It’s not an exaggeration to say that I have been curious about CBD for well over a year now. So, when Pure Sport CBD reached out to me, I jumped at the chance. This review will cover just about everything you need to know about CBD, why it might be right for you, and what makes Pure Sport CBD unique.
From a preponderance of articles touting the potential health benefits to a growing body of anecdotal evidence from friends, CBD has increasingly felt like ‘all the rage’ in the health and wellness space. And for good reason. Among other things, it has been said to help with pain relief, quality of sleep, stress and anxiety, depression and inflammation.
The more I hear about its positive benefits (which, let’s be honest, are things most of us could use some help with), the more I wonder how it’s taken me this long to try it. But, as they say, you’re ready when you’re ready. So before I jump into my full Pure Sport CBD review, let me tell you a bit about why I decided to try CBD in the first place.
Why I Decided to try CBD
I know I am not unique in my experience of the mental side-effects of Covid-19. I have noticed a perceptible uptick in my anxiety since we first entered lockdown. Not only am I struggling to sleep, but I wake up exhausted only to face another day in a career that has become more demanding and stressful in the current climate. Heightened anxiety, persistent stress, and unchecked exhaustion have made managing my depression all the more complicated. Now, more than ever, my mental health feels under attack from all sides.
Two weeks ago, I reached a bit of a breaking point when my knee became so inflamed that I had to take a week off from workouts. Daily movement is absolutely crucial to my mental health, so losing that as a form of self-care is both devastating and unsustainable. Plus, I was in physical pain and discomfort with no end to lockdown in sight.
So, I tried CBD.
What is CBD?
CBD stands for cannabidiol — a canabinoid compound that can be derived from BOTH hemp and marijuana. THC is also a cannabinoid and is found at lower levels in hemp and at higher levels in marijuana. Whereas THC enables you to ‘get high’, CBD does not.
That is not to say it’s non-psychoactive. Experts refer to CBD as ‘nonintoxicating‘ because while it does have an effect on your brain (hence the benefits to anxiety, PTSD, eating disorders, etc.), it does not produce the intoxicating effects commonly associated with smoking or ingesting marijuana.
Finally, CBD is legal. Whereas, in many places, Marijuana (THC) is not.
Why What’s in Your CBD Matters
With CBD use on the rise, regulation of CBD products and the companies producing them has become an issue. In a recent study, the Centre for Medical Cannabis blind tested 30 products advertised as ‘CBD’ and concluded that 45% contained THC, rendering them technically illegal in the UK market. Some of the products tested also contained dichloromethane, a solvent that causes wheezing and shortness of breath. Others contained no traces of CBD at all. In fact, the study found that ‘only 38% of the products tested had CBD levels within 10% of the amount advertised on the bottle’.
Because there is no legal requirement for companies to test their products, many consumers are paying top dollar for CBD products that may contain THC, other toxic compounds or little to no CBD at all.
This is precisely why, as you might have guessed, it’s incredibly important to know exactly where you’re getting your CBD and what testing regimes have been put in place by the producer to ensure their products are pure and as advertised.
Enter Pure Sport CBD.
About Pure Sport CBD
Pure Sport CBD was founded by two UK-based professional athletes who witnessed firsthand both the benefits of CBD use and the complexities of sourcing CBD products safe for athletes (THC free). After scouring the global marketplace and coming up empty-handed, they decided to make their own.
Pure Sport CBD Products are vegan and vegetarian-friendly, free of herbicides and pesticides, and 100% natural. They also adhere to a rigid testing protocol that includes independent verification via two third-party entities to guarantee their product is THC free. Finally, Pure Sport CBD make their lab reports publicly available so that their consumers have full transparency.
And that’s exactly why, when they offered me the opportunity to try their CBD Oil (1000mg) and CBD Balm, I didn’t hesitate.
My Pure Sport CBD Review
I have been using both the oil and balm daily for 2 weeks now and I have to say, I am thoroughly impressed with the effects. But, before I get into that, I would like to clarify how I’m using both products and the quantities I am taking currently.
Dosage
4 drops of CBD oil under the tongue, 30 minutes before bed. I started out taking 6 drops of the Pure Sport CBD oil under my tongue about a half hour before bed. But, I found I was waking up really groggy and lethargic in the mornings, so I reduced my dosage to just 3-4 drops.
CBD Balm rubbed onto knee joints, just before bed. I massage a small amount of the CBD balm onto my knees each night before bed. If I have aches and pains or inflammation anywhere else (occasionally my hips and shoulders will act up), I’ll rub a bit onto those areas too.
Symptoms
When I started taking Pure Sport CBD two weeks ago, I was experiencing the following symptoms:
- Difficulty falling asleep
- Restlessness/interrupted sleep
- Knee and hip pain
- Inflammation in knees (difficultly to bending the joint, exercising/walking)
- Anxiety (during work day and just before bed)
- Depression (ongoing)
Key Results
- Improved Quality of Sleep
- Less Pain and Inflammation
- Fewer Mood Swings
Improved Quality of Sleep: Without a doubt, this is the area where CBD oil has had the biggest impact on my quality of life.
Sleep has been an ongoing issue for me, to the point that I will occasionally get anxiety about not being able to fall asleep or having to wake up to pee in the middle of the night. It sounds ridiculous, but when your sleep patterns are consistently interrupted by restlessness, it really starts to take a physical and mental toll.
Because of Pure Sport CBD I can now fall asleep, anxiety free and sleep through the night. Just being able to write that feels good. I haven’t slept this well in years.
Less Pain and Inflammation: When I started using Pure Sport’s CBD oil and balm two weeks ago, I had just come off an entire week of forced-rest. The swelling in my knees was so bad that I had put my workouts on hold and spend the week icing my knees intermittently throughout the day and evenings. In addition to changing up my training (low-impact only for the time being), I started massaging the balm into my knees before bed each night.
I am happy to report that these changes to my routine have meant I am able to continue training each day with no pain and minimal swelling.
Fewer Mood Swings: I will admit that I was somewhat skeptical of the purported mental health benefits of CBD. I talk very openly about my depression and anxiety, as you know, and I’m doing a lot of work in my personal life to improve my mental health as best I can. Over the past two weeks I have really tried to pay attention to where my head in the hope of assessing what kind of impact, if any, CBD has had on my mental state.
I feel confident acknowledging the levelling-out effect it seems to have had on my mood. I haven’t had the extreme emotional lows I have become all too familiar with in previous months. The sense of constant near anxiety seems to have somewhat subsided too. I feel like I can take a breath; the constriction in my throat and chest has relaxed. And that feels so good.
Why I would Recommend Pure Sport CBD
I have been so pleasantly surprised by my experience of Pure Sport CBD. I finally understand from first-hand experience what all the fuss is about.
If you share any of the symptoms I listed, I would highly recommend giving CBD a try. I believe in Pure Sport’s philosophy and regulatory process and would confidently recommend them to anyone interested in CBD products. I plan to continue using their CBD oil and balm indefinitely on a daily basis.
If you have any questions about my Pure Sport CBD review or the benefits I have experienced, please let me know. I’d be happy to answer any questions you might have.
You can visit their website here, or check them out on Instagram here.
Have you tried CBD? If so, how long have you been taking it and what benefits have you experienced?
Could you update us? Are you still using it? Have you tried a break? Did the effects sustain when you stopped? Did your symptoms return? If yes, better or worse than before CBD?