More and more people are waking up to the fact that CBD can be an incredibly meaningful part of their daily routines. Short for “cannabidiol,” CBD is natural, nonintoxicating and nontoxic, offering a wide array of potential benefits to the body and mind.

CBD certainly has what it takes to improve how you feel each day, but at the same time, how you take it can make or break your success. Besides figuring out the ideal dosage, the right type of product for your needs, and whether you should go with full spectrum, broad spectrum or CBD isolate products, you need to figure out when to take CBD oil or whatever other type of CBD product that you plan on using. So, what is the best time to use CBD oil, if the time actually even matters?

What is CBD Oil?

CBD oil is a type of CBD product that usually consists only of CBD-rich hemp extract, a carrier oil (usually MCT oil), and sometimes flavoring ingredients. It comes in a dropper bottle, and in most cases, a full dropper is considered a single dose. CBD oil comes in a variety of milligram strength options, to deliver different potency levels depending on the needs of the individual user.

The most popular way to use CBD oil is as a tincture. In other words, a dropper of oil is poured below the tongue, where it mainly absorbs into the sublingual tissue, before the remainder is swallowed. Sublingual absorption is known for its high bioavailability – high than ingestion – so that the effects are fairly potent, take about 15-30 minutes to activate, and last for about 3-5 hours before the effectiveness begins to decline.

But, CBD oil can be used in other ways that are somewhat popular, too. Some people use CBD oil as a food additive, either by adding it to a recipe, or mixing it into a meal. This means that the person is ingesting it, rather than absorbing it sublingually, so that the effects take more like 1-2 hours to activate, and last for up to 8 hours, with a slightly lower potency level than the alternative method.

And finally, CBD oil can be used topically. The cannabidiol compound absorbs through the skin and reaches the deep tissue of the body to potentially offer localized relief from physical discomfort. With this method, the effects can be felt within about 15 minutes, lasting for around 6 hours.

What is CBD Oil Used for?

CBD oil, and all CBD products, are used as a way to provide the body’s endocannabinoid system with CBD, a cannabinoid. The endocannabinoid system is the system of the body responsible for maintaining homeostasis, by sending cannabinoid to cannabinoid receptors located in all bodily systems. When CBD or another cannabinoid attaches to a cannabinoid receptor, that receptor can regulate an adjacent process of the body. For instance, cannabinoid receptors in the digestive tract use CBD to regulate gut inflammation, digestion, and more, while cannabinoid receptors in the nervous system can regulate stress levels, pain response, cognitive function, etc.

CBD was discovered back in the 1960s, and since then, many studies have shown us what it’s capable of.  Here are some of the most popular uses for CBD oil and other CBD-infused products.

• Pain relief
• Relief from low mood
• Anti-inflammatory effects
• Improvement in cognitive function – memory, motivation, alertness, focus, etc.
• Help with sleep
• Relief from anxiety/stress

It’s important to mention that even if you don’t have a specific ailment, CBD can be beneficial. It supports the endocannabinoid system as a whole, helping the body maintain homeostasis, and potentially working as a preventative for all kinds of complaints we’re prone to. In other words, there’s really no reason not to give CBD a try.

CBD Oil vs. CBD Gummies

Let’s quickly compare two very commonly used CBD products before answering the question, “When is the best time to take CBD oil?” CBD oil and CBD gummies are both widely used as ways to experience the potential benefits of CBD. We’ve already covered CBD oil, so how does it compare with gummies?

We talked earlier about the difference between ingesting CBD and absorbing it sublingually. With gummies, you’re ingesting the cannabinoid, which means that, once again, you can expect about 8 hours of effects, which require about 1-2 hours to kick in. Meanwhile, CBD oil is faster-acting but shorter-lived, and the effects are a bit more potent than they are with edibles. One delivery method is not objectively better than the other – it’s all about how you choose to experience CBD in the body.

When Should I Take CBD Oil: Morning or Night?

A lot of people who purchase CBD oil for use as a tincture wonder when they should take it. First off, there’s no difference between whether you take it with or without food, so don’t worry about that. So, what’s the best time to take CBD oil under the tongue?

