Use code WINTERORANGE FOR 50% OFF Immunity Shots + Free shipping on orders $50 or more

How To Use CBD for Muscle Cramps

How To Use CBD for Muscle Cramps

Muscle cramps can disrupt your daily life. Leg cramps, in particular, tend to sneak up on people, especially when they’re trying to sleep. If you’re dealing with muscle cramps or spasms, you need a solution to remedy the discomfort you feel when cramps creep in.


Understanding the factors that contribute to muscle cramps and how to prevent them is an important part of the equation. CBD might be able to help ease the symptoms many people with muscle cramps endure.

What Are Muscle Cramps? 

Your muscles need to be able to rest loosely and contract when necessary. This is how you walk or lift things. 


When your muscles are at rest, they’re elongated. The fibers that compose your muscle are long and lean. When your muscles contract, the fibers tighten up to exert strength. 


During this process, calcium enters your muscle, and sodium leaves your muscle. 


If you’re actively using your muscles to perform an intense task, like running or lifting a large amount of weight, you won’t feel any discomfort due to this muscle contraction. It’s a productive contraction that allows your muscle to perform as it's intended to. 


If your muscle contracts with too much force, especially from a completely rested state,  you may experience a muscle cramp.


A cramp occurs when a muscle becomes suddenly uncomfortably tight. Sometimes, these cramps are related to an activity you’re doing. If you haven’t stretched in a while and you jump right into an athletic activity, you might experience muscle cramps in response. 


Sometimes, cramps don’t have an apparent cause, and they occur while you’re at rest. This is most commonly the case with nighttime leg cramps.

What Causes Muscle Cramps?

Cramps can have clear and logical causes when they occur in the context of using your muscles to do something labor intensive. These cramps are natural, somewhat inevitable, and will resolve on their own. 


There are idiopathic cramps, which means they don’t have a clear cause. Idiopathic cramps usually affect the legs. There are also secondary leg cramps, which are cramps that occur as a result of another underlying condition. 


If you have muscle cramps with no clear cause, you need to see your doctor to establish whether these cramps are idiopathic or symptomatic of a larger issue. 


Muscle cramps are common in people who also live with several other conditions, including:


  • Diabetes
  • Vascular disease
  • Conditions impacting the liver
  • Conditions impacting the kidneys
  • Pregnancy
  • People who take certain statin drugs for cholesterol management
  • People who consume excessive amounts of alcohol

When a leg cramp occurs, the muscles in the leg will involuntarily contract very hard. This is also called a muscle spasm. During this cramp, you won’t have any meaningful control over the affected muscle. You need to wait until the cramp passes to be able to move your leg again. 

How are Muscle Cramps Usually Treated?

If muscle cramps result from another underlying medical condition, cramps are treated by managing that condition. If the condition is well managed, side effects like cramps will reduce in severity or even subside altogether. 


Idiopathic leg cramps are generally treated with lifestyle changes. They usually don’t require medication or significant medical intervention. You should still ask your doctor for advice and recommendations, even if there is no official treatment plan for the type of leg cramps you’re experiencing. Your doctor will likely give you some of the following advice. 

Staying Hydrated

Dehydration is a major contributor to leg cramps. Many people don’t realize that they’re dehydrated. The average man needs 15.5 cups of water per day, and the average woman needs 11.5 cups of water per day. 


You don’t necessarily need to drink as much plain water, although that might help. Most beverages count towards your water intake, as does the food you eat. The liquid content of the fruits and vegetables you eat contributes to your water intake, as do liquid-based foods like soup. 


Incorporating healthier foods into your diet is an easy way to support hydration while improving your overall health.

Getting Enough Electrolytes

Electrolytes are minerals like potassium, magnesium, sodium, and calcium. Your body uses electrolytes to manage the health and function of many muscles in your body, including your heart. Electrolytes can also help to replenish dehydrated muscles. 


