HOW DOES CBD MAKE YOU FEEL?

So, how does CBD feel? 

A lot of natural remedies don’t have any obvious effect or proponents claim they build up in your system. CBD is very different because it does have an effect that you can feel, usually within 10 to 30 minutes. 

It’s not like THC, a different hemp derivative that causes a completely different pharmacological response in the body. That’s why it’s legal. A lot of people who enjoy using CBD talk about its benefits, including having a calming, relaxing, and anti-inflammatory effect. 

In some cases, using it regularly can have an accumulative effect but not because it builds up in your system. Much like regular therapeutic massages can lead to a more relaxed body, regular use of CBD can result in a calmer mind and more relaxed body, but it’s not because of a pharmacological ‘building up’ effect at all. 

Building Up Tolerance 

Over time, CBD use can create a bit of a tolerance, meaning your body gets used to it and you don’t feel as relaxed anymore. It’s not a reflection of the CBD product or the dose, but just how the human body works. 

Taking a break from the CBD for a week and then returning to it at the same dose makes the most sense because CBD is quite interesting in that it works on a curve. Too little CBD has little effect, the right amount has a potent effect and too much has little effect. We’ll talk about that slightly unusual fact a bit more later in this guide. 

Adaptogens Are Amazing

Have you heard of adaptogens? 

An adaptogen is a plant or a plant derivative that can be used as a supplement or medicine and enables the body to adapt better to stress. Technically, the whole Cannabis Sativa plant is an adaptogen but CBD is just one part of the plant, isolated from the rest of it and therefore separated from some other substances with different mechanisms. 

The special thing about adaptogens is that they adapt to the optimal needs of the body at different times of day and in different situations. So, perhaps during the day you need to be focused on work and an adaptogen can help with that, but at night you need to be calm and sleep and an adaptogen helps with that optimal process instead. 

In each case, the mechanism is simply to help you adapt to, or deal with, the stress your body is experiencing. 

Is CBD an Anti-Stress Supplement?

Are you thinking this could easily lead to CBD getting a reputation as an anti-stress supplement? 

You might be right. So much so, that pet owners have been posting pictures of their blissed-out cats and dogs on Instagram following a visit to the pet groomer. Increasingly, pet groomers are using CBD to help kittens or pooches stay calm during a shampoo! It works on pets too. 

Because it’s an adaptogen, it can also affect a user’s appetite differently. In studies, it has been noted that it can either increase a person’s appetite or decrease it, for example. 

This makes sense because some people eat less when they’re stressed out and others eat more. Chances are if you’re someone who eats while stressed out, you will feel calmer and therefore less likely to snack if you take CBD. 

What Is the Endocannabinoid System and What Role Does CBD Play?

The Endocannabinoid System is something that is naturally present in everyone (and also their pet dog or cat apparently!) It’s a channel of receptors within the human central nervous system. It’s located in the brain, the spinal cord, the central nervous system (including the endocrine system), and the organs. 

Cannabinoids are a range of different chemicals derived from Cannabis Sativa and they all correlate to different mechanisms and responses within the central nervous system. For example, CB1 and CB2 receptors inside the human body might not be affected by some cannabinoids at all. 

A normal, healthy state of being that scientists call homeostasis is what the body craves and some cannabinoids act as a little helper to nerve endings so they can restore homeostasis more easily. 

That means CBD results aren’t always instant but gradually as the body adapts to reverting to homeostasis more quickly from a stressed status, over time, users begin to see positive results.

What Are the Benefits of CBD?

CBD has a range of reported benefits including a sense of renewed calm and relaxation. It has been known to support healthy sleep cycles and also aid recovery from exercise-induced inflammation. Because it’s not classified as a drug that has led to it being very popular with athletes and sportspeople.

What Does CBD Feel Like?

So, how does CBD oil make you feel? We’ll explore the physical feelings and the more mental or emotional feelings that people report when they use CBD. 

Physical Feelings

CBD has been touted as a helpful supplement for people who want to reduce pain and inflammation. Because pain relief or the alleviation of muscle tension is a popular use for CBD it has become popular with athletes, sportspeople, gym lovers, and other health fanatics. 

It’s also become popular with people who want to remain calm and centered despite having physically demanding jobs.

When users take CBD supplements they report better sleep at night. 

Mental Feelings

Users report a sense of peace that comes from taking CBD or a feeling of a weight being lifted off their shoulders. This is likely due to the adaptogenic properties of CBD that promote a restored emotional equilibrium due to decreasing stress. 

Reduced emotional stress leads to less tension in muscles and more muscular relaxation too, so a feeling of calmness has a physical feedback loop. More focus is another reported feeling because when someone feels calm, they feel less distracted. That can make it easier to get work done without trying to multitask or succumbing to distractions.

Can You Feel CBD?

Yes, you can.

CBD promotes a very mild relaxing feeling, so if you’re already very relaxed you might not notice the feeling as much as if you’re just starting to settle down in the evening after a stressful day.

In addition to taking CBD as a food supplement, you can also apply it to your skin topically as an ointment or use it in a vape device. CBD oil is very effective applied topically because it is absorbed by the skin and goes into the tiny veins that serve oxygen, water, and nutrients to the skin. 

There’s some user anecdotal evidence that ingesting CBD or using it sublingually by dropping it on your tongue results in a full-body effect but that applying it topically results in more localized relaxation and effects.