It all depends on what you’re using CBD for. Some of us have needs that are more pronounced at night, and others in the morning, for example – like using CBD for sleep, which means you’d want the effects to peak at bedtime, so that taking CBD at night clearly makes the most sense. So, the first thing that you want to do is ask yourself why you’re taking CBD. We recommend taking CBD in the morning if you’re trying to address:

• Brain fog/fatigue
• Stress/anxiety related to the early part of your day (work, etc.)
• A lack of motivation
• Pain that begins when you wake up

Meanwhile, we recommend taking CBD oil at night if you’re struggling with:

• Poor sleep
• Nighttime anxiety
• Pain that interferes with sleep, or gets worse at night
• Digestive discomfort that occurs at the end of the day

If you’re taking CBD for reasons that aren’t specific to a time of day, it really doesn’t matter when you’re taking it – the goal is to take it daily, so that CBD builds up in the system and is used to its fullest potential by the endocannabinoid system. This means that you can take CBD at any time if you’re using it to:

• Generally support the endocannabinoid system/body
• Manage chronic digestive symptoms
• Manage stress
• Manage inflammation
• Manage daily aches and pains
• Manage mood

Remember that CBD’s effects peak within about 15-30 minutes when taken sublingually. So, time your dosage based on when you want that peak to occur. And, again, if you’re using CBD oil as a food additive, the effects will take more like 1-2 hours to peak, and if you’re using it topically, around 15 minutes.

Also, keep in mind that you can take CBD oil more than once a day. In other words, you don’t have to pick just one time to consume a dropper. For example, if you feel like you have specific needs both in the morning and at nighttime, there’s no reason why you can’t take 2 doses within 24 hours.

So, is there any bad time to take CBD oil? Technically no, but here are some things to keep in mind.

CBD May Interact with Other Substances in the Body

CBD can definitely interact with certain substances in the system. For instance, if you’re taking CBD with your morning coffee, the synergistic relationship between the cannabinoid and caffeine can mean an increase in focus, and less of a potentially drowsy effect from CBD. Meanwhile, taking CBD with melatonin means that you’re consuming a sleep aid, which isn’t appropriate for morning.

And, CBD can interact with certain medications, either in terms of their effects, or how they metabolize, since CBD is broken down by CYP3A4, an enzyme used to also metabolize many common medications. In certain instances, this could lead to an accumulation of a medication in the body, which could cause toxicity. In terms of an interaction of effects, you might, say, feel drowsier if you take CBD with Xanax, than if you took CBD by itself.

CBD Oil May Make Some People Groggy

Some people may be sensitive to the drowsier, groggier effects of CBD, especially when taken in high doses. This is far more common among those who are just starting to take CBD for the first time. So, keep that in mind when planning when you’re going to take it, as, for example, being groggy while driving can be dangerous.

CBD Oil May Interact with Other Cannabinoids

If you’re taking another cannabinoid, CBD may influence how that other cannabinoid affects you. Keep in mind that combining cannabinoids is not dangerous, since these compounds are nontoxic. But, if you’re, say, looking to get high off of delta 8 THC, CBD may mellow out the psychoactive effects depending on how much you take of each cannabinoid.

CBD Oil Interacts with Other CBD Products

It kind of goes without saying that your experience with CBD oil may be different if you have another CBD product in your system. For instance, taking a dropper of CBD oil about 1 hour after eating a CBD gummy means you’ll be experiencing the effects of two individual doses of the cannabinoid. This is not dangerous, again, since the cannabinoid isn’t toxic, but it does mean that the effects can generally be heavier, and you may not need a double dose of cannabidiol, as just one product is enough to cover your needs.

What’s the Best Time to Take CBD Gummies?

We’ve talked about when to take CBD oil, but what about CBD gummies? In fact, the same rules apply as above. It’s all about why you’re taking CBD, and when you want the effects to peak. Just remember that in the case of gummies and other edibles, the peak is more like 2 hours after you take the product, so you’ll want to time the dosage accordingly. And, the effects will last about twice as long as they would when the cannabinoid is absorbed sublingually, so you’ll need to consider that as well depending on what your plans are.

The Bottom Line: It All Depends on Why You’re Taking CBD

If you’ve ever asked yourself when to take a CBD tincture or when to take CBD gummies, the answer is really that it depends. Now, you know that CBD can be taken any time of day, but if you’re trying to derive specific benefits from it, you’ll want to time your intake according to when you most want to feel its effects in your system. And, remember that you can absolutely take more than one dose of CBD every 24 hours if you feel that it would be beneficial to you.

If you’re using the CBD products from Kore Original, then rest assured that no matter when you take them, they’ll be working hard to deliver valuable effects to the mind and body. Our products are gentle, lab-tested and formulated with clean ingredients, so no matter when you take them, you’ll feel nothing but the gentle, soothing nature of the cannabinoid working its way through the endocannabinoid system.