What are the benefits of Delta 8?

Delta 8 THC benefits.

CBD started the hemp revolution, then came delta 8.

People are turning to delta 8 THC because of its legal advantages. This cannabinoid offers a very similar set of perceptual effects as delta 9 THC from marijuana — but it’s legal in 33 states — 12 of which ban the more common delta 9 THC isomer.

However, there’s plenty of other reasons to turn to delta 8 THC as well. It’s because of these additional benefits that many experts believe delta 8 THC is here to stay.

Here are five of the main reasons people turn to delta 8 THC.

1. Relaxation

The number one reason people report using delta 8 THC — is simply for it’s calming effects.

Even though the potency of delta 8 is about half as strong as delta 9 in terms of its psychological effects, the relaxing qualities are easily twice as strong for delta 8.

Delta 8 THC doesn’t necessarily make you feel sedated (however, it can happen in high doses) — instead, it makes you feel lighter and more laid back. Many people say they feel as though they’re floating.

This is a common sensation brought on by relaxing substances like L-theanine, kava, kanna, and passionflower. It’s also the feeling many avid meditators experience after a particularly “productive” meditation practice.

The idea is that when you’re feeling relaxed and at peace in your own mind, the resistance you constantly face is eliminated. You feel as though you’re moving through life with more fluidity. Everything becomes more passive and efficient. It just seems to come naturally without having to exert any additional effort.

2. Sleep

In lower doses, delta 8 is relaxing — but as you creep up into the higher doses, this relaxing effect becomes heavier and starts to encroach on soporific.

The normal dose of delta 8 is around 10 or 20 mg — but this can vary from one person to another. For example, some people thrive better in the 30 to 40 mg range. However, most people report the higher end of this dose, starting around the 30 or 40 mg mark — makes them feel much more sleepy than the lower doses.

This effect may be a benefit for some and a detriment for others. It all depends on what your goals are for using delta 8.

In general, if you’re looking to use supplements like delta 8 THC to help you sleep, you’re going to want to use a higher dose than you would if you planned to get some work done.

3. Focus

One of the main characteristics of delta 8 is its ability to clear the mind and sharpen focus.

This benefit comes from two main effects: 

1. Interacts with serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine (involved with mood, memory, and mental clarity)
2. Increases the activity of GABA — the brain’s primary inhibitory neurotransmitterInteracts with serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine (involved with mood, memory, and mental clarity)

These are the same mechanisms used by supplements like L-theanine, bacopa, or passionflower — all three of which are well-established for enhancing concentration, focus and promoting higher clarity of thought.

Alot of people use delta 8 THC for its ability to soothe their thoughts. These are the types of people who find it especially difficult to focus on one task at a time. As soon as something is started, only half of their attention is available to finish the job — the other half is off somewhere else thinking something else.

Some people like the benefits of mental acuity when they experience the exact opposite — when their mind feels like it’s moving too slowly.

4. Creativity

Being creative isn’t easy. It requires the ability to allow information to flow freely through the brain with as little resistance as possible.

There are many causes of this resistance — the main one is stress, but others include lack of inspiration or an inability to focus.

Delta 8 seems perfect for enhancing the creative process, facilitating flow states, and changing perspective just enough to find new angles in their creative endeavors.

5. Curb Satiety

If you’ve ever used marijuana, you’re probably familiar with the concept of the munchies — that urge to find something to munch on while you go about your business.

Most people report a dramatic uptick in hunger levels when using delta 8 THC. Whether this is a benefit or not depends on your situation. People who seek out products that can help them feel hungrier — such as bodybuilders, athletes, patients, or people who want the motivation to eat more, will likely find many benefits from using delta 8 THC.

While there are only a few small-scale studies on this effect, the consensus among users is that delta 8 THC is much stronger for curbing satiety than delta 9 THC or most other health supplements.

Why are people turning to delta 8 THC?