So, you may be wondering ‘what does CBD oil feel like?’ The short answer might be like a relief of stress or tension because it works to restore your general equilibrium and calm you.

Different Methods of Using CBD 

There are several different ways to use CBD. One of the fastest ways to get a result is to vape CBD. It typically takes effect within 15 minutes. That’s because after inhaling, just as oxygen goes into your bloodstream, the CBD does too. 

There are some special products for vaping and you can not just vape regular sublingual CBD oil. That would potentially pose a fire risk! Equally, you can’t use vape products as topical or sublingual tinctures. 

You could get injured quite seriously or even die if you tried. So, make sure you’re buying the right product for the right use. They are always clearly marked in the store, on the website you buy them from, or on the package so read it carefully. 

Sublingual (Under The Tongue) Tinctures

Sublingual drops are also a fast way to feel the effects of CBD. That’s because they pass through the skin inside the mouth and into the vein under the tongue. Surprisingly holding CBD oil in your mouth under your tongue is a faster and more effective way to use it than to eat it as an edible.

That’s because it takes longer to digest it and get it into your bloodstream that way than it does to travel through the skin in your mouth straight into your bloodstream through the sublingual (under the tongue) vein.

How Does CBD Make You Feel If You Take High Doses?

You wouldn’t be the first person to assume that a higher dose means a stronger result to CBD but sadly, you would be mistaken. That’s because CBD is adaptogenic. It’s not a narcotic. What that means is, instead of operating on a ‘more is more’, or ‘less is more’ principle, it operates on the ‘precise is right’ principle.

CBD affects human biology on a bell curve or u-shape schema. And, there are scientific studies to prove it. 

It’s biphasic which means as the dose increases effectiveness decreases. The exact dose that’s right for you is the effective one. That means start with a very low amount of CBD and increase it until you find what’s right for you and then stick with that amount. 

Adding more could actually lead to diminishing results and be a waste of both money and CBD. Too much CBD is just as weak and ineffective as too little. Another reason not to take higher doses is that it can increase the chances of you becoming tolerant.

Tolerance would mean you would need to stop taking it for long enough for you to become sensitive to it again. 

CBD does have some mild side effects which at higher doses are quite undesirable such as a dry mouth and prolonged sleepiness.

Does CBD Oil Give You A Buzz or High?

No. CBD oil does not give anyone a high or a buzz. The other extracted chemical that’s famously taken from Cannabis Sativa THC does that. THC isn’t in CBD products or at least not in amounts that can have any noticeable effect. 

CBD doesn’t bind to CB1 or CB2 receptors. So, it cannot directly affect brains the way that THC and some other cannabinoids do. CBD can block the effects of THC or diminish them. For example, it can shorten the duration of THC intoxication in users. 

So, the answer to the question of whether or not CBD oil can give you a buzz or get you high will always be a loud, no. It’s a product that is sold legally in the USA as a food supplement. It certainly wouldn’t be if it could get you high or had any similar effects.

In the USA a product that is sold as CBD can only have, at most 0.3% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). The reason for that is CBD is non-intoxicating and healthy. 

What Consumers Say About How Taking CBD Feels

When it comes to anecdotal evidence about CBD there’s no shortage of reviews on the internet because it has become such a popular health supplement. A lot of the time there’s a specific therapeutic reason that a person has decided to use CBD.

In some cases though, people just want the sense of calm and feeling of wellness that they get from using this herbal supplement. The Food and Drug Administration hasn’t evaluated any of the claims that get published as reviews online. So, it’s worth taking them with a pinch of salt. 

Athletes Love Our CBD

However, we do have some testimonials on our website that you can check out, including this one by the athlete Timothy Lewis: 

“As a professional mixed martial arts competitor, the number one thing that has separated me from the competition is the work I put in, in the gym. Surpassing the competition does not happen overnight, but comes with repetition over time. Recovery is crucial for any athlete, but especially in MMA training where you are continually redlining your body and pushing limits.”

He adds: “Absolute Nature CBD has been a game-changer in my recovery. Yes, it definitely assists in the healing process when you break down your muscles during training or sustain injuries, by reducing the inflammation which allows me to start my next workout fresh and recover to maximize every training session and surpass my competition.”

So, there are some strong anecdotal testimonials online (and on our website) from people who love CBD. 

Another athlete, Frank Wells, said: “I was having bad pain from inflammation around my meniscus for a few weeks where there would be points that I could barely put pressure on my leg at all.”

He explained: “Once I got my Absolute Nature CBD cream & tincture, I used the recommended dose for the tincture and super thin layer of the cream, and within two to three days I had zero pain and hadn’t felt it again in the four weeks since I’ve started using it.”

THC vs. CBD Feeling

THC and CBD both come from the same plant but when it comes to the way they affect the human body they couldn’t be more different. 

While CBD affects the body by providing relief and a calming balance that is mild and not narcotic, THC has intoxicating properties. 

There are a lot of drawbacks when it comes to THC, not least of which is the effect it has on your brain. While it can induce euphoria, it can also induce dizziness, drowsiness, mental impairment, racing abstract thoughts, and paranoia. 

None of those effects, with the potential exception of drowsiness (which can aid restful sleep), are associated with CBD.