Knowing our ideal “sweet spot” dosage for microdosing can be very similar to this; it is difficult to define or convey and only effective for you.
Microdosing is the regular practice of taking subliminal doses of a psychoactive substance to achieve long-term benefits, such as mood enhancement, enhanced cognition and creativity.
What is the best 'sweet spot' dosage?
When it comes to microdosing, the ideal "sweet spot" dose is different for everyone and can sometimes change over time during our microdosing journey.
It's a bit like falling in love, it's hard to describe but you will know when you are.
First, by definition, a microdose is one-tenth or even one-twentieth of a macrodose or recreational dose. Taken several days apart and not intended to induce a "high", it can be difficult to determine the ideal minimum effective dose.
A broader, longer-term perspective is needed here. It's not about the immediate "effects" but rather about the subtle longer-term changes and improvements.
How to find your sweet spot?
The process of finding your unique sweet spot is quite simple, but it does require some beta testing and experimentation.
For this article, let's take the example of psilocybin truffles.
Many start with a dose of 0.5 grams. It is important to always start on a day when you have no other obligations, such as work. This way you can afford to get used to the feeling and fully explore it.
Now suppose that 0.5 grams is not enough. It didn't work for you and you didn't notice anything wrong.
In this case, the day after microdosing, you can increase the dose, for example to 0.75 grams.
Keep track of how you feel and remember to reflect on the past few days/weeks.
Now, with 0.75 grams, it might be a little too much (anxiety/mild nausea/anxiety) and so you decide to reduce the dose again on the next microdosing day.
Next time choose 0.65 grams. This time you have reached the top ten. You feel good and can comfortably enter a state of flow. It's a good sign that you've found your sweet spot !
Of course, the above is just an example, but the process always remains the same. Refinement, journaling, and experimentation until you find your perfect dose.
By definition, this also means that you take a little too much at least once. This is an extremely important part of the process to find out where your individual microdosing limit is.
Don't worry though, nothing bad will happen and you won't start to "stumble".
Finding the "sweet spot" is an important part of microdosing.
How do I know if I've taken too much in one dose?
When we have taken more than the ideal "sweet spot" dose, we may feel mildly nauseous, anxious, restless or even deeply relaxed/sleepy.
Many compare it to drinking an extra cup of coffee.
Taking in more than you need is a feeling that can last anywhere from thirty minutes to several hours.
If we feel that we have consumed a little more during the day, try eating something, lying down, taking a walk, keeping a journal, drawing or listening to music.
Remember, that's not a bad thing. Sub-noticeable doses combined with cumulative effects tracking is how we know we've hit our sweet spot.
Now you know where your limit is, and that's good.
The indicators to find the "Sweet Spot"
Now that we know the technical details of how to find our sweet spot, let's take a look at some metrics we can factor into this journey.
Below, we look at some of the key metrics to look for that will help us determine if microdosing is working for us.
The quality of our lives is largely determined by our daily habits, how we feel about our bodies, and our relationships with others.
Using these three pillars, we can begin to define and measure the effect of microdosing.
How our daily habits are changing
What do we do every day that can be conscious or unconscious, useful or harmful?
If we were to analyze a pie chart that shows us how we spend our days, what would we notice about ourselves? Would we meet the habits we want to break one day?
Maybe we're overwhelmed by habits we haven't yet created.
A habit is not just what we do, but how we do it. How do we spend the first 90 minutes after waking up? What is our bedtime routine? What do we drink or eat to calm down?
What habit do we use to start focusing on the day ahead? What is our time management habit? What do we do every day on autopilot?
Our customers often report that the urge to smoke has "left" them and the urge is almost gone. Many reports suggest that they finally implemented this morning run and kept it going.
Others report that their previous compulsive behaviors, such as constantly checking their phone, have decreased significantly.
A study published last year found that microdosing psychedelics such as LSD and psilocybin mushrooms was associated with spontaneous improvements in meditation (49% of participants), exercise (49%), food (36%) and sleep (29%). as well as with reduced consumption of caffeine (44%), alcohol (42%) and tobacco (21%).
