What Does CBD Feel Like?

What Does CBD Oil Feel Like When it’s Consumed?

Unlike THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), CBD isn’t psychoactive; therefore, it won’t impair your perception or cognition. This means CBD will not get you high.

The feeling of CBD is subtle. Some people report clear differences after using CBD; others don’t feel anything noticeable at all. 

Whether you feel anything from CBD will ultimately come down to you as a person, how much you’ve eaten, and how much CBD has been consumed.

In this section, we’ll be looking at what some people report when they use CBD. We’ll assess everything from subtle numbness to the feeling of floating as well as everything in between.

1. CBD May Make You Feel Calm & Relaxed

Some people report elevated relaxation and calmness when they use CBD. In fact, people commonly use CBD to reduce anxiety levels. There’s some evidence to back up these statements too. 

One study looked into the effects of CBD on anxiety and found that the cannabinoid reduced anxiety in 57 patients out of the 72 in the study within the first month [1]. Sleep scores also improved in 48 patients; this is due to the relaxing nature of CBD helping to induce sleep and promote rest for longer periods.

This evidence is enough to suggest that CBD will help calm you down and aid in relaxation. However, the feeling of relaxation is extremely subtle, and you may not notice a wave of relaxation come over you as such. 

You’ll likely feel calmer and more relaxed as time goes on when you use CBD rather than something comparable to THC, where the high loosens you up and relaxes you almost instantly after the high sets in.

You may notice the relaxing and calming effects of CBD more if you suffer from stress and daily tension. After using CBD be aware of how your body and mind feel. You may experience a clear head, and muscle tensions may also disappear.

Related: CBD Oil For Sleep.

2. CBD May Make You Feel Slightly Numb

Some people have reported a numbing sensation when CBD is consumed.

This is especially true when people use topical CBD products. After the application of a cream, salve, or roll-on, people report feelings of numbness and tingling.

Some people also note these feelings after ingesting CBD oils and CBD gummies, but reports are less common. People that use CBD vapes also report this feeling as a sudden but subtle numbness after taking a few hits.

When topicals are concerned, the feelings of numbness and tingling could well be thanks to other ingredients within the product, such as menthol or eucalyptol. However, this factor can be ruled out when looking at reports of numbness after using sublingual, edible, and vapeable CBD products.

Some people also report numbness of the head after using larger doses of CBD. Claims of a fuzzy head or “dumbed down” mind after taking large quantities of the cannabinoid are less common but still apparent.

3. CBD May Make You Feel More Balanced & Focused

Many people report a more balanced feeling when CBD is consumed. 

So, what do they mean by balanced exactly?

When someone is well-balanced, it essentially means they have a calm mind and a clear head. People that are balanced have the ability to stay calm in stressful situations and construct clear solutions without stress. People often feel balanced after getting out into nature, doing something they love, meditating, or receiving a relaxing massage.

After CBD use, people report feeling more balanced, as if they have just meditated or received a grounding massage. Again, this is different from a “high.” The feeling may even go unnoticed by many. 

This feeling could also vary depending on your situation. If you’ve just consumed CBD in a stressful work environment, you probably won’t feel particularly balanced. However, if you’ve just consumed some CBD while out walking in nature or relaxing at home, you may feel calmer and more balanced.

There’s some evidence to back this up as well. Although research is still in its early days, some studies have found that CBD has an effect on concentration and focus. CBD, alongside other cannabinoids found in hemp and cannabis, may even help those with attention disorders such as ADHD [2].

4. CBD May Make You Feel Happier

CBD may make you feel happier. In fact, several people have reported raised mood after using CBD, and there could actually be some science to it.

One study involving animal models discovered that CBD may have antidepressant qualities [3]. This could indicate that cannabidiol elevates mood and may even make consumers happier.

Although happiness isn’t a feeling that everyone will experience from simply consuming CBD, research suggests that the antidepressant qualities of the cannabinoid may have an effect on the emotions of the consumer.

You may feel uplifted and essentially happier after using this cannabinoid. Some users report having a more positive outlook and elevated mood even during down periods of depression, anxiety, and stress. As with feeling balanced, whether you feel happier after using CBD will depend on your individual circumstances.

5. CBD May Make You Feel Slightly Spaced-Out & “Floaty.”

Some people report feelings of floatiness when they use CBD, and some even report a slightly spaced-out feeling. However, not everyone gets these same feelings, and it could vary depending on different factors. 

Some people, especially those that are using the cannabinoid to treat a painful condition report this feeling of floating. This could be down to the relaxation and pain relief they get from CBD, causing an almost euphoric effect.

The feeling of floating is something that’s reported more by first-time users, and most claim that it goes away after extended use. This feeling could be a result of the ECS being almost “overwhelmed” if cannabinoids had been ingested before. You could compare this to a first-time cannabis user. 

If you’ve ever used cannabis before you’ll know that the first time is sometimes overwhelming, and the high seems much stronger than periods of use after this point. The floaty feeling people experience after using CBD for the first time could be similar in the way that the body doesn’t quite know how to react.

Although similar, you shouldn’t confuse the first-time effects of THC to CBD because CBD is non-psychoactive, whereas THC is a highly psychoactive substance. You won’t get high from using CBD, but you may experience more “feelings” when you use it the first time. 

If you do experience this sensation the floaty feeling may become more subtle after extended use of the cannabinoid.

6. Some Users Feel High After Taking CBD

While CBD itself is non-psychoactive, there are CBD products out there that contain enough psychoactive compounds to exert noticeable differences in perception. This is especially the case with full-spectrum products. 

Most CBD gummies, for example, contain around 20 or 30 mg of CBD and about 0.3% delta 9 THC. The total THC content in these gummies is far too low to provide any noticeable perception differences. 

Other products, such as Area 52’s Full-Spectrum UFO Gummies, contain a very high dose of CBD (90 mg) and 0.3% THC. Because of how strong these gummies are, the THC content is high enough to exert clear psychoactive effects — even though it’s technically within the 0.3% range. 

There are lots of CBD gummies and tinctures that have this effect too. So if you’re using a full spectrum CBD product at doses of more than 50 mg CBD — you may feel high from them the same way you would from marijuana products. 

Related: 10 Strongest CBD Oils You Can Buy.

What Is the Endocannabinoid System & How Does CBD Interact With It?

The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is a complex system found in all organisms with a central nervous system. It’s made up of a series of receptors (CB1 and CB2). These receptors are responsible for a wide range of bodily functions ranging from inflammation and hormone balance to pain transmission and neuroregulation. 

The ECS is a core component of homeostasis, a process the body uses to maintain the balance of all organ functions in the human body. By interacting with the ECS, cannabinoids are able to exert a balancing action on just about every organ in the body. 

Cannabinoids such as CBD interact with the CB1 and CB2 receptors within the endocannabinoid system. It works by boosting the natural activity of this system. 

THC, on the other hand, directly stimulates some of the ECS receptors — resulting in the characteristic “high” following marijuana consumption.