Authors: Ryan Cheu, Ph.D. & Harold Han, Ph.D.
In our first article, we explored how Cannabidiol (CBD) and Cannabigerol (CBG) can help the CrossFit community manage the intense physical wear and tear associated with heavy lifting and high-impact training. However, physical pain is only one part of the equation. CrossFit is just as much a test of mental resilience as it is of physical endurance. Behind the scenes, athletes are facing significant mental stress and psychological challenges that can make or break their performance.
When we look at the mental side of CrossFit, we notice a couple of the key parameters: sleep quality, stress control, and mental clarity.
Sleep is the absolute foundation of recovery for everybody, but it is especially critical for CrossFit athletes. You might assume that after a grueling workout day, an athlete would naturally fall into a deep sleep. Unfortunately, this is not guaranteed. The lingering physical pain and delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) from training can often prevent athletes from entering a deeper, restful sleep state. Furthermore, the pressure of competition and the travel required for events can severely disrupt the body's natural circadian rhythm. When sleep is disrupted, it creates a massive negative downstream effect, impeding muscle repair and central nervous system recovery.
In addition to sleep, stress is a major barrier. Athletes constantly worry about their competition performance, their progression, and whether their bodies can fully recover to 100% before the next workout session. This mental static impacts mental clarity. If an athlete's mind is burdened by the stress of potential injury or performance plateaus, they cannot compete at their best.
Because sleep and stress impact the mentality of athletes in such a profound way, they must be addressed. Fortunately, the clinical literature points to CBD and CBG as powerful tools to help athletes quiet their minds, manage their stress, and reclaim their sleep.
The Science of CBD & CBG on Improving Sleep & Stress
To understand how these compounds can help, let's dive into the peer-reviewed literature.
Study 1: Cannabidiol in Anxiety and Sleep: A Large Case Series (Shannon et al., 2019)
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What did they study: A retrospective clinical study of 72 adults experiencing sleep disorders and anxiety.
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What kind of dose: 25 mg to 75 mg of CBD daily.
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What's the outcome: The study found that sleep scores improved significantly in 66.7% of the patients within the first month of use. Furthermore, anxiety scores decreased rapidly and remained low throughout the duration of the study.
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Impact on the CrossFit Community: For athletes who find their minds racing at night, CBD provides a potential way to facilitate sleep onset. By calming the central nervous system, CBD helps establish the restorative sleep environment necessary for overall athlete recovery. At the same time, people react to CBD differently, especially with sleep. It is suggested to do a trial and find the true personal relationship using CBD for sleep.
Study 2: Reasons for Cannabidiol Use: A Cross-Sectional Study (Moltke et al., 2021)
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What did they study: An epidemiological survey of 387 current and past CBD users focusing on self-perceived stress, anxiety, and sleep outcomes.
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What kind of dose: Variable, though 54% reported using less than 50 mg daily, primarily via sublingual delivery.
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What's the outcome: Sleep problems were one of the primary reasons for CBD use (42.5% of users). The vast majority of respondents using CBD for sleep reported that it effectively helped them fall asleep faster and achieve a deeper sleep.
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Impact on the CrossFit Community: This real-world evidence confirms that everyday people and athletes successfully use CBD to self-manage sleep disruption. Because CBD lacks the severe "hangover" side effects of traditional pharmaceutical sleep aids, athletes can wake up feeling refreshed and ready for early morning routines.
Study 3: Acute Effects of Cannabigerol on Anxiety, Stress, and Mood (Cuttler et al., 2024).
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What did they study: The first human clinical trial on CBG. 34 healthy adults were subjected to a validated, highly stressful situation (the Trier Social Stress Test) in a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover field trial.
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What kind of dose: 20 mg of hemp-derived CBG tincture.
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What's the outcome: CBG produced a significant effect by reducing overall anxiety and lowering subjective stress prior to the stressor. Remarkably, the researchers found that CBG actually enhanced verbal memory relative to the placebo and produced absolutely no cognitive or motor impairments.
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Impact on the CrossFit Community: This is a breakthrough for competition anxiety. CrossFit requires athletes to remember complex rep schemes and maintain perfect motor control under immense physical and psychological stress. CBG allows athletes to calm their pre-competition nerves without dulling their mental clarity or physical reflexes.
Study 4: Cannabidiol Reduces Anxiety Induced by Simulated Public Speaking (Bergamaschi et al., 2011)
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What did they study: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial testing anxiety responses during a highly stressful simulated public speaking event.
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What kind of dose: High-dose CBD (300 mg to 600 mg).
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What's the outcome: The administration of CBD significantly lowered feelings of anxiety and prevented the cognitive impairment normally associated with acute, panic-inducing stress.
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Impact on the CrossFit Community: High-stakes competitions spike cortisol and activate the body's "fight or flight" response, which can lead to mistakes and mental exhaustion. CBD acts as a buffer against this extreme stress response, allowing the athlete to stay focused, calm, and present during the event.
Mind and Body in Sync to Reach the Best Performance
CrossFit is the ultimate test of both our bodies and our minds. And we only reach our true potential when the body and the mind are aligned and in perfect sync.
Biologically, this synchronization is governed by the Endocannabinoid System (ECS). The ECS is the largest regulatory system in the human body, specifically tasked with maintaining homeostasis and balance across our central nervous system, immune system, and cognitive pathways. When we push ourselves to the brink during a workout, we disrupt this balance.
This is exactly why CBD and CBG are such incredibly useful tools for the CrossFit community. They are not only effective in fighting systemic inflammation and aiding bodily recovery, but they are also valuable therapeutic tools to ease the mind. By interacting with the ECS, they allow the brain to power down, leading to less competition-induced stress, deeper and more restful sleep, and a calmer, more focused mental state. When the mind is rested and the body is recovered, athletes can hit the gym at 100%.
CBD and CBG are safe, non-intoxicating, and highly effective components of this equation. We encourage the CrossFit community to continue to explore and find ways to use these plant-based tools to optimize both their physical recovery and their mental resilience.
If you decide to explore PhytoRX products as part of your wellness routine, you can use our community code:
Use code: phytoRX15 at checkout
phytoRX is a hemp-derived CBD and CBG beverage concentrate. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.