(Dragonfly CBD gifted me their CBD oil to try out for myself and record my findings in a blog post)

I first heard of CBD oil in 2017 when I was asked to create a short online ad for a freeze dried fruit and vegetable powder that you mixed with water and take as a shot...long story. However, the founder of this company was also looking into the health properties of hemp and CBD and bring that to New Zealand, which at the time had a ban on the growing of hemp. At this point, perhaps because of the way it was viewed by the government, I had only ever associated CBD and hemp with marijuana.

After moving to the U.K. and seeing it become more and more common in shops, my interest in CBD grew. Coincidentally, around the time I was looking to purchase my own to try out, Dragonfly CBD reached out to see if I would be interested in giving one of their products a go. This was a saving grace. Just from the couple of searches I had done myself, I could see there was a flood of CBD brands on the market, with no idea of knowing which would be best to try.

What is CBD?

CBD is short for cannabidiol, which is the chemical compound from the Cannabis Sativa plant, which is also known as Marijuana. It is the second most prevalent of the active ingredients of cannabis, and it is a safe, and non-addictive substance. CBD is not tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is the compound that causes the high that cannabis is famous for, so it does not make you ‘high’ or ‘stoned’. It is a naturally occurring substance that has been studied for its potential role in easing symptoms of many common health issues, including anxiety, depression, acne and heart disease.

The oil that Dragonfly sent me has 500 mg per bottle of cannabidoil oil, 5.6% CBD, and 10mls of total product. Their products range 500-1000 mg per bottle and they also sell skincare products that are infused with CBD.

What do I think it could help me with personally?

When I was starting out on this CBD oil, I was coming out of a back injury that I had previously being treating with Ibuprofen gel for the last few months. At the time of this experiment, I had stopped using the gel as my back injury was getting better, however there were days where I would still be bother by dull aches, or sharp pains when moving in a certain way. I was hoping that perhaps CBD oil could help with pain management. I had also heard it that it was good for sleeping as well. While I don’t have too much trouble sleeping, I do often wake one or two times a night and I was curious to see if this would help me.

Let's crack into my experience with taking CBD oil for 30 days.

Please remember that this is my individual experience, and won't reflect everyone's experience with CBD. Make sure you consult with your doctor or GP to see if CBD is right for you.

Day One – First Thoughts

Not knowing how I would be affected by CBD, I decided to take it on a Sunday afternoon, that way if it made me sleepy it wouldn’t be too socially unacceptable to have a nap. The instructions say to start off with 5 drops at a time, so that’s what I did. The Dragonfly website said that they recommend their CBD is best absorbed through tissues under the tongue and will enter the bloodstream in around 15 minutes. It had a nice taste, like a nutty olive oil. As for any effects, I didn’t notice much. It might have helped my back pain a little bit, but not so much that I could say for certain. I have been told in person and read online that you notice the difference after taking it consistently for a month – which is essentially why I’m keeping this log.

Day Three – Accidental overdose?

Just kidding, but let me explain – I wanted to try the CBD oil before bed to see if it would affect how quickly I would fall asleep. So, I decided to take it right before bed… in the dark… not really understanding that the area under your tongue isn’t the most sensitive spot and when I was counting the 5 drops out by feel, I didn’t realise that I was actually only feeling every third or so drop. So I had about 3 times as much as I did the previous 2 days which I only noticed after looking at the pretty much empty pipette, whereas on other days I only used about a quarter (luckily, on the back of the bottle it says you can have up to 80 drops a day so I think I’ll be fine). For context, I don’t really have too much trouble sleeping, I will wake up briefly a couple of times in the night, usually to a cat foot in the neck, but as for falling asleep I’m normally out within 5 minutes. The main issue I have with my sleep is that I wake up still tired. But after this dose, I had the deepest sleep, did not stir once, and woke up in the morning feel well rested.

Day Nine – Sleep, Sleep, Sleep

I changed my dosage to about 7-8 drops over the last few days as I think that suits me better, and have continued to take it right before bed. To avoid accidentally having more than what I want I have been putting it on a spoon first so I can actually see how many drops I’ve been having. The only issue is that the oil sticks to the spoon and it’s hard to get under my tongue – I am workshopping this! I’ve continued to have amazing sleeps, the ones where you closed your eyes and then you open them and it’s morning, and you feel oh-so-rested.

Day Eighteen – A quick test

I decided to stop taking the CBD oil for a few days just to double check if it was actually helping my sleep or if that had been because of other lifestyle changes and I did notice that I definitely wasn’t getting the same quality of sleep that I was with the CBD oil.

Day Twenty Five – Anxiety

Why I hadn't considered that CBD oil would be good for my anxiety until this point, I have no idea. I have lived with anxiety for many years, and for me, it ebbs and flows. However, during lockdown it has been more prevalent than not, as I'm sure it has for most people. My anxiety seems to occur more at night time, and especially when I am nearing the start of period cycle. Which is where we fall on day 25. I noticed that as I began to feel anxious towards the evening, by the time I had taken the CBD oil and gotten into bed, I was feeling significantly calmer and able to go to sleep like normal, as opposed to laying awake for 30 minutes - 1 hour. This is not to say that is completely removed my anxiety symptoms, just that it was a useful tool for being able to manage them.

Day Thirty – Final Thoughts

The two big things I noticed were 1) I had deeper sleeps and felt like they were better quality, and 2) they did help calm my mind when I was feeling a little anxious.

After I had finished this experiment, I did find myself reaching for it on nights where I felt like my mind was racing, and it has continued to be an extremely helpful in settling me before sleep. The only negative side effect that I noticed, which may have been an offset of my sleep quality, was feeling groggy for about 15 minutes after I have woken up. This might have more to do with coming out a deep sleep too quickly but regardless, I did notice on the mornings after I used the CBD oil at night, I would have a fuzzy headache when waking up. However, I do plan on continuing with Dragonfly CBD oil, and would be interested to see how their other product effect me. Overall, Dragonfly CBD is something that worked for me, and would be a great option to look into if you are wanting to try CBD for the first time. If you would like to check out their products, you can find them here.