5 Ways to Make CBD Work For You
As a cannabis coach, I frequently hear that people have tried CBD before, but then they gave up because they weren’t sure if it worked for them.
Does the following resonate with you?
Maybe you’ve been curious about cannabis and/or CBD. It worked for your friend, and you thought… “well, maybe it could help me, too?” But then you tried CBD, and you just weren’t sure. Was it working? Did it do anything for you?
Maybe you took CBD on vacation… but you were doing a lot of new things that week… did it make a difference?
Maybe you tried a CBD product for 6 months - and it still didn’t work! You grew tired of wasting time and money and so you gave up on CBD.
Sound like you? Don’t worry… I understand this struggle personally!
I used to think that CBD didn’t do anything for me. But then, after budtending and going through my training to become a cannabis coach, I uncovered new CBD tips and tricks that made all the difference. I put them into practice in my own CBD routine, and I’m so glad that I did!
Now that I know the fundamentals of CBD usage, I use CBD every day to balance my mood, keep aches and pains at bay, and support my sleep health. I can tell the days when I have forgotten my dose; those are the days that I might be more prone to snapping at a loved one or just saying, “ouch!”.
Through personal experience and trial and error, I have found ways to use CBD to the fullest.
In this post, I will share the 5 tips and tricks that I share with my cannabis coaching clients when I guide them through the process of designing their CBD routine. I share this so that you can get the very most out of your CBD experience!
Here are the 5 things you can do to make your CBD work better for you:
Determine - and stick to - your daily sweet spot dose
Take your CBD dose consistently
Incorporate other cannabinoids
Track your results
Support your CBD regimen with other ECS-supporting behaviors
Continue reading for more on how to put these 5 tips into practice!
What Does CBD Do, Anyway?
Before I dive into ways to make your CBD routine work better, I will first share some basic details on the benefits and utility of CBD.
On a physiological level, CBD strengthens endocannabinoid tone, reduces the impact of stress and anxiety, and helps many patients achieve mental clarity and improved performance without intoxication.
For further information about the CBD, its mechanisms of action, and how it works in the body, check out my blog post: “So... What Does CBD Do, Exactly?”
CBD can be consumed in a multitude of ways. That said, I find that for beginners, utilization of a liquid oil or tincture CBD product is perhaps the easiest way to begin. This allows for clear and customizable dosing as you begin to determine your daily “sweet spot” of CBD.
There are many other ways to consume CBD, including flower, vapor, edibles, topicals, and more. When you visit the dispensary, or shop online, look around and determine what CBD products are accessible and available to you. From there, you can design your CBD regimen.
Want insight into CBD brands I use and admire? Check out my other post, “Bud & Blossom's Favorite CBD Products”.
5 Ways To Make CBD Work For You
1. Determine your daily sweet spot dose
Your daily CBD “sweet spot” dose is the dose that, when taken consistently every day, brings you optimal benefit and limited side effects (if any).
To determine your sweet spot dose, you will engage in a process called “self-titration”. Self-titration is the concept of taking dosing "low and slow" and gradually increasing your dose over time until you have determined your optimal daily dosing range.
To start, begin the first week with a low dose of CBD tincture or oil, just a few drops 1-2 times per day. If you are taking CBD through another method, such as capsule or flower, then consume a small amount of CBD to begin and build from there.
Day by day, slowly increase the amount of CBD you consume each day. Build your dose until you feel symptom relief. Know that there truly is a “sweet spot” dose for everyone; you may find that at a certain point, continuing to increase the dose doesn’t provide better results. You are seeking out the exact dose that, for your unique body, does the most. Everyone’s endocannabinoid system is different, and yet 20mg-50mg of CBD per day is a pretty healthy, moderate range to strive for.
Record keeping during self-titration: Keep a record of how much CBD you take each day, as well as the timing of each dose. Over time, you will build a paper trail of your results! See if you can determine where in the dose range at which you feel your best, always comparing your experience to the baseline experience before the CBD was on board.
Once you have determined your sweet spot dose, stay the course. Continue to take this dose every day and keep tracking symptoms to confirm continued efficacy. Sometimes, the body’s composition and needs will change, and you will find that you need to adjust and tweak your dose. If this is the case, don’t fret. Use the principles of self-titration to again find the optimal dose for you. Listen to your body, and when in doubt, work with your cannabis coach!
2. Take your CBD dose consistently
When it comes to dosing with CBD, consistent dosing is the best approach for improving your endocannabinoid health. Think of your CBD like a vitamin that you take every day to keep you feeling your best.
When you take CBD every day, you’re basically telling your body, “hey - you know that CBD cannabinoid that helps you do your balancing thing? It really helps you out, huh? I want to help you… so I’m going to continue giving you that support. And you can relax, because I’ll be supplying it regularly!”
Some people like to take CBD twice a day, in the morning and again at night. Other people prefer more consistent dosing, such as 3x or 4x per day. In my own life, I take my CBD dose 3 times per day (approx. 15mg in the morning, 15mg in the afternoon, and another 15 mg in the evening for 45mg CBD, plus other cannabinoids, every day).
Taking CBD 3 times per day can be easy to remember because this allows you to pair your dose with your meals! Seek to determine the dosing frequency and strategy that works best for you.
If you’d like a tracking worksheet you can use to keep on top of your daily doses, download my Your Best Cannabis Week guide. In this guide, you will find cannabis wellness tracking worksheets that you can use to track your daily cannabis doses every day.
