Weed Hangovers: How to Cure It

People smoke marijuana for many reasons. Some use it medicinally, others smoke cannabis to feel good, ease tension and boredom, 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 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. 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 you Get one?

Weed hangovers are caused taking in too much of the Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in your marijuana. THC is an active compound in cannabis that gets you high whenever you smoke your favorite weed. It 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.

These hangovers from cannabis are frequent. They happen with smokers who are new in the game and probably don’t know how much THC their body can handle. It even happens with smokers whose bodies have a low tolerance for cannabis, and even more popular with people who consume edible marijuana. Expert smokers can get it too if they have been smoking high THC content all day.

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 lot of saliva. When this happens, the submandibular glands temporarily stop producing saliva and you will begin to experience a dry mouth, which some people call cotton 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. This can cause a marijuana 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”. The cannabinoids will take much more time to digest and the feeling in the morning will be inevitable.

Taking Too Many Edibles

Consumers of edible marijuana are more likely to experience weed hangovers than non-edible consumers. Smoke that is 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 hangover from weed 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 memory are not working properly.

If this is how you feel after smoking, you may be experiencing a weed hangover. 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 THC 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 cannabis!

In a hangover caused by alcohol, a headache occurs due to dehydration. In the case of a headache caused by marijuana, 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 smoking a lot of marijuana. Excessive marijuana can cause Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome.

Dry eyes

THC does not just affect the physical and mental functions of the body, but can effect the blood. 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. 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. However 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. This 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 the 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 the 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.