CBD softgels can be a great way to incorporate CBD into your daily routine. But is there a way to maximize how well they work?
The best time of day to take CBD softgels depends on your reason for using CBD, as well as how your body reacts to it. Many individuals find that CBD perks them up and gets them in the right headspace to focus for the day. Others find that CBD has a perfect relaxation effect that lulls them asleep.
Learning the optimum effects you hope to gain from using CBD can help you to find the best place to fit them into your schedule. Here, we’ll help you unravel how you can boost CBD’s efficacy by choosing a specific time of day and increasing bioavailability.
Should I take CBD softgels in the morning or at night?
Like with any other supplement, where you fit taking your CBD into your schedule can vary depending on personal preferences. Any time of day at which you take CBD can provide benefits — as in, CBD is not any more or less effective depending on the hour of the day — but many people typically opt to either take it in the morning or at night during their alone time at home.
Benefits of taking CBD in the morning
A healthy CBD dose in the morning can be a great way to boost energy, mood, and physical stamina naturally. For many who don’t like to drink caffeinated beverages, CBD can be a great alternative to wake them up without anxiety, racing heartbeat, or digestive issues that coffee can give some people. Some individuals even use it in pre-workout foods and drinks to give themselves an extra boost before hitting the gym since CBD acts as a painkiller and anti-inflammatory.
For others who struggle with managing stress or pain during the day, CBD can help keep them calm, collected, and soothed as they go about their business, whether they’re going to work, staying home, or running errands.
CBD is also commonly used as a companion to mindfulness exercises and meditation. For many people, the best time to do these practices is in the morning. A morning routine is where many people have their only quiet, alone time of the day. It’s also the best time to get yourself in gear to be positive, present, and focused throughout the day. This practice can significantly improve mental health and ease stress-based physical ailments like soreness, headaches, and tight chest.
Additionally, if you’re looking to achieve long term health effects from your CBD regimen, taking your supplement in the morning might be the best option for you. Unless you’re looking only for the immediate benefits of CBD, consistency is vital. Taking your CBD in the morning with other medications, supplements, and multivitamins (so long as none of your other pills have drug interactions with CBD) can help create a morning routine that will ensure some long term results.
Benefits of taking CBD at night
Taking CBD at night can also be an excellent option for you, depending on your issues and goals. Suppose you often struggle to fall asleep or stay asleep. In that case, CBD can help relax both your body and mind and prepare you for sleep, especially if you take a CBD supplement that has been synergistically paired with a compound like melatonin, which can improve your sleep function. CBD research has shown that CBD can effectively lower cortisol levels in people living with insomnia enough to induce a night of restful sleep. As an added bonus? CBD does not have all of the complications of traditional heavy-duty sleep aids, which can potentially include vivid nightmares, memory problems, addiction, and sleepwalking.
CBD can still be a great option in the evening at lower doses, even if you’re not trying to fall asleep. It can often be difficult to fully disengage from the day’s stressors, even once you’re home and away from it all. In a contemporary culture of constant work, stimulation, and stressors where self-care is secondary to productivity, relaxation is imperative. Consistent relaxation can reduce blood pressure and significantly affect both physical and mental health. Consider an evening dose of CBD to be a healthier version of the tradition of sitting back after work with an alcoholic beverage to take the edge off.
Finally, you are also more likely to eat a meal high in fat at night, which can significantly boost CBD absorption into your body when taken orally. It’s not uncommon for individuals to skip breakfast in the mornings due to morning stomach issues or a lack of time, making CBD absorption much less effective. Dinnertime, however, is often rife with high-fat foods, allowing for greater bioavailability.
How long do CBD softgels take to work?
You ingest CBD softgels in the same manner as edibles like gummies and foods — swallowed then metabolized through the stomach — even though they contain CBD oil often taken sublingually. For edibles, you will feel effects anywhere between thirty minutes to two hours after taking them.
Weight, diet, potency, and other metabolic factors can affect how long it takes CBD to kick in, so don’t worry if the time you expected doesn’t line up exactly. If you’re interested in figuring out how you metabolize softgels, the first few times you take them, try doing it on the weekend or another time where you know you’ll have extra time to wait for it to kick in. If you need very rapid results then softgels might not be the best option, but if you want a truly effective and powerful consumption method, then you may find that the effects are worth the wait.
How to increase CBD absorption
Unfortunately, taking CBD orally can sometimes mean a loss of efficacy, but fortunately, you can remedy this by taking time to increase CBD absorption. To counter that, here are some practices that can increase your CBD’s bioavailability (its ability to be absorbed by your body).
Eating healthy fats
CBD is not water-soluble, which means that it cannot be absorbed through the digestive system effectively as water-soluble nutrients. However, CBD is fat-soluble and is more effectively absorbed in the digestive system when taken orally with high-fat meals. Try taking CBD in conjunction with healthy fats, such as avocados, cheese, or eggs for more rapid results.
Consider taking your CBD softgels with healthy fats, like olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, or nut oils. Additionally, some foods are naturally high in healthy fats, such as salmon, nuts, eggs, avocado, cheese, and seeds. Pairing these with CBD can make for not only efficient absorption but also a delicious meal.
Take it with your coffee
Many people put CBD into their coffee in the morning, and CBD lattes are cropping up in high-end cafes in cities everywhere — but is there scientific merit to this? It turns out there might be. Coffee can increase gastric acid creation and increase gastric emptying rates, which means that drugs are broken down and processed much more intensely while drinking coffee.
Go for full-spectrum
While this doesn’t necessarily increase absorption, it can increase the benefits. Taking CBD with all the other beneficial compounds naturally found in cannabis can make the pain-relieving, euphoria-inducing, and stress-managing effects of CBD all the more potent.
Takeaway
While there is no objective best time of day to take CBD, you can find the best time of day for your purposes and needs. You may opt to take it in the morning to boost clarity throughout the day and keep track of your intake throughout the week. You may also opt to take it at night to unwind from a stressful day or relieve sleeping issues.
Whether you take it at night, in the morning, or the middle of the day, if you’re considering starting a new CBD regimen, consider browsing our directory of products. We offer health-focused brands and beloved staff picks so you feel sure that you’re getting something vetted and chosen just for you.
