Just as there isn’t a quick and simple answer to what’s the right CBD dose for you and it’s best to build up your amount over the course of a couple of weeks, finding when CBD is most effective for you can also require a bit of trial and error. Here three experts suggest times you could try to benefit your mental health, anxiety and sleep patterns the most.
Swap the late-night streaming
In a report recently commissioned by British brand CBII in partnership with Protein Studios on the CBD market, contributing wellness expert Poppy Jamie stresses that there is no such thing as a quick fix when it comes to mental health, but does offer some tips to get going with. And it starts with looking at our late-night streaming habits and how CBD can benefit us. “Sleep is without a doubt the most basic human need that we short-change ourselves on, what with all the binge watching there is to do,” she says. “The great thing with CBD is that it is tactile. You can touch it and feel it, whereas mental health is quite in the head. It does aid relaxation, it’s that ritual element and I think rituals are really important to support mental health.”
With this in mind, and considering sleep is something people often express can be improved, building CBD into your night-time routine can aid relaxation and mental recovery. CBII’s full-spectrum CBD oil (from £29/10ml) or capsules are an easy way to find your natural rhythm and harness the benefits of CBD. Simply taken with a glass of water, CBII’s Total capsules (£44/15mg) can be easily incorporated into your pre-bed practice. Alternatively, you can place 1-3 drops of CBII’s CBD oil under your tongue, hold for 30-60 seconds and follow with a glass of water before bed to encourage a more restful mind and night.
Ease your daily stresses
KLORIS, creators of superior grade, broad spectrum, organic CBD oils and balms that are formulated by Cambridge scientists, are an award-winning brand with a stellar reputation. Co-founder Kim Smith discovered CBD as a way to ease her anxiety, which motherhood only added to.
She says: “As with so many CBD brands the start of the journey was a personal one. Somewhere along the way of changing careers and teaching myself new skills, moving house, the little matter of creating a brand-new life and having some pretty serious physical injuries, I became anxious.
“I started on roughly half a pipette morning and night, but no one size fits all and that is half the fun with CBD – I find it helps you really listen to yourself to become more connected to your body and responses.
“At KLORIS we get asked when’s the best time to take CBD a lot and there is no one simple answer, it’s totally dependent on the individual. If you take it specifically to aid sleep, then using oral CBD oil drops around 30 minutes or so before bed is great, if you take it for daily stresses then carrying our 500mg [£46/10ml] or 1000mg drops [£83/10ml] with you during the day and taking a few drops just before, or during times of stress can really help. When using oral drops, we also recommend taking a small amount on a daily basis in the same way you would with most supplements.”
Consistency is key
Like KLORIS’s Smith, Hayley Fitzpatrick, Apothem Head of New Product Development, agrees that sticking to a daily dose is the answer.
She says: “Taking CBD is very individual and depending on what benefits you are hoping to achieve from using it will depend on the best time of day to take it and how much you take. If you are using CBD to help quieten a busy mind before going to sleep, then last thing at night is best. If you are using it to quell overwhelming feelings, then at the time of feeling overwrought or when you feel it may be leading up to these feelings is best.
“Generally after consistent use, CBD reaches a state in the blood and timings for taking become less important. If using CBD for general wellness, it can be taken at any time. You may even want to try taking your dosage a couple of times a day rather than all at once for sustained benefits.”
Blending the very best quality 10% CBD isolate (with 0% THC) with handpicked botanical ingredients, Apothem’s range is actually designed with busy modern lifestyles in mind and to encourage you to take some time out every day. As its name suggests, Apothem Day (£220/60ml) is the brand’s simplest and purest product, blending organic CBD oil with MCT and coconut to level out your everyday. To help you switch off at the end of the day and encourage a deeper sleep, Lights Out (£75/10ml) combines soothing vanilla, cardamom, milky oats and chamomile with pure CBD.
