I had one hour until my flight departed, and I’d only just arrived at the airport. My anxiety rose in my chest like a tidal wave as I felt my blood pressure begin to rise.
Despite the fact I travel for work—and have for over a decade now—the process of travelling itself has always been difficult on my body—jarring, even. Loud noises, crying babies, security checkpoints—it was all so very loud and stressful. As soon as I was dropped off at the airport, my anxiety and blood pressure would inevitably begin acting up, making my chest and muscles ache. And, unlike most people I seemed to know, I was never able to sleep the night before a flight, nor could I nap during the flight itself.
Until I discovered cannabidiol (CBD), that is. Who could have ever thought this humble, non-intoxicating cannabinoid could possibly have such a powerfully positive effect?
Experience Lasting, On-the-Go Relief
Before CBD, extensive travelling, poor sleeping, and high stress had me feeling like a constantly frazzled mess. Life after CBD, however, has allowed me to finally get some much-needed rest thanks to LEVEL’s CBD Protabs. These Protabs come in a tiny but mighty swallowable tablet containing 25 mg of CBD and the compact packaging makes it fit easily into any purse or backpack. Each dose of CBD has a quick onset and lasts me anywhere from 3–6 hours, depending. Protabs also had the extra bonus of being pre-scored down the middle so I could easily split them in half on the go.
Another HUGE benefit with LEVEL’s Protabs is that they are (thankfully!) calorie and sugar-free. Too many cannabis products nowadays, whether they’re THC or CBD based, come in the form of gummies that are laden with sugar, and they aren’t always a good option for those with certain health conditions. Protabs are also gluten-free and vegan, which is a godsend for folks like me who have a lot of dietary restrictions.
In addition to CBD Protabs, LEVEL also offers several other non-intoxicating cannabinoid formulations including cannabidiolic acid (CBDa) and cannabigerol (CBG). Each cannabinoid has its own unique effects and therapeutic properties. Here are a few ways you can incorporate cannabinoids into your everyday wellness routine.
CBD for Sleep
I started off by taking a good, generous dose of CBD the night before I travelled; I took four 25 mg tablets taken two hours before I went to bed, to be precise. I have found, with CBD, I can finally sleep restfully throughout the night. I also woke up less often in the night, with fewer nightmares.
It is, of course, always worth noting that everyone’s individual response to CBD is different, so a dosage that works well for me might be too strong for others. I find the best way to figure out your ideal dose of CBD is through a process called titration. Start off by taking a small amount, writing down everything for posterity, and wait 30–45 minutes. Add more CBD as needed in small amounts, checking in with how you feel every 30 minutes or so until you reach your desired effect.
I have also found that taking a large dose of CBD an hour before takeoff really helps my body relax enough to let me sleep on flights. Finally, glorious rest!
CBD for Stress and Anxiety
The next day, I waited until an hour before heading to the airport to combat the inevitable claustrophobia I knew I would feel during long car ride, and two to three of the 25 mg tablets did the trick for me marvelously. I found myself in a calm, relaxed mood, and my blood pressure dropped back down to normal.
Cannabidiolic Acid (CBDa) for Inflammation and Pain
You may have heard of CBD, but just what is CBDa?
CBDa is the “raw,” untreated form of CBD. What that means is the CBD you know and love doesn’t start off that way; it actually starts off in the plant as CBDa, otherwise known as cannabidiolic acid. It isn’t until CBDa is heated up that it goes through a process called decarboxylation which strips the “a” away from it, rendering it CBD. Some research suggests CBDa may be more bioavailable than CBD as CBDa can penetrate the blood-brain barrier, directly affecting the central nervous system. Bioavailability refers to how much of any one substance your body is able to absorb.
Cannabinoids like CBDa that have not been heat treated confer a slew of therapeutic properties. These include (but are not limited to!) anti-inflammatory and anti-nausea effects. Interestingly enough CBDa has also been shown to act as an anti-hyperalgesia agent. Hyperalgesia refers to the phenomenon of when somebody exhibits a pain signal disproportionate to their level of injury due to a disruption in the body’s pain processes.
I struggle daily with chronic pain. Although I’d been prescribed nearly every drug under the sun for my pain, I could never understand why many if not all seemed to hardly work. Taking CBDa, however, results in significant reductions in my pain levels, allowing me to resume my normal, active lifestyle. Rather than slap a Band-Aid on the situation—take a pill to manage your symptoms! I believe CBDa’s anti-inflammatory properties helped treat the root cause of my pain by reducing inflammation. These reductions in inflammation eased my sore, achy muscles, allowing me to exercise more easily and for longer periods of time than previously able.
Cannabigerol (CBG) for Mood Elevation
Although most folks nowadays have heard about CBD, its precursor molecule, CBG, hasn’t quite achieved the same level of popularity…not yet, that is.
Cannabigerol, aka CBG, is the precursor or “mother” molecule from which all cannabinoids are derived. It’s an especially fascinating molecule because of the sheer number of potential therapeutic benefits it may offer.
Clinically speaking, CBG’s therapeutic power is being studied with respect to its potential ability to “alleviate various conditions, including cancer, metabolic, pain, and inflammatory disorders, amongst others.” This is due to the fact that CBG interacts with our body’s endocannabinoid system (ECS) in a number of ways at different receptor sites. The ECS is a system of molecular messengers and receptor sites throughout the body that regulates many different functions, including mood, stress, pain, and metabolism. Disruptions in the ECS are linked to a number of health conditions including neurodegenerative diseases, metabolic conditions and psychiatric disorders.
Like CBD, CBG is not psychoactive, meaning it won’t get you “high” in the same way THC might. It does, however, affect your mood. In my experience, taking two of LEVEL’s CBG Protabs—a total of 50 mg CBG—confers a significant mood elevating effect. My previously sluggish, depressed mindset suddenly felt less heavy—more uplifted, euphoric, even. Many people I’ve spoken with about CBG’s effects have corroborated this idea of it as a mood elevator. Some people also noted that CBG boosted their energy levels a bit. Quite a few also noted they enjoyed incorporating CBG into a daily wellness practice such as yoga for amplified benefit.
The “Entourage Effect”: Layering Cannabinoids for Additional Benefits
I remember one day in particular a couple of weeks ago where I was in a lot of pain. I remember thinking, I wish I could experience CBD’s painkilling effects without its sedating properties. Is there some way I can do that?
I’d already taken three of the 25 mg CBD Protabs at the time, but I began thinking about CBG and its energizing effects. I wondered what effect adding CBG to the mix might have, and so I added two of the 25 mg CBG Protabs into the mix.
To my intense delight and surprise, the painkilling effect of CBD was considerably amplified when I added CBG! Adding CBG also seemed to mitigate the sleepy, sedating effect of CBD without reducing its therapeutic properties; my mood definitely felt uplifted, cheery, elevated. I buzzed around cleaning my apartment, marveling at all the things I could now do that I was no longer passing out promptly at 9:00 pm.
The entourage effect also puts forth the idea that stacking different cannabinoids together can offer more therapeutic benefits than taking isolated cannabinoids on their own.
Wrap-Up
Whether you’re in need of a few extra zzz’s, have aching muscles from a long day or could use a little pick-me-up, LEVEL’s Protabs are available in a number of different, non-intoxicating cannabinoid formulations. The calorie-free, sugar-free, vegan, and easy to store tablets make it easier than ever to experiment with LEVEL on the go. I highly encourage you to try each one out and see how it affects your unique body chemistry. Play around with dosages until you find your “Goldilocks” dose, allowing you to finally feel relief from the symptoms causing you discomfort.
