The CBD market has been growing tremendously over the past few years, leaving many people to wonder about the various benefits and effects of CBD. While cannabidiol has been shown to help with multiple ailments such as pain, anxiety, depression and digestive issues, many still have questions about how CBD affects the body and how long it will stay in your system.
Whether you’re curious about how long it takes to kick in, long-term CBD use, how long the effects last or how much you should take, this article will help you make informed decisions about how CBD will best work for you.
It can take a little time to reach peak levels.
CBD oil can be ingested in several ways, which can affect how long it may take to reach peak levels. If you are smoking CBD, either as a flower or isolate powder, the effects take only a few minutes. A topical cream can work between 15 and 30 minutes after application. However, the most common way to use CBD is an oil, gummy, or capsule that you take orally.
When you take CBD oil, you’ll begin to feel the effects within 45 minutes or so. The results can be subtle, depending on the dosage you take. You may start to notice that your pain has faded or your anxiety has relaxed. Many people experience an overall calmness of body and mind that lets them know that the CBD is beginning to work.
If you’re just starting CBD oil, knowing milligrams and dosages is especially critical. We are all built differently and with different reactions and tolerances.
There is also the factor of what you are hoping to accomplish by taking CBD.
Are you looking for pain relief, help with epilepsy, or to help you sleep better? All of these factors come in to play when you are considering dosages. Oils generally come in tinctures starting around 150mg of CBD all the way up to as much as 5000mg CBD, so there is a wide variety of dosages to choose from.
As a rule, it is best to start small and work your way up each day until you’ve reached the desired result. Generally, you can start safely with about 5-10mg and increase your dosage by 10 or 20 milligrams until you are satisfied with the results.
Once you’ve established the amount you need to take, then give it a few weeks of taking that dose daily. This time allows it to build up in your system and reach peak effectiveness.
Take note of factors that may influence the effectiveness as well. These factors can include whether or not you take it on a full stomach, if you’ve had any alcohol while you take your dose, and whether or not you’re taking it daily.
How CBD works over time.
CBD can act as a neuroprotectant over time — meaning it may salvage, recover or regenerate nerve cells — but it can take weeks or even months to build up, so give it time. CBD can help retain viable neurons in the brain and reduce degenerating neurons, which can not only help with seizures but can also help create mental clarity over time.
In a 2018 study, users were surveyed over three months about their CBD use. Most people surveyed were using CBD for pain, anxiety, and depression. A significant number of participants reported that CBD alone significantly helped to treat their ailments.
The key is to be patient.
While CBD has fast-acting effects, the long-term benefits take time. To reap the long-term benefits, you should be sure to take CBD daily for at least a month before making judgments as to whether or not it works for you.
Hint, it works. It is essential to stay consistent with your usage and dosage to get the maximum effect. Slowly increase your dosage over time and take it at the same time every day, either on an empty stomach or after a meal depending on your preference, and you will notice increasing benefits over time.
How long do the effects of CBD last after taking it?
Several factors affect the length of time CBD will continue benefiting you after you take it. This includes the milligram dosage that you take, whether the method of ingestion is smoking, vaping, eating, or in a balm on the skin, and your metabolism. These all play a role in how long CBD will affect your system after taking it.
It’s important to remember that CBD, even in very high doses, is safe for most people and there are no reported overdoses or problems with toxicity. If you are not feeling the desired effects of CBD after about an hour of taking it, you can take another dose whenever you need it until you reach the desired result.
CBD’s effects can last anywhere from 2-6 hours, depending on the factors above. Here is a basic rundown of approximately how long the effects of CBD will last depending on how you take it:
- Vaping – lasts around 2-3 hours. While it works fast, the effects of vaping last the shortest.
- Tinctures – kicks in after about 45 minutes and can last 4-6 hours.
- Capsules – takes about an hour to kick in fully and last 4-6 hours.
- Topicals – this method lasts the longest, but is best used for treating muscle soreness, localized pain, and skin conditions, and is less likely to work for anxiety or depression.
Regardless of how you ingest your CBD, after about seven hours, you will most likely stop feeling the desired effect. However, CBD may stay in your system for a while longer, which can help with long-term benefits.
How much CBD should you take?
Because everyone is different, there is no specific answer as to what your dosage should be. There is weight, diet, metabolism, and other factors to take into account. It is always best practice to start low and increase gradually. Again, it is crucial to be consistent and patient while you are waiting for your desired results.
CBD is generally best measured in milligrams so you can best keep track of how much you are taking. Because of this, it may be trickier to vape or smoke your CBD since it is harder to keep track of milligrams ingested.
While dermal patches work well for pain and are easy to keep track of dosages, CBD oil is the easiest way to keep track of milligrams and works for nearly all ailments, including pain. Capsules are also a perfect way to keep track of your exact dosages.
If you are entirely new to CBD or any other cannabinoid, you may want to start as low as two to three milligrams a day. However, it is not uncommon for many people to start with even 10 milligrams. If you are looking for immediate relief, try 10 milligrams every 90 minutes until you feel your symptoms ease. If you are looking for more long-term benefits, stick with 10 milligrams a day and increase your dose every few days until you see a noticeable change.
It is important to note that you cannot become physically dependent on CBD, and it is not addictive. If you find that you have to stop taking CBD immediately for any reason, you will not go through any physical withdrawals, though you may notice the symptoms of your condition will return. There has been a study that shows patients were given up to 1,000mg a day with no risk of toxicity or overdose.
What if you don’t feel anything?
CBD works differently for different people, and the quality of the CBD you buy can make a massive difference in the effects you will experience. Some products work better long-term like low-dose edibles, while other products produce stronger, more immediate results, such as taking a 100mg dose of CBD oil. The important thing to remember is to be patient and experiment responsibly with dosages.
It could be possible that you may not have taken enough to get the results you are looking for. If this is the case, wait about an hour to be sure that you’ve given the CBD proper time to work through your system and take another dose. It takes a little experimenting to find the appropriate amount for each person. It is also essential to buy your CBD from a credible source. Some companies sell CBD products with added and occasionally unhealthy ingredients. Fortunately, the brands we sell are extremely high quality with no added garbage.
Perhaps low doses are just not giving you the results you are hoping for. It is possible to experiment with higher doses of CBD as long as you do so responsibly. If you choose to experiment with higher dosages of CBD, be sure that you are in a calm environment and avoid driving or operating heavy equipment. You don’t want to find yourself in an unfamiliar scenario if a high dose of CBD kicks in unexpectedly and makes you drowsy. The most important thing to remember is that finding your proper dosage requires experimenting and patience.
Summary
CBD is a healthy and all-natural way to ease the symptoms for a variety of ailments. Whether you are looking for pain relief, anxiety relief, or something else, CBD can likely help you. While there can be instantaneous results from CBD, there are also long-term benefits to staying on a regime of CBD as well.
Experiment with your dosage and find what works for you. Remember that it can take a while for the CBD to take effect and reach peak levels, so be patient. Understand that CBD is not addictive physically or mentally, so it is safe to practice your daily regimen by increasing your dose gradually. The most important thing is to be patient and consistent.