Making and drinking a cup of coffee is a morning ritual with which many of us are familiar, starting the day with some much-needed energy. Using CBD oil is quickly growing in popularity as a similar daily routine, whether you use it at night to promote sleep or during the day as pain relief.
A new trend involves mixing CBD oil with coffee. Not only does this combine the two substances into one delicious and easy-to-drink mixture, but it also helps you enjoy the alertness coffee gives you by reducing side effects from caffeine such as jitters and anxiety. This article will explain the benefits and unique interactions between CBD and caffeine to help you learn why so many people choose to start their day by combining CBD oil and coffee.
Benefits of CBD Oil and Coffee
Cannabidiol (CBD) is commonly used as an anti-anxiety treatment or to reduce inflammation and pain from medical conditions. It achieves this through multiple mechanisms, including whole-body muscle relaxation, increased GABA activity, improved hypothalamic regulation, and reduced inflammation in the brain. CBD oil also increases the activity of the neurotransmitter serotonin, promoting a better feeling of well-being.
Meanwhile, coffee is popular partially because of the benefits of caffeine. It acts as a stimulant in your central nervous system, making you feel more mentally awake and providing some physical energy. Coffee also acts as a natural antioxidant, and even its rich aroma can help relieve anxiety.
By mixing CBD oil and coffee, you can start your morning right with the benefits of both. Ingesting CBD is often considered the best consumption method even though inhalation from vapes acts more quickly. Absorbing it through the digestive system takes longer and prolongs its presence in your body, directly correlating to longer periods of effectiveness.
Potential Side Effects of CBD in Your Coffee
Experts have agreed upon a general standard dose of 25 mg of CBD to take twice a day, but how putting CBD oil in your coffee will affect you depends on numerous factors. Some oils are stronger than others, and the benefits or side effects you experience are influenced by your body’s chemistry, weight, height, and health status. If you are new to using CBD products, start with small doses and gradually increase them until you find the amount that works best for you.
Side effects from CBD can include dry mouth, drowsiness, reduced appetite, fatigue, or diarrhea. These effects are typically mild compared to the potential negative impact of prescription drugs. Some of these side effects can also stem from additives or other ingredients in the oil rather than CBD. Unlike THC products, CBD will not make you intoxicated or experience psychoactive effects.
However, take care to avoid mixing CBD with prescription heart medications, macrolide antibiotics, antidepressants, or other medications that can cause drowsiness. CBD oil can also cause adverse effects if used while breastfeeding or for children who are two years old or younger. Talk to a medical professional before you begin using CBD oil, especially if you have any questions about your medication and potential interactions.
The general public is more familiar with the unwanted effects of coffee. Along with the restlessness, anxiety, and increased heart rate caused by caffeine, your coffee may also contribute to nausea and vomiting.
CBD and Caffeine Interaction
The most intuitive interaction between CBD oil and the caffeine in your coffee is that the therapeutic and calming effects of CBD balance out the stimulation provided by caffeine. CBD reduces the jitters, nausea, and anxiety from your coffee and makes it easier to enjoy the increased focus and energy it gives you. Some research also indicates that CBD may limit how much caffeine increases the impulsivity of individuals with ADHD.
Their similar structures also allow you to benefit from both CBD oil and caffeine for more extended periods. Your liver metabolizes both of these compounds with the same enzymes: CYP1A1, CYP1A2, CYP2D6, and CYP3A4. It is limited by the amount of these enzymes it can use at a time, so the presence of both cannabidiol and caffeine means that your liver will process both chemicals more slowly, allowing them to stay in your body and provide their benefits for an increased duration.
Additionally, both caffeine and CBD affect your brain’s receptiveness to adenosine, a neurotransmitter that causes you to feel tired. Caffeine blocks the buildup of adenosine by binding to the receptors of your neurons. CBD similarly inhibits adenosine uptake as a modulator. The result is that CBD and caffeine work together to reduce feelings of fatigue and increase your mental alertness.
Legality
According to the 2018 Farm Bill, it is legal to create and sell CBD products as long as the THC levels are lower than 0.3%. Despite this, each state has a different policy about growing and selling hemp products.
Only twelve states have completely legalized the use of CBD, and CBD oils are banned in Nebraska, Idaho, and South Dakota. The Food and Drug Administration has also only legalized one CBD-infused drug, a prescription oil called Epidiolex, that is used to treat epilepsy. Research your state’s laws before you decide to add CBD oil to your coffee.
