How Do You Use CBD and What Dosages are Correct?
Main image courtesy of Medium.
In this post we’re going to discuss in detail how you can use CBD and what dosages you should use. Since CBD works differently in everyone, we suggest that you start low with your dosing and go slow. It’s helpful to first learn how your body reacts to CBD before you increase your doses. This will allow you to find the dose that’s right for your body. Keep reading if you’d like more information on:
- How you can use CBD
- How to properly dose CBD
How Do You Use CBD?
Why use CBD and what can you use CBD for?
CBD is a naturally occurring plant compound found in hemp plants. It is non-intoxicating and seems to be popping up everywhere these days. The reason for this is that CBD is a natural anti-inflammatory and has pain-relieving properties, making it very in demand for those suffering from pain. Muscle and joint pain is something that no one wants to live with, and CBD has been shown to be effective in decreasing pain due to inflammation, as well as chronic joint pain.
This is great news for those who don’t want to take over the counter or prescription painkillers on a daily--or at least frequent--basis. So how does CBD do it? When you use CBD, it works naturally with your body’s own endocannabinoid system to reduce inflammation and decrease the amount of pain you feel. When you use CBD as a topical, you can apply it directly to the muscle or joint giving you pain to receive targeted relief. Or, you can ingest CBD as a tincture or an ingestible and get relief throughout your body.
In addition to being used to help with pain, CBD can also help with anxiety. Sometimes anxiety and pain go hand in hand, especially if you’ve been dealing with chronic or frequent episodes of pain. Not knowing when your pain will return, or if it will ever go away, can cause a lot of anxiety. That being said, anxiety due to pain and other reasons is one of the most common mental conditions, affecting 40 million U.S. adults. CBD can work with your body’s cannabinoid and serotonin receptors to help limit anxious behaviors, allowing your mind to relax and feel more calm.
Another major reason people use CBD is to get a restful night’s sleep. Sometimes it’s hard to wind down after a long day and prepare for sleep. Some people have trouble staying asleep while others are kept awake by pain or anxious thoughts. CBD can help calm the mind and soothe the body before bed, so you can get restful sleep.
How do you use CBD?
No matter what you’re interested in using CBD for, there are a variety of ways you can incorporate it into your routine.
Tincture/drops
Tinctures use alcohol or an oil to extract the CBD from the hemp plant. They are then bottled and administered sublingually. Tinctures have a long shelf life and are fast-acting since they are absorbed into your bloodstream via your mucous membranes. You can also add tinctures to your favorite beverage and enjoy the results of CBD that way.
Our recommended tincture: Bliss Drops 1000mg CBD
Topicals
Topicals are any cream, lotion, balm, roll on, or salve that is applied directly to the site of your muscle or joint pain. Applying a topical allows you to target the relief you get, minimizing inflammation and pain at the source of the problem. In addition to CBD, topicals also include other soothing ingredients to help soothe and calm the pain.
Our recommended topical: Hyperstrength Deep Relief Cream
Ingestibles
Ingestibles typically come in the form of a CBD gummy or mint. They’re a convenient and discreet way to take CBD, and come in a variety of delicious flavors. Ingestibles are individually dosed, making it easy to know exactly how much you’re taking. Since they go through the digestive system first, ingestibles can take a little bit longer to start working, but they tend to end up giving relief for longer periods of time.
Our recommended ingestible: Bliss Berry Gummies
Is one consumption method better than the others?
How you choose to use CBD is completely up to you. It’s really all a matter of what works for your lifestyle and what brings you the relief you need. Some people prefer to use tinctures because they’re fast acting, while others like the longer lasting effects of gummies.
If you’re dealing with pain from a particular area such as your shoulder or knee, you might enjoy the relief that a topical can bring to that targeted joint. It all depends on what works for you!
What are the benefits of using CBD?
CBD can bring you relief from pain, anxiety, and help you get restful sleep. Being free of these conditions can help you get back to living the life you want to lead. It’s easy to include CBD into your daily routine and get the benefits you’ve been looking for.
When can you use CBD?
