finding the right time of day to take cannabidiol (cbd) is not as easy as looking to the bottle for recommended usage instructions. we’ve been there before, wondering how the time of day may affect our experience with cbd, if at all. it turns out, there is a lot that goes into figuring out the best time of day to take cbd oil.

the best time of day to take cbd varies on how your individual body processes and reacts to it, as well as what you are taking it for. what’s more important is to take cbd every day, as that can help regulate the endocannabinoid system and provide long-term benefits while you find your ideal time.

some people may feel different effects when taking cbd at different times of the day or in different settings. other factors such as what type of cbd product you are using, the amount you take, and how frequently you consume it may also come into play. 

when should i take cbd oil, morning or night?

cbd can be beneficial benefit whether taken in the morning or at night, but there is no one-size-fits-all set of guidelines. too many variables are involved in the big picture, both internally and externally, for that to be possible with cbd. for example, there may be many people looking into taking cbd as a sleep aid. but even then, what if you work overnight hours and your normal sleep schedule is during the day? it would certainly be plausible to think that if your circadian rhythm and sleep cycle are vastly different from someone else, so too should be the time to take cbd to help you sleep. 

maybe not, though. we mentioned already that taking cbd daily, regardless of time, is more important to maximizing cbd’s benefits than the specific time of day you take it. the reason for this is due to how cbd works on the endocannabinoid system, or ecs for short, and beyond that, how the ecs works within our bodies.

the ecs is one of the most primitive systems within life on earth, believed to date back as far as ancient sea squirts some 500 million years ago. it has since evolved through all forms of animal life, side-by-side with the rest of our bodily systems, and it is believed to play an active role in maintaining homeostasis within our bodies. in other words, a well-balanced ecs can go a long way in ensuring the rest of your body is healthy. 

taking cbd oil is just one way to activate the ecs. we also have endocannabinoids (endo- meaning, within) that our body naturally produces to activate the ecs. unfortunately, life’s stressors can take over and throw things out of whack, and your ecs is not immune to that. our bodies can run at less than 100%, and do it so well that we often fool ourselves into thinking we feel fine when we may actually be far from it. luckily, phytocannabinoids (phyto- meaning, relating to plants) can also have an impact on our ecs just the same as those cannabinoids our bodies produce naturally.

because the ecs plays such a vital role in helping to regulate other systems with the body, a compromised ecs may cause a wide range of symptoms to be exhibited throughout the body. it is entirely possible for pain, anxiety, insomnia, skin issues, and plenty of other ailments to stem from an imbalance in the ecs, and while we aren’t doctors, it is generally going to be best to address the root of an ailment whenever possible rather than just finding a way to mask the symptoms. if the ecs is the potential source of the problem, then it is at least worth considering targeting it to find a solution!

you might be wondering why the ecs is so important to all of this, or how exactly it is interconnected with our other systems. if you are, these are great questions. we have cannabinoid receptors all throughout our bodies, and they can be involved in a tremendous amount of processes: necessary functions such as pain sensation, memory, mood, stress, appetite, metabolism, immune and reproductive functions, and sleep can all be impacted, positively or negatively, by the ecs. 

there are two types of receptors in our ecs. when these cb1 and cb2 receptors are regularly activated, it can help to regulate the ecs itself, and this can lead to a sort of domino effect for all other systems and processes that interact with the ecs to come into alignment much the same. because of this, taking cbd regularly to promote a balanced ecs should be the focus over whether to take it in the morning or at night.

when should you take cbd oil during the day?

the best time to take cbd is not an exact science. however, even though the true advantage to taking cbd is in its effectiveness to regulate the ecs when taken regularly, there is still likely a best time for you, personally, to take cbd oil. here are some things to consider when finding that optimal time.

individual body chemistry is the first unique characteristic that will affect your relationship with cbd oil. some people’s bodies process chemicals faster and/or more efficiently than others; and on top of that, each person’s ecs will have different default activity and receptivity levels. all of this means that the same dose of cbd for one person may or may not have the same effects, and those effects may come from various reasons despite the same systems being involved in the overall function.

you also may or may not feel an actual onset of cbd when taking it. some people are very receptive to its effects within the body, while others may never notice feeling anything “different” (remember, cbd is non-psychoactive and thus, it will not get you high). if you find yourself in the category of the latter, worry not: the cbd you are taking is still working on your ecs just the same. 

it is also entirely possible that you might need to increase your dosage size. this may or may not be true regardless of whether you feel your current dose or not. because cbd brings with it a holistic and long-term approach to health (think of it like eating your veggies – you can’t just take cbd once and achieve lasting effects!), you are going to want to pay attention to your overall state over the course of a week (or longer) in order to determine if you are achieving desired results, or if you need to up the amount you take. 

if you are taking cbd for a specific reason, knowing how quickly you feel its effects can also help you find the best time to take it during the day. small doses of cbd have actually been shown to boost alertness, which may be beneficial if you experience those effects. even if you do, it is extremely doubtful that you would be able to replace your coffee or tea with cbd oil (but we’ll go into that later). and for the record, this particular author’s favorite cbd drops may or may not be involved in the creation of this article!

one application could be for stressful situations. cbd has been shown to have calming effects, though there is still a lot to learn. you may be someone who finds an event such as flying, going to the dentist, or having a new job interview invokes the stress response in your body, and knowing how long cbd takes to begin working might help you handle the situation more seamlessly.