This shows us that microdosing can be a great catalyst for kicking ineffective habits and replacing them with ones that serve us better.
How we feel in our body
How we feel in our body largely determines our actions in the short and long term.
If we feel anxious or overwhelmed, we are more likely to do whatever it takes to feel better (self-soothing and self-medicating).
If we don't sleep well, face brain fog and/or creative block, long term these unresolved issues can dramatically dictate our quality of life.
Microdosing has anecdotal evidence showing its neuroplastic properties can help with issues such as depression, ADHD, OCD, insomnia, cognitive ability, creative output, and more.
Dealing with issues such as poor sleep quality, compulsive behaviors, mood imbalances, and productivity can literally define our day and soon our life.
Improvements in these areas mean that the self-soothing tactics we used to use are no longer necessary, eliminating the problem at the source.
Feeling better about our body allows us to make better food choices, more enthusiasm for physical activity and more energy to live optimally.
How our relationships inform us
Our relationships at home, at work, and in the world at large are excellent mirrors of our state of mind.
Over the past 60 years, thousands of studies have been conducted that prove the causal relationship between quality relationships and optimal physical health.
How do we respond to the love of a loved one? How often do we get road rage? How available are we for our children? Do we feel crippling nervousness when speaking in public? Does our spouse/partner feel listened to and understood by us?
The old adage says: "Happy woman, happy life". But really, that can be said about any relationship that matters to us. Whether or not we show up, and how we show up, how open, approachable, and present we are can make or break not just personal relationships, but professional ones as well.
Our ability to give or receive care, affection and attention has a major impact on the quality of our lives. If we are more pleasant to be around, the world will feel lighter, brighter and more loving.
Once you find your ideal dosage, your practice of microdosing becomes easier and more powerful.
Conclusion
Finding the right "sweet spot" for microdosing takes work and a little experimental thinking. But once we find out, the challenge is definitely worth it.
As we adjust our dosage, it may be helpful to ask ourselves the following questions:
- Do I feel more present in my body?
- Do I wake up feeling refreshed?
- Has my pet been more affectionate lately?
- Did I forget I had road rage today?
- Is my yoga practice more balanced?
- Am I generally more calm/enthusiastic?
- Has my ability to concentrate changed/improved?
- Have strangers complimented me lately?
- Have I noticed a decrease in my cravings for bad habit XYZ?
- Was I able to easily implement the new XYZ habit?
- Do I find myself singing a song or whistling a tune?
- Are your OCD/ADHD symptoms more manageable lately?
- Have my loved ones mentioned that my mood seems to have improved?
- Do I feel more alert, more able to cope with life in general?
- Have I taken up the pen/brush/musical instrument again after a long absence?
In conclusion, a recent study from Johns Hopkins University reports that:
"Critically, even the lowest amount used in the study produced noticeable and lasting positive changes in the subjects' attitudes, behaviors, overall satisfaction, and spiritual beliefs over the study period. These changes have also been observed by family members and friends.
"We appear to have found substance levels and specific conditions of use that yield a high probability of a deep and rewarding experience, a sufficiently low probability of psychological struggle, and a very low risk of actual harm," says Dr. Roland Griffiths."
Sometimes we notice a change in ourselves after just a few days of microdosing. Sometimes it can take several weeks.
The best way to understand all of this is to keep a daily journal , track your progress, analyze your data, and ask people around you for feedback.
Use the free Notion template to track your progress . Notion is a free platform where you can modify the template to create your own personal microdosing diary.
The name of the microdosing game is ineffective doses, with breaks that lead to positive results over time.
All information in this article is based on sources and references, and all opinions expressed are my own. I do not give advice to anyone and although I am happy to discuss topics, if anyone has another question or concern they should seek advice from a competent specialist. People who have psychiatric, neurological, or cardiovascular conditions or who use psychiatric medications should avoid microdosing altogether.
Sources:
https://www.microdose-pro.com/sweet-spot
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https://www.beckleyfoundation.org/microdosing-and-neuroplasticity/
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