Even as marijuana becomes legal across the United States and elsewhere in the world, it’s likely people will continue to seek out this cannabinoid for its more relaxing profile.

When you walk into a dispensary, you can choose between Sativas, Indicas, or Hybrids. Sativas are generally more stimulating, while Indicas tend to be more relaxing. Hybrids sit somewhere in the middle.

Now, you can also choose between your concentrates as well. Delta 8 THC is like the Indicas — offering a stronger set of effects in terms of the relaxing profile. Delta 10 THC is like the Sativas — with a high affinity for providing more stimulating effects. Delta 9 THC is somewhere in the middle, like the hybrids — but with a bit of a lean towards the stimulating side.

If you’re looking for something psychoactive that leans more toward the relaxing side of the spectrum, delta 8 THC is worth exploring.

How does delta 8 THC work?

Delta 8 THC interacts with the same receptors as delta 9 THC. So they’re called the CB1 and CB2 endocannabinoid receptors.

These receptors make up one aspect of the endocannabinoid system (ECS). This system comprises billions of tiny receptors located in virtually every cell of the human body. They’re responsible for regulating a process called homeostasis — which essentially means balance.

This has many implications for the human body, and it’s what gives cannabinoids like CBD or THC such a long list of seemingly unrelated health benefits. For example, when the immune system becomes hyperactive, it can cause us to experience allergies, inflammation, chronic pain, and much more. The endocannabinoid system is tasked with regulating these effects to bring us back towards baseline — thus alleviating many of these effects.

Conversely, when the immune system is underactive, it can cause us to fall sick more often or heal slowly from injuries. The ECS is thus involved with boosting immune function — again with the sole purpose of bringing immune function back towards baseline.

The ECS is involved with many other organ systems as well — offering similar regulating or modulating benefits to the hepatic, cardiovascular, pulmonary, endocrine, and digestive systems.

Cannabinoids like delta 8 THC, CBD, and others work by interacting with the endocannabinoid system. Delta 8 THC targets both the CB1 and CB2 receptors. These receptors are involved in regulating glutamine, GABA, serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, cortisol, and more.

Does delta 8 have any health benefits?

There are many health benefits associated with delta 8 THC. Unfortunately, this cannabinoid has only recently become popular on a large scale, so there are only a few quality studies so far that have been able to elucidate these effects in a clinical setting.

While we’re not in a position to make any specific health claims about delta 8 THC, we can provide a list of some of the current research available on this unique cannabinoid:

1. Pain: Thapa et al., 2018 (animal study) — Topical delta 8 THC significantly reduced pain and swelling involved with eye damage
2. Appetite: Avraham et al., 2004 (animal study) — Delta 8 THC increased the feeding patterns of mice by 22%.
3. Nausea: Abrahamov et al., 1995 (clinical trial) — Delta 8 THC was reported to offer complete inhibition of nausea in children undergoing chemotherapy.

Are there any sides effects of delta 8?

All pharmacologically active compounds carry with them some risk of side effects. This is because a side effect refers to any undesirable biological effect. This means even some of the so-called “benefits” of delta 8 THC could also be deemed a side effect.

For example, take the relaxing qualities of this substance. Many people turn to delta 8 THC to help them sleep, so in this case, the sedative qualities are a benefit. However, others use delta 8 during the day to help with focus and creativity. If they took too much delta 8, they might feel tired and sleepy, which would be undesirable, making this effect a side effect.

With that aside, here are some of the main side effects to watch out for when using delta 8 THC: 

• Fatigue or tiredness
• Dizziness
• Increased hunger
• Dry mouth
• Muscle weakness

Where to buy delta 8?

Delta 8 THC is new to the market and it’s only become popular in the mainstream over the last year. You can now buy delta 8 in-store in any of the states where it’s legal to do so and on-line. However, we suggest you do your homework and buy from a reputable source.

If delta 8 THC sounds like something that might interest you check out our selection of delta 8 products today.