How Can Microdosing Help Work-at-Home Jobs?
Work-at-home jobs are the norm today — just about everyone who still has a job is forced to work at home.
At first, it sounds exciting. I mean, who wants to travel all the way to work, right? And, you get to spend more time with your loved ones.
Want to work in your pajamas? No problem! Want to get baked and work? No problem!
Working at home sounds fantastic, and it does have its perks. Only, the excitement fades away in just a few days, and you start getting frustrated. Then, slowly, it takes a toll on your mental health.
Recently, a report published by Qualtrics stated that working from home has an increasingly pervasive impact on mental health. So much that 41.6% of the respondents reported mental health decline since the pandemic outbreak.
Many people have come up with ideas to remedy this problem, and cannabis users are no exception. Instead of getting stoned and reducing your productivity, the consensus is that you can use cannabis in appropriate doses and perform better than your coworkers.
Want to see how? In this article, we will explore microdosing and why it’s important, especially if you’re stuck with a work-at-home job.
What is Microdosing?
Microdosing edibles may sound like an oxymoron because edibles are famous for their potency, but that’s hardly true in this case.
In medical terms, microdosing refers to consuming small doses of a compound (here, cannabis) throughout the day.
Microdosing cannabis as you work from home helps you reap the therapeutic benefits of cannabis without getting high. With microdosing, instead of consuming hundreds of milligrams of cannabis at once, you only consume as little as 2 mg at a time.
How Does Microdosing Work?
Your body naturally produces specific chemicals or cannabinoids that fit into your endocannabinoid system in the brain. Together, these cannabinoids embed on the cannabinoid receptors to regulate the body’s systems, including digestion, nerve signaling, and immune system.
These chemicals can sometimes get imbalanced due to stress, tiredness, or lack of sleep, which hampers your productivity.
Fortunately, the compounds found in cannabis mimic the same effect as the natural cannabinoids. They attach themselves to the cannabinoid receptors to improve their functions and give your brain a boost.
As a result, when working from home gets taxing, microdosing cannabis can help improve your focus, memory, and mood. Two essential cannabis compounds are THC and CBD, which play the primary roles in enhancing your brain’s function by microdosing.
THC improves your memory and other cognitive functions. But since THC is anxiolytic in small doses and anxiogenic in high, it makes sense only to use small doses of THC if you want to improve your work. In simple terms, THC is biphasic, which means that it can be detrimental in massive doses but beneficial in small amounts.
As for CBD, you don’t get high. Instead, small doses of CBD help you deal with anxiety and pain, calm your body and mind, and more. So, if you’re consuming only CBD, you don’t need to worry about microdosing, but if you want to use THC for its energetic effects in small doses, microdosing is just the thing for you.
Why Should You Consider Microdosing?
To put it simply, microdosing is a practice of consuming tiny amounts of cannabis to gain more benefits with fewer side effects. It is reported that the practice first began in silicon valley and spread to other workplaces. What started as a secretive practice within silicon valley co-workers to keep them creative throughout the day became viral in no time.
There's not a lot of research claiming any scientific evidence behind this practice; however, many people claim that it works for them. Based on my personal experience, I can tell some truth to it. I tend to be more creative with a few puffs of my favorite strain than how I feel when I hit a big fat high-THC spliff.
Gone are the days when people used cannabis just to get high on a Saturday party night. Now, more people use it for its medicinal purposes. There is no harm in microdosing cannabis because it makes sense to smoke small amounts of high-THC strains rather than consuming it all at once.
That said, let’s get this straight — microdosing won’t solve all your problems. However, it does help you improve focus and enjoy cannabis rather than struggling with psychoactive effects. Microdosing works if you’re stressed and want to lighten up a bit. I’ve known many writers use cannabis just to get a bit more creative. In contrast, overdoing it will produce adverse effects where you want to do nothing other than curling up in the bed.
You may not enjoy microdosing at first because you feel nothing, especially if you’re used to large amounts of cannabis. Furthermore, you’re not supposed to feel any effects anyway — you may be consuming more if you feel anything, so just a mild buzz is what you should be aiming for.
You may not even see any benefits initially, but give it some time. Microdosing has several benefits, including:
- Microdosing cannabis helps you achieve more focus and think clearly about your work.
- It gives you a productivity boost to deal with long working hours and hectic schedules more efficiently.
- It also reduces your chances of getting annoyed at your coworkers by calming your mind. In other words, it reduces your frustration and irritation no matter how wrong everything feels.
- Microdosing takes the stress off your shoulders, so you don’t feel so tired at the end of the day.
- If you suffer from anxiety, microdosing can even help by relaxing your mind and uplifting your mood.
- Sitting in front of the computer forever can be stressful (ask me how I know ;), and microdosing can even help you deal with that.
What are Optimal Microdosing Options?
You can consume cannabis in so many ways — joints, vape pens, pot brownies, topicals, and so much more. So what is suitable for microdosing? Here are your best options for microdosing cannabis:
Edibles
Edibles like gummies or mints that come in multiple THC and CBD-filled formulae are terrific if you are someone who likes munching while working. Make sure you don’t eat too many high-THC gummies; instead, opt for low doses of full-spectrum edibles containing all cannabinoids.
Tinctures
Tinctures are best for working individuals as the bioavailability or the rate at which your body absorbs it is more compared to other methods of consuming cannabis. It may take at least 30-60 minutes to feel the effects, but they certainly last longer than vaping or smoking. You can add a few drops to your coffee, tea, or even water. Tinctures are fantastic because they offer a wide range of THC to CBD ratios, from 1:1 to 18:1.
Joints and vape pens
If you don’t have to sit 1-on-1 with your boss constantly or like smoking, you can even choose microdose joints for quick and easy delivery without the hassle of making brownies.
Tips for Microdosing Cannabis
Of course, we do! Here are a few tips for microdosing cannabis when working from home:
Start small and work your way to the ideal quantity. Otherwise, you will mess it up.
Typically, an ideal microdose of cannabis for most people ranges from 2 mg to 10 mg, depending on your body and tolerance.
We recommend starting with a microdose of 2 mg per day for a few days and tracking your mood and productivity. Then, if you don’t see much improvement, you can start upping the quantity.
There's no harm in starting small, either. For example, the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Chicago, found that participants experienced greater stress-relieving effects from 7.5 mg of THC than 12.5 mg.
So, you never know. A small dose may work better for you.
Cannabis microdoses come in a wide range of THC to CBD ratios. You want to find the ratio that works for you. Ideally, CBD is used to relieve pain and anxiety, whereas THC is used to relax the mind and lift the mood.
You can either start with plain CBD microdoses or those with a THC to CBD ratio of 2:1, 1:1, 1:2, or more.
When ingesting something that alters your state of mood, you may feel either too sleepy or distracted. So, you need to time your microdoses right in the initial days. You don’t want to doze off in an important meeting, right?
So, we recommend that you experient after hours or on weekends to figure out your microdose and then time it properly during your workdays, so it does not hamper your work.
Also, we recommend you avoid microdosing if you have to drive that day — it would be considered driving under the influence (DUI) in most regions.
Summary: How Can Microdosing Help Work-at-Home Jobs?
Microdosing is a terrific way to let the steam off and work with more focus and ease. So, remember, the goal isn’t to get high.
Understand why you want to choose the microdose route during work from home, the ideal cannabis microdose and mode of ingestion for you, and start small and at the right time. Use it responsibly, and you will see yourself excel at work despite not being in the office!
Lastly, understand that cannabis microdose is just a supplement to help you work better. It is not a medical process to deal with work-related problems like anxiety or burnout. We recommend you visit a therapist if you face such issues while working from home.