Recording your cannabis doses, especially in the beginning (when you are still working to make dosing a part of your habitual routine) can help to remind you to take your CBD during the busier days!
3. Incorporate other cannabinoids
As you design your CBD routine, you can also decide to incorporate other cannabinoids from the cannabis plant.
THC
Many people who use CBD daily will include THC in their daily dose, too – including me! When THC and CBD are taken together, you are able to experience what’s known as “the entourage effect” for full therapeutic relief. This can be as simple as taking a THC-rich oil with your regular dose of CBD, purchasing a product that already contains both cannabinoids and using that every day, or incorporating THC edibles, flower, vapor, or capsules into your routine.
THC will actually help your CBD to work better! THC unlocks a binding site on the CB1 receptor in the brain for CBD, allowing CBD to work more effectively with the endocannabinoid system. Keep this in mind when determining the right cannabinoid ratio for you.
People often ask me if they should use THC, or if CBD alone will work. My answer is always this: if you are able to consume THC (from an occupational/medical/legal/social standpoint) and want the best chance at healing, try a little THC with your daily CBD dose.
Minor Cannabinoids
There are additional minor cannabinoids that can be included in your CBD dose to support the amplification of the entourage effect and also contribute to additional healing.
CBG is a great cannabinoid to consider including in your CBD dose if you are seeking enhanced mood stabilization or pain relief. CBG has also been noted to support deep rest. One of my favorite CBD products, one that I take regularly for happy & uplifted energy, is Polite’s Power Up tincture, which is a CBD dominant cannabis oil that also contains CBG.
CBN is another minor cannabinoid that offers therapeutic potential and has helped many people. CBN is known to contribute to sleepiness and is frequently used as a sleep aide.
For a more detailed look at the benefits of key minor cannabinoids, including CBG and CBD, check out my blog post, “How and Why Does Cannabis Work?”
4. Track your results
As a practicing cannabis coach, I have found that in order to achieve the very best results, clients are best served when they can track their cannabis use and symptom ratings over time. This allows them to confirm that their cannabis/CBD routine and other wellness strategies are truly helping them achieve their overall wellness goals.
With that in mind, I created something for you to make the “tracking” piece easier and more sustainable.
In my new guide, Your Best Cannabis Week, I give you cannabis wellness tracking handouts & journal prompts so you can have your best cannabis week ever!
In this document, you will find my Baseline Tracking worksheet, which allows you to track the following data points every day:
Morning dose of CBD/cannabinoids
Afternoon dose of CBD/cannabinoids
Evening dose of CBD/cannabinoids
Total Daily Cannabis Intake
Now… get dosing & tracking!
5. Support your CBD regimen with other ECS-supporting behaviors
Remember: ECS = endocannabinoid system
Did you know? There are other natural ways to support the health of your ECS!
This means that by backing up your CBD use with healthy ECS-supporting behaviors, you don’t have to rely on CBD to do as much of the work. CBD simply works better when we are supporting it with other healthy behaviors that create an environment for success within the greater endocannabinoid system.
Perhaps you’ve heard me say this before… but when it comes to our wellness… well, it’s about the whole enchilada!
As a cannabis & wellness coach, I have developed 7 ECS & Wellness Pillars that my clients can hold close and prioritize along their journey to better health.
If you can integrate these wellness tips into your life, then you are giving your body and your ECS the very best chance to succeed. This is about helping your body maintain natural resiliency… so your body can continue fighting to keep you healthy!
For more information about my ECS and Wellness Pillars, and how they help to support balanced endocannabinoid health, I encourage you to check out my new blog post:
Final Comments to Share
As you explore with CBD, remember to start low and slow to determine how your body reacts with the medicine. And if you’re using THC alongside your CBD, keep this in mind: if you ever get too high from THC, you can ingest your CBD oil to lessen the intoxication of THC.
Isn’t this amazing? These cannabinoids work together to keep our bodies in balance. It’s just up to us to know which cannabinoids to reach for at specific times. We truly get to design this experience!
With all of this information behind you, perhaps you’re ready to revisit CBD and give it another shot. And that’s great! Because CBD, although non-intoxicating, is a really powerful tool.
CBD, at the end of the day, is about returning your body back to balance. And the body is a complex, integrated & beautiful machine. I have learned, through CBD research, personal experience, and working with clients, that achieving optimal results is about so much more than just taking CBD. It’s about elevating your entire wellness routine. To make your CBD work for you, you can work with your body and create an environment for success.
Happy CBD-ing!
Want Additional Support?
Exclusive CBD Guide
I have a guide that will walk you through what you need to know to you as you design your personal CBD routine: The CBD for Self-Healing Guide
In this guide, I dive deeper into what CBD does for the body, how to design your cannabinoid ratio, the principles of self-titration, and more. Don’t miss out on this info!
Turn Wellness Practices into Habits With a Coach
You don’t have to navigate this journey alone! I am a cannabis coach, and so I can work with you one-on-one to design the CBD regimen for you. Beyond designing your cannabis regimen, we will also review natural methods you can use to strengthen your ECS.
I'd love to work with you to make these habits sustainable for your lifestyle... and guide you along the way!
To get signed up for coaching, book a discovery call below:
Whether you sign up for my Balance Reset or Elevate + Transform Program, I will work with you to develop sustainable lifestyle changes that stick. And serve you for years to come!
