With hemp research still in its relative infancy, people using cannabidiol (CBD) derived from hemp have to be willing to do a bit of experimenting on their own. Part of that experimentation could include something called layering: using different types of CBD to achieve the effects you want.
By layering different CBD consumption methods, you can boost effectiveness and avoid growing an immunity to the benefits of any one CBD product.
Let’s take a look at what it means to layer CBD and how this new method can work well for people suffering from arthritis.
How Do You Layer CBD?
The concept of layering CBD is pretty basic. Just like you layer certain colors on top of each other to make new colors, using multiple CBD delivery methods at the same time can bring about new levels of effectiveness. These different delivery methods include inhalation (vaporizing or smoking), edibles, sublinguals and topicals.
Layering works because each delivery method provides very different effects. When ingesting an edible, you can expect a longer onset time (typically 30 minutes to two hours), but longer-lasting effects (up to six hours on average).
Meanwhile, CBD vaporizers provide nearly immediate effects, but they typically don’t last as long (30 minutes to an hour) as edibles do.
Here’s an example of how you could layer two different CBD delivery methods to boost effects: If you suffer from insomnia, you could eat a highly potent CBD edible; it will take some time for it to kick in, but it will be long lasting and provide benefits throughout the night. While you wait for the edible to take effect, you can layer a CBD vaporizer on top of the edible. The vaporizer will provide immediate effects, helping you wind down for a restful night of sleep.
Tips for Layering CBD
- Before layering more than one CBD product, it’s important to know how each one affects you separately. Try them each independently. Once you’re comfortable, you can begin to layer them.
- When taken together, different CBD delivery methods can produce more pronounced effects. Try a lower dose of each individual method when layering so you don’t overdo it.
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Arthritis & How CBD Can Help
Arthritis is widespread, with 31 million Americans suffering from some form of the condition. Most people associate arthritis with aging, but this painful inflammation condition can strike at any age—even children can suffer from arthritis.
There’s no one single type of arthritis; it’s an umbrella term for many diseases that all negatively affect joints in the body.
One constant across all of these arthritic diseases, though, is chronic inflammation. This inflammation, when left untreated, leads to debilitating pain and lack of mobility. Because these diseases mostly affect joints, people with arthritis often feel pain through their hands, knees, shoulders and wrists.
So, what does CBD have to do with arthritis and/or inflammation? CBD shows massive potential in treating the root cause of inflammation and therefore the pain associated with arthritis.
While trials on humans are scarce, some are taking place right now. Meanwhile, many animal studies seem to confirm that CBD can greatly diminish arthritis pain.
Researchers treated arthritic rats with transdermal CBD consistently for four days. They observed significantly reduced joint swelling. In another study, researchers at Cornell University found that dogs with osteoarthritis pain saw significant pain reduction when treated with CBD oil.
3 Ways to Layer CBD for Arthritis
- 1. In the morning: For all-day relief, start your day by layering a CBD edible and vaporizer. Include a CBD edible in your breakfast; this will take a while to kick in (typically 30 minutes to two hours) but will last for hours, bringing you relief through the day. While you wait for the edible to fully set in, use a CBD vape pen for more immediate, albeit somewhat short-lived, relief.
- 2. Before bedtime: Arthritic pain can stand in your way of a good night’s rest. For continuous relief while you sleep, layer a CBD capsule with a sublingual tincture. The tincture will travel through the mucous membranes in your mouth to the brain very quickly. Once the tincture wears off, the capsule will take effect and continue to deliver relief throughout the night.
- 3. For acute pain: Arthritis flare-ups are real, and they’re painful. In these cases, you could layer three CBD products: a CBD edible or capsule, tincture or vaporizer and a CBD topical. Take the edible or capsule first, as these will take more time to kick in, but will provide the longest-lasting relief. Then to deal with acute pain while the edible or capsule sets in, use a tincture or vaporizer for immediate effects. Finally, for really bad flare-ups, add a third layer of cannabis topical to the skin. CBD topicals are great for nonintoxicating, fast-acting relief that you can layer into your regimen any time.
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