As the therapeutic potential of CBD becomes increasingly recognized, one of the most frequent questions asked is: how does CBD vape make you feel? Does it get you high or have side effects? This guide provides a deep dive into the subtle effects and benefits of CBD vape.
What is CBD? Demystifying the Medicinal Cannabis Compound
Before exploring how CBD makes you feel, let’s cover the basics of what CBD is. CBD stands for cannabidiol, one of over 100 active compounds produced by cannabis plants like hemp. Other prominent compounds include THC, the infamous molecule behind marijuana’s intoxicating “high.”
For decades, prohibitive laws barred serious research into cannabis compounds. But within the past decade, experimental barriers have eased as perceptions of the plant evolve. This has allowed scientists to affirm what ancient cultures intuited for centuries—that cannabis holds profound medical value.
While most people are familiar with THC’s psychotropic effects, CBD offers all the advantages of cannabis’ therapeutic constituents without negative impacts on cognition or function. Instead, an ever-growing body of research points to CBD as a promising treatment for everything from chronic pain and seizure disorders to PTSD and opioid addiction.
As knowledge spreads about CBD’s versatility, this non-intoxicating compound has created an entire industry focused on harnessing the entourage qualities of cannabis without causing impairment. When derived from hemp, CBD products contain less than 0.3% THC, making them non-psychoactive.
This allows CBD to be marketed far more widely than medical marijuana. CBD is trumpeted by enthusiasts as a potentially life-changing medicine under the radar due to lingering social stigmas against its cannabis origins. But does it live up to the hype? How does taking CBD actually make you feel?
How Does CBD Make You Feel? Mellow Without Impairment
The most common effects attributed to CBD are feelings of calm and relaxation leading to improved mood. Simply put, CBD tends to gently counterbalance life’s everyday stressors and tensions both physically and mentally.
In moderate servings, CBD induces total-body relaxation while allowing mental clarity and productivity rather than drowsiness. The overall sensation evoked by CBD is a wave of calm focus and positivity as the compound’s constituents work synergistically to bring the body into homeostasis.
This relaxed homeostasis often translates into better sleep, decreased pain and inflammation, balanced mood and emotions, and an overall elevated quality of life. But without causing any obvious intoxicating effects that alter cognition, mobility, perceptions, or abilities.
Does CBD Get You High Like THC?
With CBD’s connection to cannabis, one of the most frequently posed questions is: will CBD get you high? The answer is a fairly straightforward no. Aside from both stemming from the cannabis plant, the effects and benefits of CBD and THC are vastly different.
When ingesting THC via marijuana, altered states of consciousness often ensue. Psychoactive effects may include euphoria, sensory amplification, altered perceptions of space and time, motor impairment, increased appetite, memory issues, paranoia, and more.
While research suggests modest doses of THC may have therapeutic effects on mood and pain relief like CBD, THC also causes intoxication that alters mental faculties and functionality when ingesting recreationally.
CBD provides no high whatsoever. It improves mood via natural alleviation of underlying issues plaguing wellness rather than through a chemically-induced emotional state that compromises clarity. There is no dizzy spaciness, lingering brain fog, or altered cognition like intoxicants. Enthusiasts report:
- No impediment of motor skills or mobility
- No perceived sensory or perception changes
- No distortion of thought processes or memory issues.
Instead, they feel enhanced mental acuity and focus thanks to reduced anxiety, balanced neurochemistry, and increased calmness from CBD’s benefits.
This allows CBD usage paired with unhampered ability to drive, work, socialize and complete any life activities and responsibilities without functional impacts—besides perhaps better performance thanks to optimized wellness.
How Does CBD Work? Regulating the Endocannabinoid System
But how does CBD provide such wide-ranging upsides without downsides? The answer lies in the recently discovered endocannabinoid system (ECS): a network of receptors found throughout the mammalian brain and body.
Our bodies naturally produce endocannabinoids (endogenous cannabinoids) that bind to cannabinoid receptors in the ECS. This regulating interaction is essential for homeostasis affecting pain modulation, sleep health, immune function, stress adaptation, and general health and healing.
Phytocannabinoids like CBD found in plants can also influence the ECS. CBD binds imperfectly to both CB1 and CB2 receptors, tweaking bonded endocannabinoids into better regulating mood, pain and inflammatory response, energy levels, Mitochondrial function, digestive efficiency, neural plasticity, and a host of other processes.
