Can Weed Help Cramps?

The feeling of your muscles getting cramped can be a very painful and highly discomforting one. Muscle contractions can occur for various reasons and can be a significant issue if they persist over time. While the average healthy person may feel a cramp every now and then, athletes and women are among the most common patients of this issue. 

What Are Cramps?

Put simply, a cramp is a sudden contraction of a muscle or a group of muscles. Upon feeling one, you can feel that your muscles have gotten paralyzed for some time and it can also cause severe pain. In women, menstrual cramps are a very common and regular occurrence. That is why many ask the question, can weed help with period cramps? Using cannabis for menstrual cramps offers a more natural way to subside the pain as compared to using painkillers. Having an alternative to artificial medication is a good thing because many people suffer from strong side effects when taking traditional medication. 

So, Does Weed Help Menstrual Cramps?

Consuming cannabis, i.e., the Animal Face strain at AskGrowers, can help with menstrual cramps. When it comes to marijuana and menstrual cramps, however, it is important to know that it does not work like traditional painkillers that essentially take away the pain. So then how does weed help cramps be more bearable? 

When you take a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, or NSAID, it leads to the blocking of prostaglandins. These are the hormones that cause muscles to contract. But weed does not do that. Instead, cannabis has been found to have anti-inflammatory properties that can provide relief but it also leads the brain to release dopamine which makes the person feel good. This feeling of happiness and general calm can make it easier to get through an episode of cramps without the need to take NSAIDs.

What About Other Cramps?

After finding the answer to, ‘does weed help with period cramps?’, let’s talk about another common type of cramping. Athletes are often faced with painful cramps that can take them off the field for a good number of weeks. A lot of athletes then have to take painkillers to manage the pain but that is not the ideal treatment. That is why marijuana is now being considered to be the way in which athletes’ pain is managed, be it because of muscular cramping or other injuries. As stated before, cannabis has been studied for a long time in this regard and has been found to have strong pain-relieving properties. It, therefore, has the potential to be used to tackle cramping in athletes as a result. 

But does weed help with cramps that regular people suffer from every now and then? As we said before, it can make the pain more bearable by stimulating the release of dopamine. Because of this, a person’s overall mood improves and they can get distracted from the sensation of pain. So, cannabis may not take away the pain but the patient may not feel it as much as they would otherwise. For more serious cramps with painful results lasting for days, the anti-inflammatory effects of marijuana can come into play and gradually reduce the pain. 

Type of Products to Use

Now that it is clear how does weed help cramps, it is also important to go over the various ways in which you can utilize cannabis for menstrual cramps or other types. Most users might assume that they have to smoke the flower directly. While they can do that, there are also other ways to reduce pain with weed. 

• Ointments and creams are great to provide quick relief from pain. Simply apply to the affected area and you should feel the effects soon. 
• Edibles like chocolates or gummies are also a good way to consume cannabis to help with cramps without having to smoke, which a lot of people may not prefer to do so. 
• Bathing products are also an interesting option when it comes to marijuana and menstrual cramps. A warm water bath infused with a cannabis bath soak can be highly relaxing. 
• Drinks like cannabis-infused teas or juices are also a quick way to take marijuana in a very natural and comfortable manner. 
• Patches that quickly release cannabis into the body’s affected area are also a very good option. Simply apply the patch to the cramped area and it will help reduce the pain. 

Conclusion

No matter what product you use, there is a good amount of both clinical and anecdotal evidence that answers can weed help with period cramps or not. Cannabis is a complex and interesting plant that affects the human body’s endocannabinoid system in very positive ways. Using it to find some relief from muscle cramps is an effective and often healthier alternative to using artificial medication that can cause side effects or lead to long-term dependencies.