after a few hours, just apply a little more!

Other cannabinoids make great topicals, too. Recent studies have shown that CBG, the “mother cannabinoid,” has impressive antibacterial properties. Cannabinoids can also be used as antioxidants — a role they’re so good at that they’ve been transforming skincare.

Get your body moving

It’s no surprise that we’re big fans of the active lifestyle at Moodporium. Whether you get a move on via running, yoga, or other forms of fitness, it’s all good with us.

Just be sure to make things easier on yourself by boosting your body’s ability to recover and come back stronger. CBD tinctures and topicals should help with that — as should the newly popular delta-8 THC. For an added boost, consider anti-inflammatory essential oils, too.