Like a dimmer switch attenuating overbright lights, CBD turns down distress signals so the body self-corrects back into alignment. This adaptogenic attribute allows CBD to deliver balancing effects wherever needed to overcome underlying deficits manifesting as health conditions.
CBD’s indirect ECS influence means it won’t compromise mental processing like intoxicants. It simply amplifies what is working right already to spur better holistic functioning. Consider CBD like an optimization elixir honing the body’s best performance.
How Long Do CBD Vape Effects Last?
With orally ingesting CBD via oils, capsules or edibles, onset of benefits is gradual, taking 30-90+ minutes before becoming noticeable and lasting for up to 6 hours. Vaping or smoking CBD provides more instant delivery and relief.
Inhaling CBD vapor directly into the lungs allows cannabinoid absorption straight into the bloodstream without passing through slow metabolic pathways in the gastrointestinal system. This improves bioavailability so more CBD enters circulation rather than being degraded and metabolized through the liver.
The expedited delivery of inhaled CBD translates to benefits kicking in within 5 minutes rather than an hour. However the longevity of effects is also shorter lasting, as the CBD does not remain in the body metabolizing for nearly as long as orally-ingested forms.
Vaping CBD brings about an acute sensation of relaxation and pain relief that gradually diminishes over 30-60 minutes. This contrasts the longer amplification delivered by edibles and oils that unfold subtly but have more persisting effects when taken daily.
For consumers seeking fast acting relief from situational anxiety or pain, vaping CBD is ideal for rapidly-manifesting effects complementing CBD’s inherent speed of onset. Think of CBD vape for opportunistic respite throughout the day while reserving CBD oils for lasting preventative maintenance and overnight rejuvenation.
Why is Vaping CBD Different than Other Methods?
Besides the inherent distinctions between vaping, smoking, ingesting oils or consuming edibles, CBD can deliver slightly varied effects through different methods.
When ingesting CBD orally, CBD permeates the digestive system and hepatic portal vein enroute to the heart before circulating throughout the body. Enzymes in the liver metabolize some dose percentage into byproducts before reaching the bloodstream.
Conversely vaping introduces CBD directly into the lungs and arterial pathways to the brain and body. The vaporized dose avoids first passing degradation allowing quicker uptake while bypassing digestion.
Sublingually applied CBD oils and tinctures also offer expedited delivery, although dosage remains limited by contact absorption rate under the tongue so more applied drops end up swallowed anyway.
For consummate bioavailability up to 56% compared to capsules at 10-20%, vaping ensures the highest levels of CBD reaches receptors swiftly. This guarantees immediate benefits that align with inhaling’s inherent gratification.
So for people contending with recurring bouts of acute pain, sudden anxiety attacks, or simply seeking the satisfaction of directly-induced effects, vaping CBD provides unparalleled rapid relief, albeit less prolonged than orally-ingested forms.
Conclusion: Embracing CBD’s Therapeutic Potential
While CBD vaping entices recreational enthusiasts seeking temporary gratifying relief throughout the day, hemp-derived CBD offers so much more multidimensional therapeutic potential without risks of adverse effects, dependency or diminishing returns.
Rather CBD leverages the entourage qualities of cannabis to optimize human functionality similar to popularized adaptogens like ginseng, reishi, and ashwaganda but with faster observable benefits thanks to precision intake methods like vaping for needs-based delivery.
This distinguishes consuming isolated CBD versus whole plant formulations boasting complementary cannabinoids and terpenes that magnify therapeutic effects in naturally-occurring ratios fine-tuned over thousands of years of co-evolution with human physiology.
So whether enjoying the rapid relaxation of CBD vaping or pursuing CBD’s preventative maintenance as a daily nutraceutical, hemp-derived CBD proffers profound empirical health benefits destigmatizing cannabis’ connection to marijuana ‘highs’.
While more research is still needed, existing evidence and vociferous anecdotal reports extol cannabidiol as a promising panacea for mitigating myriad maladies without mind-altering effects, toxicity or overdose liabilities.
If you are struggling with a stubborn health condition or merely seeking solace from modern stressors, discuss trying CBD with your healthcare provider to judge if it’s appropriate for your situation. Then determine optimal intake methods aligning with your wellness goals.
Odds are soon you’ll discover firsthand why versatile, non-intoxicating hemp-derived CBD is creating so much fervor as a therapeutic elixir uniquely equipped to help remedy the most common woes facing society today on multiple fronts.
