If you’ve ever thought about trying magic mushrooms, you’ve probably asked the same question everyone does first: how long will I be high? The answer isn’t one-size-fits-all, but there’s a pretty reliable range. Most people feel the full effects of shrooms for about 4 to 6 hours, though some experiences stretch closer to 8 hours depending on dose, body chemistry, and setting.
Let’s break down what actually happens inside your body, and your mind, when psilocybin kicks in.
The Timeline of a Shroom Trip
Psilocybin, the main active compound in shrooms, starts working after your body converts it into psilocin. This is the molecule that interacts with serotonin receptors and alters perception, emotion, and time awareness.
According to a 2025 MDPI review on psilocybin pharmacokinetics, the effects begin roughly 30 to 60 minutes after ingestion. The peak typically hits around 1.5 to 2 hours in, when visuals, mood shifts, and sensory distortions are strongest. From there, the trip slowly fades, usually ending by the 6-hour mark, though traces of the experience can linger a bit longer.
If you eat mushrooms on a full stomach, the onset might take longer. Brew them into tea or take them in chocolate, and you’ll probably feel them faster since the psilocybin absorbs more easily.
What the “High” Feels Like
The shroom high isn’t the same as being drunk or stoned. It’s more like entering a vivid dream while fully awake. Time can stretch, colors may glow, and ordinary things suddenly feel charged with meaning.
In studies reviewed by JAMA Network Open (2024), participants described the experience as intensely introspective rather than chaotic. While physical effects, like dilated pupils or mild nausea, appear early, the emotional and sensory effects dominate once psilocin levels peak.
For most people, the most intense part lasts two to three hours before gently tapering off. By hour six or seven, the visuals fade and thinking becomes clearer, though some people describe a soft “afterglow” for the rest of the day.
What Affects How Long You’re High
Not everyone’s experience lasts the same amount of time. The duration depends on a few simple factors:
- Dose size: Larger doses extend both intensity and duration.
- Species and potency: Psilocybe azurescens, for instance, is stronger than Psilocybe cubensis.
- Body weight and metabolism: Faster metabolisms clear psilocin quicker.
- Food in your stomach: Food slows absorption, delaying onset.
- Mindset and setting: A calm environment helps the experience flow naturally. Stress or distraction can make time feel distorted.
The Springer pharmacokinetic review (2025) found that psilocin’s half-life in humans is roughly 2 to 3 hours, meaning the chemical itself fades from the bloodstream fairly quickly. That aligns perfectly with most users’ reports of the trip lasting around six hours in total.
The Comedown and Afterglow
Once the high fades, most people experience a gentle comedown rather than a crash. There might be mild tiredness or reflective moods, but not the irritability that follows stimulants or alcohol. Many report feeling unusually peaceful or emotionally open afterward, a state sometimes called the afterglow.
That phase can last anywhere from a few hours to a full day, depending on dose and mindset. During clinical trials, participants often say they feel “mentally reset” the next morning, which matches what neuroscientists have found about psilocybin promoting temporary neuroplasticity.
How Long Psilocybin Stays in the Body
Even after the high ends, psilocin remains detectable in blood or urine for a short period. Most of it leaves the system within 24 hours. In fact, MDPI pharmacokinetic studies show psilocin levels drop sharply after the first six hours, with negligible traces by the next day.
So while the feeling may last six hours, your body clears the substance quickly. That’s why psilocybin is considered short-acting compared to other psychedelics like LSD, which can last twice as long.
Can It Last Longer Than 8 Hours?
In rare cases, especially with high doses or particularly potent species, the trip can reach 8 to 10 hours. This is more common with raw mushrooms taken on an empty stomach. However, even those extended experiences tend to have clear phases: onset, peak, plateau, and slow return to baseline.
If it feels longer, that’s usually because psilocybin changes your perception of time. Hours might feel like days, but the clock keeps its pace.
Direct Answer: How Long Are You High Off Shrooms?
Most people stay high from 4 to 6 hours, with aftereffects lasting up to 8 hours. You’ll usually start feeling it within an hour, peak around the two-hour mark, and return to baseline by the end of the day.
The experience fades naturally, and the emotional afterglow often lingers longer than the psychedelic effects themselves.
Final Thoughts
The length of a shroom trip depends more on you than the mushrooms. Your mindset, your body, and your surroundings all shape how time unfolds during the experience. On average, the journey is short-lived, but for many, the insight it brings lasts far beyond those few hours.
Psilocybin may leave your body quickly, but it has a way of staying in your mind in the best possible way.
Sources
MDPI – Shakila Meshkat et. al 2025 – Pharmacokinetics of Psilocybin: A Systematic Review.
Springer – Marije E. Otto et. al 2025 – Clinical Pharmacokinetics of Psilocin After Psilocybin Administration: A Systematic Review.