What You Need to Know About CBD and Caffeine
Americans love their coffee, and an increasing number of Americans are consuming CBD. Often, people are consuming both CBD and coffee for the same reason: to balance energy levels. It is natural then to want to mix the two items and enjoy caffeine and CBD synergy. The research on the interaction of CBD with caffeine is scarce, but there is some available that have demonstrated CBD and caffeine do mix and may help people become more alert while also helping them promote a sense of calm.
TLDR: People mix CBD and caffeine by adding a few drops of CBD to their coffee. Caffeine excites certain neurotransmitters that lead to jitters. CBD works on the neurotransmitters in an opposite manner, producing a calming effect. The result is that CBD and caffeine balance each other out.
What are the Effects of Caffeine?
Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant that produces three actions that impact cognitive functioning. One of the actions is acting as an antagonist against adenosine. Adenosine and the adenosine receptors regulate the release of neurotransmitters and play a role in regulating sleep, memory, cognition, sleep and arousal and learning.
Caffeine binds to adenosine receptors, which then blocks the ability of adenosine to bind with the receptor. This means the adenosine receptors cannot regulate the release of the neurotransmitters, and a flood of them alters alertness, mood, memory and cognitive functioning. A May 2021 research project supports the belief that caffeine may affect mood and the most significant change is in discomfort. Studies have not supported the idea that caffeine affects attention, but it does enhance processing speed and memory.
What are the Effects of CBD?
CBD is a chemical compound in hemp that interacts with cannabinoid receptors in the endocannabinoid system. Research has found that CBD activates the 5-HT1A serotonin receptor, producing a good mood effect. These receptors are found in both the peripheral and central nervous systems.
What are the Effects of CBD and Caffeine Combined?
What neutralizes caffeine? The bottom line is that caffeine will weaken adenosine which produces the jitters, while CBD strengthens adenosine. This is a simplified explanation of a complex physical process. Research to date indicates caffeine and CBD create a balance. At the same time, you may experience more energy because the jitters are kept under control.
Another way of saying this is that cannabis and coffee activate some of the same brain pathways, as documented in a study in The Journal of Internal Medicine. The study found that endocannabinoid neurotransmitters decreased after 4-8 cups of coffee in a single day. The opposite occurs when consuming CBD because CBD affects the same neurotransmitters.
One option some people choose is drinking CBD decaf coffee. This way, they can enjoy the taste of coffee without worrying about the effects of mixing CBD and caffeine. Decaf coffee has a small amount of caffeine – approximately 2-7 mg. A regular cup of coffee has approximately 95 mg of caffeine.
Can you mix CBD oil with a drink? CBD oil can be mixed with any drink, including coffee, juice, tea and other beverages.
Buy High-Quality CBD
It is always recommended that you buy high-quality CBD. Each CBD brand produces its CBD from a particular hemp plant strain. Some strains have a higher CBD concentration than others. By purchasing from a reputable CBD company, you will know the label information is correct as to the product’s potency. You want to know how much CBD you are adding to your coffee.
FAQ
Does CBD interact with caffeine?
Research to date indicates CBD and caffeine do interact on some level. The issue is that each person reacts differently to CBD and caffeine. There is no way to predict the absolute reaction. It is a case-by-case situation.
Can CBD replace my morning cup of coffee?
You can use CBD to replace the morning cup of coffee. CBD may provide benefits like increased alertness and increased energy on its own, but without producing the tremors and irritability, that coffee can produce. Some people give up their coffee because drinking too much can produce significant side effects, like tremors (jitters). Since CBD can produce some of the positive benefits of caffeine, some people rely on CBD alone.
Can I put my CBD drops in my morning cup of coffee?
You can put CBD oil drops in the morning cup of coffee. Putting CBD oil in coffee is a simple way to enjoy your morning CBD. Add the CBD to the coffee after the coffee is made. One of the benefits of taking CBD this way is that the CBD is digested, which means the CBD oil gets more time to work.
How to make CBD-infused coffee beans?
It is very simple to make CBD-infused coffee beans, assuming you have an infuser mug. First, grind the whole coffee beans on the medium-coarse grinder setting. Next, measure two tablespoons of the ground coffee, and place the coffee in the infuser mug. Add one ml of CBD oil to the infuser mug’s filter. Add boiling water, and let the coffee sit for 3-5 minutes.
Summary
Today, there is more than one way to combine CBD and caffeine. You can add CBD oil drops to your coffee, make CBD-infused coffee beans, purchase a premixed CBD drink with caffeine you add to water or buy ground coffee with CBD. Combining CBD and coffee enables you to enjoy the flavor of coffee and the benefits of CBD. It is wise to start with a couple of drops of CBD first until you are comfortable with how the CBD coffee makes you feel. Then, you can work up to five ml of CBD in a cup of coffee.
Sources
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8202818/
- https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/joim.12737
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