People smoke marijuana for many reasons – some use it as drugs, others smoke cannabis to feel good, ease tension and boredom, escape depression and life’s problems, or seek deeper insights for creativity. However, when smokers consume too much marijuana, they begin to experience weed hangovers. Although many people think hangovers are a perfect myth to demarket marijuana intake, research and experience from smokers have shown that they do occur.
What’s a Weed Hangover?
Ever had too much alcohol at night only to wake up the next morning feeling sick and dizzy with a headache and fatigue that made you less productive the whole day? That’s what we call a hangover.
Hangovers are signs and symptoms that people experience (usually in the morning) after a night of heavy drinking or smoking session. Although the severity of a weed hangover depends on the quantity of marijuana consumed, hangovers from cannabis are generally less severe than alcohol hangovers, which makes them very easy to miss.
How Does it Happen?
Weed hangovers are caused by the Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in your marijuana. THC is an active compound in cannabis that gets you high whenever you smoke your favorite weed. THC can still linger in your body for weeks even when you no longer feel “high” because it binds with fat cells in your body. This means that you will be able to feel the signs or sensations from the principal psychoactive constituent of your cannabis, which causes uneasiness.
Weed hangovers are frequent with: smokers who are new in the game and probably don’t know how much THC their body can handle, smokers whose bodies have a low tolerance for cannabis, and even more popular with people who consume edible marijuana.
Can I Get Dehydrated from Cannabis?
You bet! Dehydration is a symptom of cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome. The cannabis attaches itself to the submandibular glands in the mouth which are responsible for producing a high percentage of all saliva. When this happens, the submandibular glands temporarily stop producing saliva and you will begin to experience a dry mouth.
The result is waking up like you’ve been standing in the middle of the Sahara desert under the unbearable sun for hours with the only water supply being the imaginary fountain you create in your head. Maybe it’s not that bad, but you get the point.
Causes of a Marijuana Hangover?
Smoking too much in a short amount of time
When you start smoking, you want to keep taking draws after draws because the feeling is unbeatable. But this can cause a weed hangover, and you won’t feel so good after the “high” effects wear off. There is only so much THC your body can ingest at a time. So when you keep loading it with the cannabis within a short space; your body will begin to scream “system overload” (in a computerized voice). The cannabinoids will take much more time to digest and morning sickness will be inevitable.
Taking too many Edibles
Consumers of edible marijuana are more likely to experience weed hangovers than non-edible consumers. Drugs that are inhaled pass through the body very quickly because they are fast working agents, however, edible cannabis take twice more time because they have to be broken down by the body into simpler substance before the proper digestion can take place. This means you won’t get high as fast as you will when smoking; hence you might tend to consume too much at once in a bid to reach that “high” feeling more quickly.
The result of this is having an overwhelming amount of undigested THC in the body. The hangover effects will be much more pronounced and will take longer to wear off.
Getting too High Before you Sleep
Although hangovers can occur at any time of the day, they are usually in full effect the morning after a night of heavy smoking. Allowing yourself to get too high right before bedtime is a perfect reason for your body to say good morning to you with a bout of morning sickness.
Symptoms of the Hangover
Now that you know what a weed hangover is, what signs indicate that you have one?
Brain Fog
Brain fog is not a serious medical condition (so no need to get scared); it is just a term used to describe cloudy thinking, confusion, disorientation, or memory problems. This can make you feel as if your thinking processes, understanding, and remembering are not working properly.
If this is how you feel after smoking, you may be experiencing a weed hangover. Like all hangovers, it can affect your work and relationships, and leave you feeling like you can’t get going. If you need your focus and mental clarity, it’s advisable to take a marijuana tolerance break, or a hangover can punish you when you don’t need that kind of drama in your life.
Fatigue
No matter how long you sleep, hangovers will always make you feel like you ran a marathon in your dreams. An overwhelming feeling of tiredness with an urge to stay in bed all day is not uncommon. Fatigue is one of the pointers of a weed hangover, so when you find yourself exhausted when you did not do any hard work, it’s just the excess weed jumping around in your system.
Lack of Motivation
This is not a very obvious symptom with everyone, but it happens sometimes. You’ll lack the motivation to do important stuff and can end up being unproductive the whole day.
Headache
What’s a hangover without a headache? It is the most common symptom of all hangovers, including the ones induced by weed! In a hangover caused by alcohol, a headache occurs due to dehydration. In the case of a headache caused by marijuana; however, the cause isn’t as clear. Even so, many still believe that dehydration could be the catalyst.
Nausea
This is not common, but many smokers have claimed that they experienced some form of nausea, especially after heavy weed intake.
Dry Eyes
THC does not just affect the physical and mental functions of the body, but the blood too. It decreases blood pressure which causes dilation of capillaries (the ocular capillaries). This increases blood flow in the eyes causing them to look bloodshot red.
Cannabis Hangover Cures
No matter how mild the effects of a weed hangover might be, it’s still uncomfortable, and no one wants to deal with it. Here are a few tips to help you overcome the stress it brings.
Take a Shower
A hot or warm shower can solve many problems, hangover inclusive. It can reawaken sleeping senses, get you back on your feet, and set your mind in its right place. This is helpful especially if you have a busy day ahead. Just sit in the shower for a while and allow the water to soothe your body calmly. You’ll feel a lot better when you’re done.
Take some CBD
Cannabidiol oil (CBD) is known to counteract the effects of THC because of its non-psychoactive nature. The use of CBD at the same time as THC may limit the degree of the hangover effect, though it can extend the maximum amount of psychoactivity associated with THC because CBD modulates THC’s forces at the CB1 receptor. CBD also protects the function of the Salience network in the brain, which reduces the tendency of THC to cause anxiety, paranoia or memory impairment.
Drink a lot of Cold Water
What’s the cure to dehydration? Water, more water, and lots of water. THC temporarily deactivates the salivary gland’s ability to produce saliva. This leads to a dry mouth and dehydration which can cause a pounding headache. It is advisable to have a glass of water handy, and as you continue taking sips, you’ll gradually start feeling better.
You don’t even have to wait till you get a hangover before taking water. You can begin by drinking water before, during, and after your marijuana time to reduce your chances of experiencing one.
Drink some Stimulants like Tea and Coffee
Clear your head with a hot cup of tea or coffee. If you have to go to work, you’re going to need coffee for some extra boost of energy until your body deals with all the excess THC.
The coffee isn’t going to do anything for the hangover, but it’ll help clear off the feeling of staying in bed all day and drain off fatigue so you can be up and doing. However, the caffeine contains a diuretic effect which might make things a little worse so try to drink enough water with your coffee and you’re good to go!
Eat Better
Nothing beats a well-prepared meal. Don’t go on an empty stomach to prevent nausea. Eat good food so that you don’t feel drained and weak during the day.
Exercise
Exercise works like magic as it helps to boost blood flow. It is a great way to ease off the effects of brain fog. Do some yoga, take a walk around the block, anything that keeps your body in motion. You’ll feel a lot sharper and clear-headed afterward.
Conclusion
With limited research on the subject, most of what we know about weed hangovers are from our personal experiences that tell the tale of what happens when we go a little too intense with cannabis.
Thankfully, it is not an actual medical condition and can be cured with natural home remedies. A weed hangover might be bearable but always have it at the back of your mind that the more weed you take, the more severe the symptoms will be. It is also advisable to take a marijuana t-break whenever your weed hangovers are becoming too much.