another possible way to experiment with cbd’s effectiveness, both for long-term and potential spot treatments (if that works for you), is to experiment with taking it multiple times per day. some people may feel a desired effect from a small dose, but may also feel the effects start to wear off before their day is over. if you are one of those people, splitting up your daily dose into two or three servings throughout the day may prove to be effective.

the type of cbd you consume and the way you take it also matter greatly: beware of cbd isolate products claiming they are the 100% purest product on the market. though potentially true, this is a misleading statement! the reason for this is because of something called the entourage effect, which requires taking a step back and looking at the bigger picture for just a second.

cbd is a compound that comes from the cannabis plant (no, it’s not “marijuana”). many other compounds are also present within cannabis, and over 100 of them are other types of cannabinoids that all synergistically play a role in cannabis’ overall effectiveness on ailments. other compounds called terpenes also play a role, and do so in many other plants as well (for example, citrus can be invigorating and chamomile can be calming because of their terpenes). 

if we isolate (remove) the cannabidiol compound from the entire picture, we miss out on all of the other pieces to the puzzle. the optimal way to maximize cbd’s beneficial properties is to utilize what is known as a “whole plant extract,” and can be further categorized into broad spectrum and full spectrum. 

if your cbd is coming from hemp flower (cannabis with less than 0.3% thc) in this manner, it is referred to as being full spectrum. you can also go one step further and completely eliminate all trace amounts of thc from the extract. doing this will still retain the entourage effect, but will yield 0% thc in the finished product. this is known as a broad spectrum extract, and its removal of thc can help ease your mind regarding any potential issues related to legality or drug testing as it works its magic on the rest of your being. 

what is the best time of day to take cbd oil for anxiety?

there is no absolute best time to take cbd oil for anxiety. however, some people effectively use cbd as a spot treatment against symptoms related to anxiety. ultimately, a well-regulated ecs may help with your body’s overall reaction to stressors, though finding the right dose and rate of absorption may help in any spot-treatment sense.

different methods of ingesting cbd may cause users to experience different effects. they will also, with certainty, result in varied absorption times. earlier in this article, we mentioned that while small doses of cbd could be energizing, it wouldn’t be enough to replace a cup of coffee or tea. now, let’s talk about what happens if instead of replacing cbd with your beverage of choice, you added it into said beverage!

if you were wondering, dropping cbd oil into another beverage can and will still be effective. it will exhibit roughly the same effectiveness as putting it on top of a meal (pasta, veggies, etc), which is about as effective as consuming it via a pill or some edible form like chocolates or gummies. in all of these cases, you are ingesting cbd orally, and upon doing so the ingested material will make its way through your digestive tract and eventually be absorbed by the bloodstream. however, just like digesting food, this can take some time.

it is much quicker to employ the methods of sublingual absorption or inhalation, whether the latter is through vaping cbd or smoking hemp flower. of these two options, sublingual is a less intrusive method of consumption, and it can be done by a dropper of cbd and putting its contents underneath your tongue and holding it there for 30-60 seconds. 

taking cbd sublingually instead of immediately swallowing it can allow you to take advantage of the blood vessels underneath your tongue that serve as a fast track to absorption into your bloodstream. should you choose to take the inhaled route, a similar environment exists in your lungs, explaining why you immediately feel the effects of anything you inhale and/or smoke, whether it be cbd, thc, or any other substance.

so, when should i take cbd after all?

if you are still unsure as to when might be the right time for you to take cbd, it’s possible that is due to other questions that need answering. should you have questions as to how cbd may affect your daily life, you may want to consider trying it on a weekend or in the late afternoon, once you get home from work. doing this will help ensure that you have a safe space for experimentation, even with a non-psychoactive substance, and it will also allow you to do it without having to worry about having to fulfill any other prior commitments. 

some people find cbd to work best in the mornings, while others enjoy taking it right before bed. this can be the case regardless of purpose, as even some people who take cbd in the morning find that is the best time to improve their sleep quality. similarly, people might take cbd at night for sleep, but others may do so because they find it helps them sustain focus during waking times. 

pain is another example in which the time you take cbd could vary. you may be someone with muscle pain and soreness from working out or performing other physical activities, or you may be someone who has chronic back and neck pain that prevents you from sleeping at night. given the difference in circumstances, the proper usage may be different in each scenario, even before adding individual body chemistry into the equation.

 at the end of the day, taking cbd is a marathon, not a sprint. if you are willing to commit to it for at least a full month and be willing to experiment with dosage size, frequency, and time of day in order to see how your body responds, then you will have a lot of information and experience at your disposal. from there, be willing to adjust accordingly in order to achieve your desired effects. 

if you still find no reprieve, you may also want to look into trying different types of cbd. just because sublingual drops are the most efficient means of consuming cbd doesn’t mean they will be ideal for everybody. remember, your cbd journey is just that: yours. embrace and enjoy it. ☺  

related questions

are there any risks associated with taking cbd? cbd is completely safe and nontoxic, and the human body can tolerate extremely large doses with no adverse effects. some people may exhibit minor side effects related to cbd, including diarrhea, dry mouth, and drowsiness, but anything more extreme than that would not be caused by cbd itself. if you experience any adverse effects related to cbd, it is likely you have found a product that is contaminated. in order to prevent that, make sure you always see independent, third party lab test results from an estimable source before you buy cbd.