CBD oil and other CBD products have taken the wellness world by storm over the last few years.

If you're new to taking CBD, or you're curious about whether you should, you may have a lot of questions. Does CBD give you the munchies? Does it impact your sleep cycle or energy levels? Do CBD products cause weight gain? 

Well, here are some simple, honest answers to common questions about CBD oil.

Does CBD Oil Give You The Munchies?

Because CBD comes from the cannabis plant, it's common to worry about the impact when you absorb CBD oil. Does it have the same physical or psychoactive effects as marijuana?

Basically, no. When you smoke or eat the cannabis plant, you get a hit of THC. Consuming THC produces the feeling of being high. It can boost appetite in some people, or 'give you the munchies'. CBD, on the other hand, doesn’t do this. This is because CBD is taken from hemp. Hemp is defined as any part of the cannabis sativa plant that contains less than 0.3% THC.

Medical marijuana has THC concentrations ranging from 15% to 30%. This same marijuana will only contain less than 1% CBD. So, to ensure the highest potency possible, CBD should be made using hemp parts of the plant.

CBD, like THC, interacts with the central nervous system. However, CBD promotes feelings of relaxation, and no current research suggests CBD oil can give you the munchies.

Will CBD Affect My Appetite?

THC can increase appetite because it increases the production of the hormones ghrelin, which makes us feel hungry, and dopamine, which makes the things we are eating taste better and the feeling of eating feel better. It also hits parts of the brain that control hunger and appetite. That's where the munchies come from.

CBD products don't do these things. CBD (cannabidiol) is thought to do a lot of things in the human body, most of which make us feel wellness naturally - but if you take CBD oil, these hormones don't change and your body chemistry stays pretty much the same. But if you struggle with anxiety disorders or nausea, you might find that high-quality or organic CBD products increase your appetite simply by making you feel better.

Will CBD Oil Affect My Metabolism?

If you incorporate CBD derived from hemp plants into your lifestyle habits regularly, like many herbal supplements, you might be concerned about the impact it may have on your metabolism.

Metabolism is how effectively your body turns food into energy and usually impacts your appetite and weight. The faster your metabolism, the more calories you want and the more energy you burn in general. High metabolisms can be one reason why people eat loads without weight gain.

Even though cannabis-derived compounds need much more research to hammer out the full range of impacts they have, it's thought that CBD may make your metabolism quicker. CBD products impact the endocannabinoid system, something related closely to the central nervous system, and is thought to play a role in our metabolism. Relevant animal studies have suggested this. In a 2018 study, researchers administered CBD to animals and found that they had a faster metabolism. Cool, right?

Does CBD Help You Lose Weight?

A lot of people use some kind of CBD product to ease stress, anxiety, or chronic pain. All of these could theoretically make it easier to lose weight or stop weight gain. If you suffer from chronic pain and find that CBD oil soothes that pain, you might then be able to begin regular exercise. If you avoid going to the gym because of nerves, introducing CBD products into your diet may relieve social anxiety and reduce the chance that you panic or lose focus while exercising in public.

But does taking CBD have any direct effect on body weight? Well, that same 2018 study found that cannabidiol promotes browning, which creates brown fat cells. These are the cells that break down sugar in the body to maintain body temperature. So, some research suggests that CBD stimulates the body in a way that actually can help weight loss efforts!

Does CBD Give You Energy?

We've been saying a lot that CBD interacts with the body in a way that makes you calm. A lot of people take CBD to promote sleep or as an attempt to treat sleep issues, such as soothing the body's sleep wake cycle into a relatively stable equilibrium. So, it might come as a bit of a shock that CBD may also work as a natural stimulant!

Some research says that the impact CBD may have on your energy level depends on how much you take. High doses might relax you, while a lower dose might hit the cannabinoid receptors in a way that can boost energy levels. This also depends on individual differences, just like how our different metabolisms impact weight loss efforts. If you have naturally low energy levels, or you just want a quick energy boost in the morning, a small drop of CBD oil might be the way to go!

In Conclusion: CBD, Energy Levels, and Appetite

CBD works with the endocannabinoid system to do plenty of good in our bodies. This little chemical compound can both relax us and increase energy, produce feelings of calmness, and treat pain. While further research and a big systematic review would help us to hammer out the specifics and nuances of CBD, we know that CBD doesn't give you the munchies or increase appetite. CBD oil might actually be able to increase energy levels, and it has the potential to be useful as part of a weight loss regime.

If you're thinking about taking CBD for weight or appetite control, there's definitely science out there to back up your choice. You won't have a massive appetite, and you might even get more energy!To see whether CBD oil is the right choice for you, explore our CBD blog to see if we've answered any other questions you have, or just check out our shop to see our full CBD oil range.