What is the Best Way to Mix CBD Oil and Coffee?
If you add CBD oil directly to your coffee, the oils will likely float on the top instead of mixing with the drink well. The best way to ensure that your CBD completely incorporates into your coffee is to make bulletproof coffee with a fat such as butter or coconut oil. CBD oil is fat-soluble, which means that the added fats will dissolve your CBD and let it mix in perfectly.
Bulletproof coffee is also popular because it induces the body to slowly burn the fat over time compared to the quick energy that sugar provides. Your body gradually absorbs the caffeine and CBD that become stored in the fat throughout the day, prolonging their beneficial effects.
CBD-Infused Coffee
For a more convenient way to introduce CBD into your morning routine, you can purchase CBD-infused coffee from several companies taking advantage of this combination’s increased popularity. You brew these grounds exactly as you would any other type of coffee, making this option convenient.
Infused coffees may not be your best choice if you want more control over your CBD dosage. It is difficult to determine the dose of each cup of coffee, and manufacturers can only give you an estimate at best.
If you decide to try a CBD-infused coffee, look for products using full-spectrum hemp extract combined with high-quality coffee beans. This means that the extract used will contain terpenes, phytochemicals, and other cannabinoids that increase the effectiveness of the CBD. You want to find a mix that effectively integrates all of the benefits of CBD and coffee and still tastes good.
Other Ways to Enjoy CBD and Coffee
If you want to combine CBD and coffee but are worried that the oil will float instead of mixing well or that the coffee’s acidity will affect your CBD’s effectiveness, you can use other methods. Vaping CBD lets you accurately control your dose and see the results more quickly than ingesting CBD. You could also drink your morning coffee while using CBD gummies, capsules, or tinctures without mixing them.
You can even benefit from the interactions between CBD and caffeine without drinking coffee. Caffeine pills usually have 100 mg, which is roughly the same as one cup of coffee. Taking one of these pills with your preferred dose of a CBD product will give you similar benefits as coffee with CBD oil.
Conclusion
If you want your coffee to wake you up in the morning without giving you shaky hands, faster breaths, and heart palpitations, you should try mixing it with CBD oil. Besides reducing the adverse side effects commonly associated with caffeine, CBD oil will improve positive effects such as alertness and increase the duration of these benefits. You can start with small doses until you reach a comfortable combination of CBD and coffee to start your day in a new way.
FAQ About Mixing CBD Oil and Coffee
Question: Can I put CBD oil in my coffee?
Answer: The combination of CBD and coffee is safe and provides you with all of the therapeutic effects of CBD while reducing negative side effects from the caffeine. You can add CBD oil directly to your coffee or buy CBD-infused coffee.
Question: How much CBD oil should I put in my coffee?
Answer: How much CBD oil you use depends on the dosage that works best for you. This is based on the concentration of your product, your body weight and height, and your physiology. Ask a medical professional before starting CBD if you can, and work your way up from small doses until you benefit from the intended effects.
Question: What are the effects of CBD coffee?
Answer: Like other CBD products, CBD coffee helps alleviate stress and anxiety. It also balances out the jitters commonly associated with drinking coffee, giving you better alertness and energy without stomach aches or nervousness.
Question: How do I add CBD oil to my coffee?
Answer: You can add the dosage that works best for you with a dropper, but you may have difficulty mixing your oil and the coffee. Adding a fat such as butter to your coffee will make it easier for the CBD oil to dissolve in the drink. Another option is to buy CBD-infused coffee to skip this step.
Question: Is it OK to add CBD to my coffee every day?
Answer: Yes. CBD is a non-addictive substance that you can use every day relatively safely. Using too much CBD oil only has mild side effects. It also builds up in your body over time to produce better results, so it is beneficial to take CBD oils or other products consistently. Adding CBD to your cups of coffee is also an easy way to incorporate your doses into your daily routine.
Question: Will adding CBD to my coffee make me fail a drug test?
Answer: Drug tests mostly check for THC rather than CBD, so most oils not derived from marijuana will not show up on a drug test. CBD isolate oil has all cannabinoids, including THC, removed, so it is less likely to make you fail a drug test than broad or full-spectrum CBD or low-quality tinctures.