The human body is designed to operate within a specific temperature range, and it is well-equipped to keep the body in this range using a process known as homeostasis.
When the body is too cold, the muscles shiver and hairs stand on end to help generate and conserve heat. And when it is too warm, sweat glands release moisture which evaporates from the skin and helps to cool the body down.
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Knowing that the body works this hard to maintain its temperature, it seems counterintuitive that individuals would choose to put themselves through temperature extremes in the name of wellness.
However, the surge in popularity of both ice baths and saunas per UK Google Trends data over the past five years speaks volumes.
The role of hot and cold therapy in athletic recovery is well documented, but there are simple and holistic ways you can enhance this experience with the help of CBD for recovery.
Understanding Extreme Temperature Exposure
If you’ve ever sprained an ankle or injured your wrist, you will be familiar with the concept of hot and cold therapy. When injury occurs, we either reach for an ice pack or a cold pack to find relief. It’s also common to cycle between the two to maximise the benefits.
When the injury is related to physical activity, it’s possible to take this recovery process even further by applying it to the entire body. Walkers, runners, weightlifters, climbers and anyone who plays sport regularly will be familiar with the advice to try ice plunging or sauna therapy.
Rather than isolating part of the body with a heat pack or ice pack, you can subject your entire body to high or low temperatures in the pursuit of wellness.
When the body faces extreme heat such as that found in a sauna, it triggers a physiological process in the body that can aid with athletic recovery. As the body temperature increases, it increases the heart rate and the blood vessels contract, encouraging increased blood flow to the skin and muscles.
It also reduces inflammatory pathways, which can help to ease muscular and joint pain. This kind of pain relief is similar to that experienced with modern pharmaceutical treatments such as ibuprofen or paracetamol. However, this is without the various side effects that are associated with long-term use of pain medication.
When the body faces extreme cold, such as that experienced in an ice bath, the effects are quite different. When your body temperature lowers, heat is retained in the core. The blood vessels near the surface of the skin narrow, which can help to reduce pain and inflammation and block pain signals.
This type of therapy has also been linked to reduced muscle soreness after an intense workout.
Temperature cycling takes this one step further. Going from a sauna and plunging into an icy river is a popular practice in places like Finland and South Korea. However, this is not without its risks.
Once you stop either hot or cold therapy, your body will return to its optimum temperature, so how can you prolong the benefits of hot and cold therapy? CBD therapy could offer a portable accompanying treatment to use alongside ice bathing and saunas.
The Role of CBD in Temperature-Driven Recovery
How does this little plant-derived molecule help to support athletic recovery? There’s still a lot we don’t know about CBD and how it works inside the body, but what we do know is incredibly promising.
CBD has been linked to anti-inflammatory benefits, which makes it an ideal addition to your recovery routine following intense exercise. It can also be highly beneficial for those suffering with inflammatory conditions affecting the muscles and joints who have exhausted other routes such as NSAIDs.
When applied to the skin, CBD activates CB1 and CB2 receptors locally, allowing the user to spot-treat painful areas. By listening to the body and responding to pain signals, the user can apply CBD products as often as required without worrying about maximum dosage.
CBD is not the only botanical that can support recovery. Producing a heating or cooling sensation on the skin can mimic the effects of hot and cold therapy, without the need to plunge yourself into an ice bath or sweat in a sauna.
Plant compounds from capsicum and clove can produce a warming effect, while eucalyptus and peppermint are known for their cooling effects. Essential oils also contain a wide range of plant terpenes and flavonoids which can have a synergistic effect on the CBD, helping to enhance the benefits further.
HEMPE Hot and Cold Therapy for Recovery
The biggest obstacle to adding sauna and ice bath therapy into your routine is access. Not everyone has the means to access these when they need them. And even those who do have access might find them to be impractical.
If you want to enhance, prolong or replicate the benefits of hot and cold therapy, add HEMPE CBD Hot Ice Combo into your recovery routine.
HEMPE Hot Muscle And Joint Gel absorbs quickly and gets to work fast, heating the affected area and helping to boost circulation. Like the effects of a sauna, your body will respond to the increased blood flow by reducing the inflammatory pathways, which can deliver instant and lasting pain relief.
Our customers say it best: “Super happy with my purchase, the heat and intensity is perfect for easing tendonitis and muscle cramp I get from long runs and cycling - big fan of Hempe Helps!”
HEMPE Ice Muscle And Joint Gel offers a similar consistency and application. The cooling effect helps to relieve pain locally without the use of NSAIDs. This can help with recovery by keeping you free from pain and mobile. This can help you to avoid becoming stationary, which can lead your joints to become stiff and painful.
One customer writes: “So good for cooling down after a hard workout and I love that it can be used in a hyper-local area instead of jumping in a full-body ice bath - brrrr!”
How to Use CBD Products for Recovery
If you’re ready to add CBD products into your recovery routine, there are a few things to bear in mind. When using oral CBD products, you need to be careful with the total amount of CBD you consume per day. Guidelines vary, but most people stick to a limit of 40mg of CBD per day.
When it comes to topical CBD, the same concerns do not apply. Instead, you need to think about the optimum timing for switching between hot and cold therapy for the best possible results.
You don’t need to apply a thick layer to enjoy the benefits, and this could actually prove counterproductive. The gel is only beneficial when absorbed, so if you apply so much that it sits on the surface of the skin, you can’t be confident some of this will be wasted.
Instead, apply a small amount and massage it into the skin. Leave this for a few moments and you should start to feel the benefits. With the HEMPE Ice Gel, leaving it exposed to the air will boost the effects. And with the HEMPE Hot Gel, covering the affected area with clothing will intensify the results.
You can reapply the product 3-4 times per day, and you can also alternate between the two products to enjoy the benefits of both heating and cooling the affected area. You might find that cooling is effective immediately after exercise to help kick start recovery, while heating is useful for getting the muscles warmed up and ready to work again.
Natural Aids Vs CBD for Recovery
You don’t have to turn to medications for athletic recovery. Holistic options are abundant and highly effective. Alongside cold plunging and the use of saunas, you could also explore massage and myofascial release as an effective method for reducing muscle inflammation following intense exercise. For pain related to joints, mobility exercises and stretching can help to avoid stiffness.
Final Thoughts on CBD Therapy Alongside Extreme Temperature Treatment
If ice plunging and sauna therapy are out of your reach, you don’t have to forego the benefits of hot and cold therapy for athletic recovery. Through the use of CBD, you can enjoy shortened recovery times and improved athletic performance without the need for a plunge pool or sauna.
CBD remains a safe method for increasing your sense of wellness and supporting individuals facing a wide range of inflammatory conditions. Athletes know that the key to improved performance is a fast recovery, and this is precisely how CBD can help.
Since the CBD is not absorbed into the bloodstream, there is no additional pressure on the kidneys and liver to filter this out of the body. It’s also possible to spot-treat pain in specific areas, rather than taking a whole-of-body approach.
