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Cannabis Hangover: What Is It And How To Deal With It?
Cannabis has a lot of facts and information related to it that you have to wrap your head around before consuming it. This is necessary if you wish to have a pleasant experience rather than one that scars your first session. Once you’ve completed your 420 Evaluation, you will have to learn everything from knowing about the right strain to the perfect dose and everything in between.
In this blog, I’m going to talk about one such important piece of information that you must know about- cannabis hangover.
What is a Cannabis Hangover?
A cannabis hangover will be much easier to understand for people who indulge in alcohol. At some point in time (unless you have tremendous self-control) you may have had extra drinks the night before. And woke up with a heavy head or a severe dry mouth. Well, cannabis hangover falls in a somewhat similar category.
When the effects of marijuana linger the next day or more than it normally should, you have a hangover. This can happen with either of the delivery methods. However, the most common case is among people who use edibles. Ingested cannabis takes longer to process in the body. Sometimes the THC is even converted into a more potent compound called 11-hydroxy-THC. This may cause a stronger and longer duration of effects in the body, even until the next day. This situation is more than likely to happen with those who consume marijuana during night time.
A cannabis hangover is usually the result of the THC content of a strain. It is a well known fact that THC is a psychoactive component. It manipulates the CB receptors in the brain and alters the brain and body functions. This is how it delivers all its therapeutic properties. But in times where overindulgence occurs, whether knowingly or accidentally, the effect of THC on the brain and body also increases. As a result, you experience all the symptoms of a cannabis hangover.
Does it Happen with Everyone?
Cannabis hangover is not a universal experience. The unpredictability of cannabis plays a role here again. Not everyone who uses marijuana gets a hangover the next day. This can be due to the biological variations of every individual. The tolerance, strain, delivery method, genetics of an individual can determine if he or she will deal with the symptoms of a hangover or not or if it will be a severe or a mild case.
Most people who experience cannabis hangovers are those who have just started consuming marijuana. The first step towards using marijuana is to go slow and small. However, it can be difficult for beginners to microdose efficiently. Even some regular users can make mistakes let alone the first-timers. Edibles make it even more difficult to microdose as they take time to show effect. This leads to amateurs making some of the very common mistakes and ending up increasing their dose.
Consequently, they consume more than the required amount. The increased dose takes its toll on the body and the effects linger for a longer time and give you what we call a cannabis hangover.
Similarly, tolerance plays a significant role in the development of a cannabis hangover. People with low tolerance to cannabis(usually beginners) have more chance of experiencing a hangover than those with a higher tolerance. The former category will also develop severe symptoms than the latter ones.
So we can conclude that a cannabis hangover does not happen with everyone. Its occurrence will ultimately depend upon your individual characteristics.
What are the Symptoms of Cannabis Hangover?
It is important to note that there isn’t much research on the subject of cannabis hangovers. This is why there are no concrete answers about if it happens or not. However, some anecdotal evidence suggests that it is very much a possibility. Also, according to a study, people who used cannabis as a sleeping aid experienced fatigue the following day. Recently, patients who used cannabis for chronic pain were identified to have less alertness and more like a foggy experience the next morning.
Based on the existing data, both anecdotal and scientific, the following are the possible symptoms associated with a cannabis hangover.
Dehydration
If you hadn’t consumed anything before and after consuming cannabis, dehydration is more than likely to happen. You can also experience dry mouth and dry eyes due to a lack of saliva production.
Headaches
Headaches are usually a result of dehydration. Lack of proper sleep after cannabis consumption can also cause a headache the following day.
Brain Fogging
Cannabis can alter the cognitive function of the user. With overindulgence, the CB receptors are overstimulated and brain functions such as perspective, reflexes and memory formation dull down. This results in a foggy feeling.
Fatigue
You may also experience a lack of motivation and low energy levels as a symptom of a hangover. An overuse of cannabis can cause such effects in the body.
Nausea
Some users also report the feeling of nausea or vomiting the next day after consuming cannabis. This is your body telling you that you consumed more than you could handle.
Irritability
It is possible that the lingering effects cause you to feel irritated and groggy.
How to Deal with Cannabis Hangovers?
There is no foolproof way of dealing with cannabis hangovers. However, you can try to reduce the effects and prevent it from happening in the future in the following ways.
How to reduce the effects?
- Remember that the feeling and hangover will pass, just give it some time.
- Begin by feeding your body. Get hydrated and fuel up with some nutritious food.
- If you feel nauseated, try having some light meals and medication after consulting a physician.
- A cool shower can counter the headache and fogginess.
- Try using CBD. It can block the THC from reacting with the receptors and reduce the effects.
- Sleep out the hangover if you feel fatigued or are unable to handle it.
- In severe cases, contact a professional immediately.
How to prevent cannabis hangovers?
- Reduce your indulgence. If your hangovers are a common scenario then it is possible that you have been overindulging.
- Try taking a tolerance break to avoid hangover symptoms.
- Reduce your dose. Most cannabis hangovers are results of overdoses. Make sure that you are following the rules of micro dosing and being patient with its effects.
- Avoid using cannabis with other substances like alcohol and prescribed medications.
- Buy you cannabis from a licensed dispensary only. This ensures that you have a quality product and that it is safe.
- Look at the labels. Do not buy a strain without checking the THC and CBD content and lab results. This will help determine the correct dose to avoid feeling miserable the next morning.
Final Thoughts
Whether you are a recreational or a medical user, cannabis hangover can hit anyone at any time. But now you know how to counter it if in case it happens with you or a friend of yours. Just remember, it is not sure that what works for others may work for you and vice versa. You will have to work these measures through time to know what suits you.
