How Long Does CBD Stay in Your System?
CBD can stay in your system for anywhere between one to five days, but it’s different for everyone. It all depends on how your body processes it. Meanwhile, the effects will last for a much shorter amount of time – typically around four to six hours.
With this in mind, in this article, we break down:
- The factors that affect how long CBD stays in your system
- How long it takes to feel the effects of CBD
- Whether CBD will show up in a drug test
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Zara Kenyon
If you’re already familiar with CBD, you’ll know there are various products to try. You have fast-acting CBD oils, pre-measured CBD edibles, and skin-nourishing CBD topicals – to name just a few. But what if we told you that each of these blends are processed by your body differently? They are, and the process has a direct impact on how long CBD stays in your system.
In fact, it’s not just the method that has an effect; there are a host of reasons why CBD might linger for longer, or take a little while to absorb into your system. Here, we reveal the timings you need to know, and what they could mean for your daily dosage, so you can make sure you’re taking CBD at the right time for you.
So, How Long Will CBD Last in My System?
It’s worth pointing out that the length of time CBD stays in your system varies between person, product type and the amount of CBD taken. While research on the longevity of CBD is still in its early stages, one study indicates it may remain for one to two days when taken orally. Other reports suggest it could be longer – up to three or five days – meaning you can expect CBD to linger in your system for as little as one day or as many as five. It varies based on a number of factors, from how you take it to what you’ve eaten that day, and even how much you exercise. Here’s what you need to consider...
1. Your CBD Method
We know that sublingual application (dropped underneath the tongue) is one of the most effective methods of taking CBD. You can do this with a CBD oil, like the citrus-flavoured CBD Oil Drops. In doing so, a high percentage of the compound is absorbed directly into your bloodstream, which not only allows it to act faster, but means it works its way through your system quicker than CBD edibles, too. Put simply, sublingual application equals speedier absorbsion than many other methods and, usually, speedier metabolising too.
Meanwhile, taking CBD orally – via CBD gummies, food, drink, or with our CBD Capsules – means the compound has to go through your digestive system before a percentage of it can reach the bloodstream. Because of this extra process, CBD edibles may stay in your system for longer before your body gradually breaks the compound down.
CBD topicals, on the other hand, won’t make it into your bloodstream at all. They don’t go through your skin but, instead, interact topically with the area applied. You can try for yourself with a soothing salve, like the CBD Muscle Balm. Spend at least 10-15 minutes massaging deep into skin, to ensure the CBD penetrates into the areas you need it most.
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2. What You’ve Eaten
As with many supplements, taking CBD on an empty stomach means it’s absorbed by your body quicker, which speeds up the metabolisation and elimination process. However, popping a capsule when you’re full will slow down digestion, which causes the CBD to stay in your body for longer.
3. How Much You Work Out
Because CBD is fat-soluble, taking it orally may mean that some of it gets stored in fat cells, where it can gradually be released over a number of days. If you exercise regularly, chances are you will burn off enough fat to also burn the stored CBD, meaning it may leave your system that much quicker.
4. Your Body
Finally, the unique function of your body is the ultimate decider in how long CBD stays in your system. We’re all different, so it makes sense that we process supplements differently. From your body mass index to your water content to your metabolism, all these details add up to a CBD timespan that’s personal to you.
How Long Does it Take to Feel the Effects of CBD?
CBD may stay in your system for anywhere between one and five days, but the length of time you feel the effects tends to be far shorter than that. Again, this is determined by a number of factors, including the type of CBD you take. These are the timeframes you can expect from your daily dose.
CBD Oils
After dropping it underneath your tongue, it can take around 20 to 30 minutes for a CBD oil to work. Expect quicker results if you take it on an empty stomach. Usually, the effects can last between four and eight hours, depending on the strength of the dose and how many millilitres you take.
CBD Edibles: Gummies & Capsules
Because they aren’t absorbed directly into the bloodstream the way a CBD oil may be, CBD edibles — whether a CBD gummy or CBD capsule — can take between an hour to two hours to provide any noticeable effects. This is why, if you tend to take CBD Capsules as part of your nighttime ritual, we recommend you do so a couple of hours before bed. Any effects may last for at least four hours.
Will CBD Show Up in a Drug Test?
Drug tests do not screen for CBD itself, as CBD is a food supplement and not a drug. However, whether or not a CBD product shows up in a drug test depends on the THC content of the product, which can vary from brand to brand depending on the extraction process and CBD extract used. Cannaray uses a CBD isolate which ensures our products are THC-free.
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