Embracing your twilight years with athletic competition is one of the most effective ways to socialize, get out of the house, and stay healthy. However, there are drawbacks to playing low-impact sports like golf, pickleball, badminton, swimming, and even Tai Chi. These activities put a strain on unused muscles and joints as well as increase the risk of injury due to repetitive motions. That’s where CBD can help active seniors!
In this article, we’ll cover how the benefits of CBD perfectly align with the injuries you may encounter if you are a senior playing competitive sports. After reading, you’ll learn how these benefits can limit recovery times and make these games more enjoyable.
CBD and Seniors Playing Sports
More than ever, seniors enjoy getting outside in the spirit of competition. Senior league participation is growing as the population over 60 will double in the United States by 2050. Maintaining an active lifestyle is crucial if you are in or approaching this age range, but you are unfortunately at a higher risk of orthopedic injury—conditions like sprains, tendonitis, and carpal tunnel syndrome are among the most common.
CBD is an excellent addition to traditional orthopedic injury treatment, offering seniors a new option to speed up recovery.
Benefits of CBD for Active Seniors
CBD's natural, non-addictive properties complement an athlete's physical challenges, whether at the professional level or in a recreational league. Below are four main ways CBD and senior competitive sports go hand in hand.
Reduced Inflammation
Researchers believe CBD has the potential to reduce inflammation by inhibiting pain receptors through anandamide production. Anandamide (AEA) is a naturally produced endocannabinoid that protects neurons from inflammatory damage by engaging our cannabinoid receptors.
Regular CBD use, whether topical or oral, can increase AEA production. A healthy flow of endocannabinoids regulates inflammatory responses, which can cause conditions like tennis elbow.
Pain Relief
When your body signals pain, this is sent through the endocannabinoid system (ECS). This complex network of neurotransmitters, receptors, and enzymes is essential to everyday life. When you have an injury, your perception of pain can be altered if you don’t have a healthy ECS.
Improved Mobility
Limiting inflammation and pain makes getting around much more manageable, especially after an injury. Unfortunately, if you are over 60, muscle and joint soreness can prevent you from having the desire to compete. Thankfully, CBD helps mobility after common sports injuries, getting you back faster with less physical resistance.
Non-Habit Forming
While opioids improve the lives of many seniors experiencing severe pain, these drugs are deadly and highly addictive. We commonly associate opioid overdoses with the younger generation, overlooking the risk of older adults. From 2021 to 2022, emergency room visits for opioid misuse rose 16% for people over the age of 55.
CBD use will not lead to an overdose or addiction, making it a far safer pain relief alternative to opioids.
The Best CBD for Seniors Playing Sports
CBD comes in various forms, offering different ways to boost your ECS. However, topical, sublingual, and edible gummies are the most effective.
Read more below for our recommendations in each category.
Topical CBD
Topical CBD includes pain cream, lotion, salve, balm, and CBD roll-ons. These products allow you to fight pain and inflammation directly at the source, offering instant relief.
For active seniors, we recommend the KannaFreeze CBD Topical Roll-On. This innovative product combines 1000mg of CBD with a proprietary blend of natural pain relievers, such as menthol. Keep it in your gym bag and apply liberally whenever you experience sore muscles or joints.
CBD Oil
Sublingual CBD oil is the most effective way to boost endocannabinoid production in your ECS. Taking CBD oil daily increases levels of AEA, helping regulate pain and inflammation.
We recommend the Full Spectrum CBD Tincture from Pure Science Lab. The oil is a 10:1 blend of CBD to other cannabinoids, helping boost ECS wellness through the entourage effect. Pure Science Lab’s tinctures are affordable at $0.08 - $0.04 per milligram and available in various flavors.
CBD Gummies
While gummies are technically an edible, the delivery method is similar to sublingual CBD. Most edibles have low bioavailability rates, but the gummy structure allows much of the CBD to dissolve in the mouth for a simple, tasty, and effective delivery system.
Pure Science Lab offers a variety of gummy blends; however, for competitive seniors, we recommend Sleep Support CBD Gummies. Quality sleep is essential to recovery, and if you are struggling with sore muscles and joints, taking CBD before bed is the perfect time.
CBD Compliments an Active Senior Lifestyle
Competitive sports require more care as we get older. Unfortunately, the days of making diving plays and bouncing back up are long behind us. But that doesn’t mean we don’t have to stop doing what we love. Thankfully, CBD is an essential addition to the recovery process, making competitive senior sports far more manageable.
Feel free to contact us if you have any questions about what types of CBD fit your lifestyle.
