How Much CBD Should I Take?

CBD dosing is a journey. Everyone is different, so it can take a few tries and combinations to find what works. When first diving in, it’s totally common to wonder, “How much CBD should I take?” This topic can seem complex, so we put together a guide for all things dosing and how the form of CBD can affect dosing.

How Much CBD Should I Take Based on Needs

Our customers have told us their three main reasons they use CBD: to gain a better night’s sleep, to combat stress, and to ease pain. All three of these needs lead to different dosing and what methods are most effective. Although those are the main three, we’ve included a fourth reason that’s growing in popularity, too: CBD for focus. 

Broadly speaking, we recommend starting out with 8-20mg of CBD. In our case, that breaks down to:

• One Highline Wellness gummy from our 300mg bottle.
• One dropper of CBD oil in the 250mg bottle for 8.3mg of CBD.
• One dropper of CBD oil in the 500mg bottle for 16.6mg. 

As you explore CBD more, you can increase your serving size based on your needs. Keep reading for a quick breakdown of how much CBD to take for stress, sleep, pain, and focus. 

How much CBD should I take for stress?

• We suggest taking our CBD gummies or oils 1-3x per day.

How much CBD should I take for sleep?

• We suggest taking our CBD gummies for sleep or CBD oils 2 hours before bedtime.

How much CBD should I take for pain?

• We suggest taking our CBD gummies or oils 1-3x per day.
• In addition to consuming CBD, you may also combat soreness through topical use of CBD. Apply generously to areas of discomfort, the most common being the knees, lower back, forehead, neck, shoulders, feet, ankles, and calves. Massage until fully absorbed and repeat every 4-6 hours as needed.

How much CBD should I take for focus?

• We suggest taking our CBD gummies or oils 1-3x per day.

Peak Times: When’s the Best Time to Take CBD?

It’s important to understand when you will feel the effects of CBD so you can find the right dosing times for you. Each CBD product has a peak time for absorption in your system. This will help time your doses for the best experience.

Peak Time for CBD Gummies Dosage

• Usually, it takes around 1 hour for absorption and can last for 6 hours.

Peak Time for CBD Oil Dosage

• Usually, it takes 30 minutes for absorption and can last for 5 hours.

Peak Time for Vaping

• Usually, it takes about 10 minutes and will taper off shortly after.

When just starting with CBD, we suggest taking your serving size and waiting for the peak times before taking another. Once you know how your body reacts to CBD, you can explore larger doses or take CBD earlier in the day. It’s helpful to get a baseline before taking different doses at different times.

Enhancing Absorption

The amount of CBD in each serving is the amount that could be entering your body. The entire amount will never reach your system, but there are ways you can help increase the amount of CBD that will be absorbed. Each method has tips for optimal ingestion of CBD, ensuring you can get the most out of your serving.

Oral CBD

CBD is fat soluble so the more fat consumed with the dose the better absorption. A good option is purchasing a CBD with a carrier like coconut oil. At Highline, all our oils use organic coconut oil as a carrier! Eating before taking your CBD orally also helps increase the amount of CBD that reaches your system so take your dose preferably after a meal. When taking CBD oil sublingually, keep the oil in your mouth for one and a half minutes, or longer. You can also swish the oil around your mouth to increase surface contact, helping the oil come in contact with capillaries.

Topical CBD 

Topical CBD products are not meant to enter the system. Instead, they are meant to diffuse through the skin, reaching local targets like muscles. Because of this, topicals are often paired with other methods, like oral CBD products, for well-rounded results. With topicals, don’t worry about absorption. Instead, use topicals to target specific problem areas, such as the lower back, neck, shoulders, knees, feet, ankles, and calves that we mentioned earlier.

A Note on CBD Dosage: Gummies vs. Oils

Our CBD gummies come in two serving sizes: 10mg per gummy and 20 mg per gummy – pretty straightforward! Our CBD oils, on the other hand, come in a larger variety of potency, starting with 8mg tinctures and increasing all the way up to 100mg per tincture. 

You can use the droppers that come with each variety to ensure that you’re obtaining the exact CBD oil dosage you need. Simply fill the tincture to the appropriate graduated markings and squeeze under the tongue!

Can I Take Too Much CBD?

A common question is: how much CBD is too much? Generally speaking, the body tolerates CBD very well, so it’s up to each individual. 

If you’re taking medication that comes with a warning not to take grapefruit, take extra caution when using CBD. Grapefruit warnings are common with a variety of medications, including blood thinners. The drug interaction occurs because a chemical in grapefruit inhibits the enzyme CYP3A4, which is part of the same family of enzymes that metabolize a bunch of cannabinoids, including CBD.

To put it plainly, if you take CBD while on these medications, your body won’t be able to process the CBD as well. As always, we recommend speaking to your doctor whenever you start any new wellness regime that includes CBD or any supplements for that matter.

Can You Microdose CBD?

Yes! Microdosing has become a popular way to use CBD oil due to the benefits of a consistent dosing of CBD. But let’s back up: what the heck is microdosing again? Simply put, microdosing means consistently taking very small amounts throughout the day. It makes sense that people are curious about microdosing CBD oils specifically, since you can more easily control the amount of CBD with oils.

Just like with any other CBD dosing schedule, everyone is different so it might take trial and error to find what’s best. To microdose CBD effectively, the key is to find the right dosage for you and then maintain a steady schedule. This will include taking into account your body weight and strength of the issue you’re targeting, whether stress or anxiety-related. To learn even more about microsoding and whether it’s right for you, check out our guide to microdosing CBD!

Need some help figuring out which CBD product is right for you? Answer a few questions in our CBD Product Quiz and you’ll be on your way to your ideal form of CBD!