CBD Oil: How Long Does It Actually Take to Work?
For the large majority of us, we take CBD because we desire a specific effect, such as a calming feeling or some form of relief.
Therefore, it’s natural that people want to know how long it takes for CBD to become effective after taking it.
The thing about CBD is that how long it takes to work depends on a number of factors.
We will be talking about how CBD can work within your system and its effects, and how to apply this information in order to make sure your routine best suits those needs in terms of timing
How Long Does CBD Take to Work?
CBD becomes effective, or capable of delivering effects once the compounds have fully absorbed into the tissue of the body and reached the bloodstream.
How long this process takes varies based on the many unique aspects of your personal routine.
Factor #1: Delivery Method
The most impactful consideration, the delivery method refers to the way in which the compounds are “delivered” into the body.
Each delivery method allows the CBD to absorb through a particular type of bodily tissue, and each type of bodily tissue has its own absorption rate.
Allow us to break it down below.
Topicals:
Products that are applied to the skin of an affected area, where the compounds absorb through the skin’s layers and reach the joint and muscle tissue.
Topicals tend to become effective within minutes due to the skin’s fast absorption rate.
Vape Oils:
Perhaps the fastest-acting method of all, because of the way in which the compounds absorb through the tissue of the lungs.
Many report just a couple of minutes before feeling the various effects of CBD take place.
Note:
In this case, it doesn’t matter what type of vaping product you’re using, whether it be a disposable vape pen, a pre-filled cartridge or a bottled e-liquid in a traditional tank.
Tinctures:
CBD oil products that are absorbed through the sublingual tissue, which is the tissue right below the tongue.
This tissue is known for being highly absorbent, and so tinctures tend to take somewhere between 15 and 45 minutes to become active in the system.
Edibles:
Edibles can take between an hour and two hours to become effective in the body, and this is because this delivery method requires that the cannabinoids be processed through the digestive tract and liver before peaking in the system.
Capsules:
Capsules tend to work just a bit faster than edibles, and this is because most capsules these days are made with CBD concentrate that’s more readily absorbed into the bloodstream during the digestion process.
But we still advise giving the CBD capsule 1-2 hours to fully absorb into your system.
Flower:
Hemp flower is similar to CBD vape oil in terms of how it’s absorbed, which is why it can also work in just a few minutes.
Factor #2: How Much You Consumed
The dosage level can impact the onset time by ensuring that you absorb more compounds, which means that your body will absorb a good amount of those compounds more quickly.
So, higher doses usually mean faster effects, as is the case with most substances.
Factor #3: Product Bioavailability
Bioavailability simply refers to how easily absorbed into the body a particular compound is.
Several factors determine the ultimate bioavailability of a CBD product, and they usually revolve around how the product was actually made.
One major factor is the extraction method.
Believe it or not, how the hemp compounds were extracted from the plant material play a role in how efficiently the compounds absorb into the body.
This is because different extraction methods result in different levels of chemical stability.
Chemical stability refers to how intact the chemical compounds remain after going through an invasive process like extraction.
The CO2 & ethanol extraction methods promote the most chemical stability, and the more stable the chemical compounds are, the more easily the body will absorb them.
Factor #4: CBD Product’s Milligram Strength
The milligram strength of a CBD product refers to the concentration of actual hemp compounds that are present in the overall formula.
Therefore, naturally, higher milligram strengths are potent.
Just like the dosage level you take, the milligram strength of the product you take plays a role in how potent your experience will be.
And the more potent it is, the faster it should take effect.
Factor #5: Your Unique Bodily Chemistry
Another factor is simply the way in which your particular body processes CBD. The endocannabinoid system that processes cannabinoids is a complex bodily system, and each person is unique.
Therefore, while some people may feel the effects of CBD very quickly, others may need to wait a little bit longer.
It seems that there may be reason to believe that those with a higher body weight may need more time to experience the full effectiveness of their CBD dose.
How Do I Know That CBD is Working?
Many people who have no experience with CBD expect to feel some sort of buzz or high when the CBD kicks in.
But, this doesn’t happen, because CBD is not a drug and does not have intoxicating properties.
Many people say that they know the CBD is working when they feel a general, subtle sense of calmness wash over them, or they notice that they’re experiencing relief from something that was troubling them earlier.
So, don’t expect to feel a sudden, drastic change in your system after taking your dose, because that’s just not how CBD works.
What if I Don’t Feel the Effects of CBD?
Now, you may be wondering what happens if you never actually feel the effects of CBD, even after taking all of the above factors into account when planning your routine.
Again, bear in mind that you might not feel a strong change in your body after taking CBD, so waiting for that to happen may leave you disappointed, as CBD works more subtly than that.
Another thing to be aware of is the fact that it can take up to a couple weeks of consistent, daily CBD use before the effects are really felt in the body.
This is because of how the endocannabinoid system works.
When you first start taking CBD, the endocannabinoid system may feel that it’s best to store most of those cannabinoids for a later time, as it’s not sure that it will be receiving more in the near future.
Once you supply it with daily doses of CBD for a while, however, it starts to utilize them fully, knowing that it’s going to keep getting more each day.
So, try waiting two weeks before making changes to your routine.
Also, most people who feel that CBD doesn’t work for them simply aren’t taking a high enough dosage amount or milligram strength.
Some people just naturally need more compounds per dose in order to feel the effects that they desire.
Of course full transparency, there are some people who simply get no results from using CBD as there is no guarantees with cannabinoid based treatments.
How Long Do the Effects Last for?
Now that you have a general idea of how long it can take for CBD to take effect, let’s talk about how long those effects can last for once they’re active in the system.
This, again, depends on a few factors.
The biggest one is the delivery method.
Generally speaking, the faster a delivery method takes effect, the sooner those effects will wear off.
This is why vaping CBD can produce effects for maybe an hour or so, while taking an edible can provide all-day relief for many.
Another factor is how much you took, in terms of the milligram strength or dosage amount.
The more CBD and other cannabinoids you consume at one time, the longer the effects will remain active in the body, as it takes longer for the volume of compounds to be fully metabolized.
Find the Right CBD Method and Experience Those Effects for Yourself
How long CBD takes before kicking in depends on factors like the delivery method and potency level.
Knowing this information, you can better customize your routine and time your doses to suit your specific goals.
Use this guide to make sure that your CBD becomes effective when you want it to each day.
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