Laura, who takes CBD once in the morning and once in the evening with her meals, said smaller doses help her feel balanced. "I took way too much the first time that I ever used CBD and the next day I was too relaxed. I was a couch potato. When you take a big amount of CBD all at the same time, that's when you're more likely to experience side effects. When you have it multiple times throughout the day, it [stays] in your system for longer. It doesn't overwhelm your endocannabinoid system. It doesn't make you feel drowsy. It just helps you to feel calm."
Andrea told me that she takes two to three dropper fulls of a 3:1 tincture with a higher dose of CBD at night, but that she'll sometimes take half-dropper fulls during the day. "I approach things a little bit differently. I use cannabis for sleep almost every night, and I only use it during the day on some days. I gauge how I'm feeling. So if I wake up and I feel sore or I feel tight, or if I have a stressful day, I might take a little bit to start easing myself into the day, but I'm not taking it [during the day] every single day. If I'm not taking it during the day, it's because I don't perceive that I really need it that day."