My son woke up every 1 to 3 hours a night, consistently for three and a half years and there were some days I really thought I’d end up in the hospital. Actually I did once, in 2017 when my son was literally waking up every hour for 3 months straight and I had a complete breakdown. My blood pressure skyrocketed so I called the nurses hotline, they told me to go to the ER just to be sure. The most wonderful intake nurse sat me down and told me I was just fine, I was simply exhausted and she would happily take me home with her so I could get some rest, because she felt for me and I felt embarrassed (secretly I wanted to be admitted just so I could get some damned sleep!) I may have felt embarrassed but I was so grateful to that wonderful nurse for giving me the emotional strength to get through that very low moment.
You better believe I used cannabis to get me through it! I’m here to not only teach you how, but to give you permission, cannabis can really help calm frayed nerves, it helps ease stress and brightens your mood.
When you’re having one of those days (or weeks, or months…hell, years)
When you’re having one of those incredibly stressful days, maybe the kids have ear infections and you haven’t slept at all but you still have to take care of cranky, fussy and difficult kids all the while feeling like your insides are screaming. Somehow you have to keep them entertained and safe, but what about you? You’re exhausted, probably have their virus yourself, likely have no help and now you have to drag your stiff, achy body through the day and I’m guessing you’re sneaking away to the bathroom for just a moment to breathe and probably cry.
Welcome to your savior; microdosing with low temperature vaping.
Microdosing cannabis explained
It’s exactly as it sounds, you take very low doses of THC so you don’t feel any intoxication but you do feel the therapeutic effects of cannabis. This is best accomplished with low temperature vaping. Vaporizing is my recommended method, it’s gentler on the lungs, it’s much easier to control the strength of THC, only lasts about 20 min and it doesn’t have the permeating smell that smoking does. Vaporizing has less of a burn out factor as well, when used at a low temperature. Weed Mama has a whole page dedicated to vaporizing!
How to use a dry herb vaporizer to microdose cannabis
There’s a sweet spot with dry herb vaporizing and that’s the temperatures between 170C/338F and 180c/356f. It’s when just enough cannabinoids are released into the vapor to feel it but it’s low enough that you don’t feel high. However this also depends on the strain you’re using. I low THC and high CBD strain will have a much lighter effect than a higher percentage of THC.
I recommend using a strain with a THC percentage of under 10% for microdosing.
CBD vaporizes at a temperature of 180C/356F, so if you’re using a high CBD strain, you’ll need to turn up the vape to a medium temperature. However high CBD strains often have low THC so you can safely crank up the vape a bit.
You’ll also want to be mindful of how many hits you take off of your vaporizer, remember it takes about 15minutes to feel the full effects.
Cannabis will help you get some sleep
As all of us parents know, when the kids sleep there’s still shit to do but even if you decide to put your health first and lie down for a nap, you’ll just lie there thinking about all that shit you have to do and stay awake in that torturous, too-much-adrenaline-to-sleep-even-though-your-body-is-begging-or-it feeling. I’ve been there, so many times I can’t even count but this is when a little cannabis can help you rest.
During the day you many need to use a bit more to help you take a nap, choose strains that have linalool and myrcene as they both have a sedative effect. Keep in mind that terpenes all have different boiling points, check the terpene temperature guide to find out where to set your vaporizer.
The big, fat downside of vaporizers is the cost, the good ones are around $200 and up. That’s a big investment when you aren’t even sure you’ll like it. There’s cheaper starter vapes you can get that are under $100, they tend to be a bit hot when inhaled, so look for vaporizers you can adjust the temperature (some you can’t) and be able to attach a bubbler, this will help cool the vapor. The glass piece mouthpiece that comes with vapes are often too short and harsh, getting a longer stem for your model, especially if it’s bent will help cool it down as well.
Recommended reading: How to buy the best dry herb vaporizer for your lifestyle and my top picks!
Concentrate pens, the easiest way to microdose in the day
Concentrate pens are small, the size of a felt pen and they easily fit in your purse or pocket. You take a draw right from the pen without having to load it our heat it up, it’s fast-acting and you can get concentrate pens in CBD only, a great way to manage symptoms of stress in the day and reduce anxiety.
They’re cheaper than buying a vaporizer, especially if you buy a rechargeable pen, then you just replace the cartridges when it’s used up. If you read the article in Chatelaine “Why I traded in my wine for weed” you’ll see her mention Dosist pens frequently, they’re good vape pens for beginners and microdosing.
Dry herb vaporizing is my go-to if I need a quick pick-me-up in the day as it’s so easy to control your dose and what terpenes you get. Play around with different strains and temperatures to see what works for you.
article updates on March 6, 2022