Again this depends on why you’re using CBD. If you’re dealing with sore muscles after a workout, you may just use a CBD topical when the pain hits you. But if you have a chronically sore knee, you might want to turn to a strong topical that you apply each day. Some people choose to include CBD in their daily routine, while others just take it as they need it. If you take your CBD in the morning you can reap the benefits throughout the day, and if you take it before bed, it can help you get better sleep.
How often should you take CBD?
This depends on what you’re using CBD for. If you’re using it to help with pain, you may find that you need to take it daily. If it’s a particularly painful day, you may find that you need to either reapply your topical, or take additional tincture or ingestibles. If you have trouble sleeping each night, you might want to make CBD a part of your nightly routine to ensure you’re always getting better sleep. It may take some time to determine how often you need to take it, since CBD interacts with everyone differently.
What’s the best time of day to take CBD?
Take CBD in the morning to feel the effects throughout the day, or at night to help get better rest. You can also take it anytime you feel your pain returning or anxious thoughts creeping in. Use your CBD in a way that works with your routine.
Can you take too much CBD and are there side effects?
Although you should always stick to the dose that gives you relief, it’s good to know that even in large doses, CBD is not harmful. The World Health Organization has deemed that there are also no major side effects to taking proper doses of CBD.
What’s the Best Way to Dose CBD?
Is there a correct way to dose CBD?
How you dose CBD depends on how you’re using it. If you use a topical, simply apply to the muscle or joint and allow it to absorb. If you find that you need more relief, simply reapply. Dosing CBD that you ingest takes a little time to figure out what amount brings you the relief you need. Since tinctures come in a variety of strengths, you’ll first need to determine your level of pain and the appropriate CBD strength. Standard dosing varies anywhere between 10mg to 100mg per day. Of course your dose could be below or above that, depending on how much relief you need.
The same goes for ingestibles. Start with one, and wait an hour or two in order to feel the effects. If you need additional relief, take another one in order to reach the level of relief you need.
Basic guidelines to dosing CBD
When dosing any kind of CBD product, we always recommend to start low and go slow. You can always reapply a topical or take an additional dose of CBD if you’re not getting the relief you need. You need to have patience and practice dosing CBD consistently in order to feel the effects. It might be helpful for you to keep track of your dosing in a notebook or spreadsheet to see how you feel after each increase. This is helpful until you know what level works with your body.
How to dose CBD
- Ingestible. Start with a half of an ingestible and see how you feel after an hour or two. If you need additional support, take the other half. You can work your way up towards starting with a one whole ingestible and from there, determine if you need more.
- Tincture. Start off low with .25ml for the first week, then gradually increase until you start off with 1ml. You can then gauge whether or not you need to add additional doses to your day. Remember to pay attention to the strength of your CBD tincture and make adjustments accordingly.
- Topical. Apply the topical to the site of your pain. Allow the topical to absorb. If you still have pain, reapply.
Can you change your dose?
Yes, you can always adjust your dose. When you start with CBD you will be starting off with a low dose, then gradually increasing it as time goes on. If you get to the point where you don’t feel like you don’t need as much, you can always scale your dose back as well.
How many doses do you need before CBD is effective?
This depends on what you’re using CBD for, and the strength of the CBD. The higher the strength of CBD, typically the less doses you need to get relief. This depends also on whether you’re using a tincture, a topical, or an ingestible. Again, everyone’s body reacts to CBD differently, so what works for someone else, might not be the same for you. This is why you should always start with a low amount and slowly increase your dose until you feel the effects.
What if you can’t feel the effects of CBD?
If you’re using a topical, you can reapply. If you’re using an ingestible, make sure to wait a few hours, and if you still don’t feel the effects, take another dose. If it’s a tincture, you can take another dose if you’re not receiving the relief you need. But remember to have patience and allow the CBD to interact with your body. This could take a couple of weeks but will be well worth the wait!
Using CBD is a great way to get relief from pain, anxiety, and sleep issues. If you follow the start low and go slow method, you’ll eventually find the dose that works with your body, and brings the relief you’re looking for.
