When and How Often Should You Take CBD

Your CBD product lists a lot of important information on the bottle. It tells you the concentration of CBD, the amount of drops (or mL) per serving, the carrier oils and other ingredients used in the product, and the flavor (if any) the product is. 

What it doesn’t tell you, at least beyond the cookie cutter standardized suggestions, is when you should take CBD or how often you should take it. This is for two reasons, the first being that regulations disallow too specific of guidance when it comes to CBD and the second is that product packaging is working with limited space. It also doesn’t know why you’re using CBD or what your wellness goals are. There are dozens of answers to these questions, and they all depend on the form of CBD you’re taking and why you’re taking it.

What Form of CBD Are You Taking?

Different forms of CBD will take effect at different times. When you should take CBD depends on when you want it to kick in, and when it will kick in depends upon the form the CBD comes in.

CBD Tinctures

CBD tinctures are one of the fastest acting forms of CBD. You place the drops under your tongue, hold them in place for 20 or 30 seconds, and then swallow the oil. The CBD you hold under your tongue is absorbed more quickly while the oil that is swallowed is metabolized more slowly (though still relatively quickly due to MCT Oil’s unique metabolization due to lower molecular weight). Tinctures take less than an hour to work. 

If you need your CBD to work quickly, tinctures will typically be your best bet. They’re also handy for people who have a tendency to forget, or for people who have fluctuating schedules. As soon as you remember to take your CBD or realize you might need it, you can take your drops and begin to experience the effects. The very short waiting period offers unparalleled convenience. It’s also convenient because you can blend it with any number of other foods/drinks though if you do this it will be metabolized more slowly.

CBD Softgels

CBD softgels are the most convenient form of CBD. All you have to do is swallow the capsule. If you already take vitamins or supplements, you’re used to swallowing a few capsules or tablets everyday. CBD capsules can just be one additional capsule for your day and won’t change your routine.

Like with vitamins and supplements, CBD capsules have to make their way through your digestive system.  Something called the first pass effect as anything you consume makes its way through your digestive system makes the CBD less potent and extends its voyage. This CBD takes longer to work, but offers up a modest wellness boost after anywhere from 30 minutes to a few hours depending on your body, because it will vary by person.

CBD Foods

CBD infused foods are easy to enjoy. CBD almonds or CBD peanut butter make for great healthy functional supplement snacks, and they add CBD to your diet. Like capsules, you’ll need to wait to digest them before the CBD becomes usable to your body but fatty snacks make the CBD and hemp extract as a whole more bioavailable.

CBD Topicals

CBD topicals are CBD infused skincare products used to soothe your body. Our butters, oils, and waxes are blended with CBD and other natural ingredients like arnica, menthol, lavender, and others to provide gentle relief at the surface level. These topicals will start to work quickly after you use them by interacting with the receptors in your skin. 

If you want to have the full-body benefits, you’ll need to use topicals in conjunction with a form of CBD you take internally. With that said, this absolutely not required and many people use only topicals as they’d rather not ingest the products for personal reasonings.

Why Are You Taking CBD?

When and how often to take CBD depends upon why you’re taking CBD in the first place. We see many people split their servings twice a day, one time when they wake up and again before bed though it really does depend on what works best for you and each individual.

General Wellness

Some people take CBD to promote homeostasis and balanced health. They don’t have a specific goal in mind. They want a little boost to their wellness, and they know CBD is something that’s been anecdotally shown to support overall balance. If this is you, you can take CBD once a day or split it across morning and night. Try a few different frequencies and times of day and see what works best for you. 

For general wellness, any form of ingested CBD will do. You can take capsules, tinctures, and CBD-infused functional supplement foods in the frequency that works best for you.

Supporting Workout Recovery

CBD can be used in several ways to support workout recovery. Topicals can help support workout recovery by applying them to the areas you’ve worked out. You can use topicals whenever you need them and as often as you need them. Personally we use them both pre and post workout to stay loose during the workout as well as after.

Another way is to incorporate it into your post-workout meal/supplements. If you make a post-workout protein shake, consider adding in some CBD-infused peanut butter. Our peanut butter is packed with protein, healthy fats, and MCT oil derived from coconuts. It’s built to be deeply nourishing to your body, and the boost of CBD provides you with additional support.

You should use a CBD Oil tincture right after your workout to improve your cooldown period by encouraging your body to enter a relaxed state. Take your tincture again at night, about an hour before bedtime and it may help support more restful sleep that helps your body bounce back stronger the next day.

Supporting Restful Sleep

If you’re using CBD to only help support restful sleep, the best time to use it is going to be around bedtime. If you take them after a late dinner on a full stomach, plan to take it a little earlier to give the CBD and other ingredients time to be processed.. 

If you take a capsule before an early dinner on an empty stomach, the effects may begin to dissipate before you actually go to bed. CBD tends to last between 2 and 6 hours depending on a variety of factors (the person, serving size, delivery method, etc.). If you have dinner at 6 PM and plan to go to bed at 10, there’s a chance your body will have fully metabolized the CBD before you’ve even gone to bed.

CBD tinctures on the other hand have the ability to be processed quicker due to the multi-pronged approach of putting it underneath your tongue and then swallowing. You’ll get quick benefits right when you need them. Use your tincture as the first step in your bedtime routine. By the time you’ve brushed your teeth, changed into something comfy, and tucked yourself in, your body should be ready for more restful sleep.

Promoting Relaxation

It’s hard to anticipate when you might feel a little worried. You don’t have a crystal ball to tell you what’s waiting for you. Your boss could move a deadline much closer than you anticipated. You could be spontaneously be spontaneously put in charge with a huge responsibility, like. You never know what might rattle your cage - you just know you want to be able to stay cool, calm, and collected as you face your challenges with confidence.

How you take CBD for relaxation depends on your needs. You can be proactive and take it in the morning to start your day or as you feel like you may need it. Ultimately it’ll be trial and error that helps you figure out the best formula as each of us are different. For example, for some people taking a serving as soon as your brain says “hey, we’re starting to feel a little worried.” is the best for them.

You can take fairly significant amounts of CBD per day without any issue so just test what works best for you. If you have a fast metabolism and you feel like you need your drops every 3 hours, go for it. Do whatever keeps you calm and centered. In these cases we recommend higher potency products so you get more CBD per drop and reduce the amount of the other ingredients you’re getting.

The Takeaway

Everyone uses CBD differently and everyone develops their preferred forms and frequency in how they take their products. You should use the form of CBD that works best for you and take it as often as you need it. Just make sure you’re building habits in line with your wellness goals. Using CBD muscle rub in the morning won’t help you sleep better at night, but of course you knew that.

Leafwell Botanicals offers CBD in every form you’ll ever need. Our capsules, topicals, tinctures, and CBD infused healthy functional snacks are easy to incorporate into your wellness routine. You’re only a few drops away from where you want to be. 

Sources:

https://www.healthline.com/health/sublingual-and-buccal-medication-administration

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK551679/

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/mct-oil-benefits