When your muscular health is adequately supported, you’re less likely to experience issues like muscle cramps or spasms.

Incorporating Gentle Movement 

Exercises like stretching, walking, and light yoga can support muscular health. Regularly stretching your muscles can help to reduce muscle tension and make it easier to move around. Stretches encourage muscles to lengthen and relax, which is the opposite of what muscles do when they’re cramped up. 

Massage

Massage is great for reducing muscle tension and promoting circulation. After you experience muscle cramps, a light massage to the affected muscle for 5 to 10 minutes can help to promote relief and reduce any lingering discomfort. You can manually perform these massages yourself or use a massage device around the area. 

What Does CBD Do?

CBD provides holistic support to most of the functions and processes in your body. CBD works with the cannabinoid receptors that exist all throughout your body. There are cannabinoid receptors in your brain, nervous system, immune system, digestive system, and many of your internal organs. 


Your body provides these receptors with cannabinoids it produces on its own, but they also respond to input from other cannabinoids. 


CBD stimulates the receptors in this system. CBD doesn’t change the way your body is naturally equipped to work. It just encourages your body to perform a little better by promoting homeostasis or balance. 


When CBD reaches the cannabinoid receptors throughout your body’s endocannabinoid system, it provokes a response. The receptors respond by playing their role in the regulation of your processes. Your body does what it’s meant to do. CBD simply supports its efficiency.

Can CBD Help with Muscle Cramps?

CBD doesn’t directly impact muscle cramps or muscular health. If you want to find relief from idiopathic leg cramps, you’ll need to make lifestyle changes to reduce the likelihood of leg cramps occurring. CBD can become a part of a holistic approach to managing the discomfort you may feel as a result of your leg cramps. 


CBD helps with emotional and physical tension. When you have muscle cramps, especially leg cramps that occur at night, it can be difficult to relax. 


People with nocturnal leg cramps often use CBD to promote relaxation and better sleep. When leg cramps are keeping you from being comfortable, the calm that CBD promotes can be very helpful. 

How To Use CBD Oil for Muscle Cramps

We recommend a dose of 34 mg of CBD to promote better sleep and ease tension. You can take your CBD about an hour before bedtime, which will give it a sufficient amount of time to reach your endocannabinoid system. 


Place a few drops of CBD under your tongue and hold it in place for about a minute. The CBD will be absorbed by the soft tissue under your tongue, allowing it to quickly reach your body by bypassing your digestive system. Swallow the remnants of the oil. 


Using CBD consistently is the key to producing noticeable and sustainable results. Some of the benefits of CBD are nearly immediate, but since CBD works to promote homeostasis, you’re more likely to notice meaningful benefits with continued use. 


Make CBD a part of your daily wellness ritual. Use it every day, even if you don’t experience muscle cramps on that day. CBD will always work in the background to support your body's natural balance, enhancing your wellness from multiple angles. 

Does CBD Oil Contain THC?

If you’re interested in using CBD oil for muscle cramps, you might have some reservations about products containing THC. Most CBD products contain a minimal amount of THC. 


While it isn’t enough THC to produce psychoactive effects, it still may be enough to show up on a drug test. If you’re prohibited from using THC products or uncomfortable ingesting THC, you don’t need to use hemp-derived CBD.


Peels makes our CBD from orange peels. We have a unique proprietary process to turn the aromatic compounds in orange peels, called terpenes, into bioidentical CBD. Because we craft our CBD from a source that doesn’t contain any THC, the risk of ingesting CBD with Peels is zero. 


This makes Peels an accessible option for athletes and wellness-focused people who want to enrich their overall wellbeing without consuming products containing THC. 


Make our fresh-squeezed CBD a part of your daily ritual and experience the benefits.







Sources

Water: How much should you drink every day? | Mayo Clinic

Statin side effects: Weigh the benefits and risks | Mayo Clinic

What are Electrolytes? | Cedars-Sinai

Nocturnal Leg Cramps | American Family Physician