Dealing with a hangover from weed is different from a hangover from alcohol, but its unpleasant nature causes cannabis users to seek ways how to counter it.
Have you ever felt hungover after consuming cannabis? You’re not alone. A recent study published in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs found that nearly eight percent of participants who consumed marijuana reported experiencing a hangover on the day after using.
While you might think this is a strange result, it’s actually pretty common. A hangover from weed can include symptoms like fatigue, headaches, dehydration, and nausea. In fact, about one-third of people who consume marijuana will experience some form of hangover symptom.
Maybe you’ve experienced this yourself and dismissed it as being nothing more than a “weed hangover.”
You might have even wondered if it’s possible to get hungover from weed since it isn’t considered a drug. However, not everyone experiences the same symptoms after they smoke or consume cannabis products.
The term “hangover” refers to a set of symptoms that occur after consuming alcohol or other substances that cause intoxication. The effects are most often related to the body’s reaction to the substance and include things like fatigue, lethargy, headache, nausea, dehydration and more.
What Might Cause A Weed Hangover?
The reason why weed hangovers happen is twofold: One, there is a good chance that you’re dehydrated from smoking.
There are several reasons for this—marijuana can cause dry mouth as well as vomiting and nausea—but the most common cause is actually much more mundane: smoking weed can make you feel really, really thirsty.
But since your body is already drying out from the weed, drinking too much water isn’t going to help your dehydration. In fact, it will probably just make you feel worse.
The second reason for a weed hangover is your endocannabinoid system has reached overload. This causes the brain to produce less of your natural endocannabinoids because there are so many cannabinoids floating around inside of you (cannabinoids are what give marijuana its psychoactive effect).
What Types Of Products Cause A Hangover From Weed?
The most common reason why people experience a hangover from weed is by getting too high the night before, but you can also get one from using too much cannabis the day before.
It’s not just smoking that can cause a weed hangover; eating edibles and consuming other cannabis products can lead to a hangover too.
Edibles
Edibles are a common culprit of weed hangovers because it’s easy to eat or drink more than you planned. Cannabis edibles take longer to take effect than smoking weed because they have to be digested before you feel their effects.
If you don’t notice the effects right away, it’s tempting to eat more. But that usually leads to an unpleasant side effect: overconsumption and a nasty case of “the spins”.
Some strains of weed contain very high levels of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), which is the psychoactive compound in marijuana responsible for its effects on mood and memory.
Some strains are much higher in THC than others, and one study found that many strains of cannabis on the market are 16% higher than strains a decade ago.
Vaping
Vaping cannabis products may be less harmful than smoking, but it still has some negative side effects. In particular, vaping too much can make you feel dizzy, nauseous, or anxious as well as give you a headache and dry mouth the next day.
If you vape too much cannabis oil, it can also lead to something called cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS), which is characterized by severe abdominal
Can Dehydration Cause A Weed Hangover?
There’s no question that weed can make you feel hungover the next day, but contrary to popular belief, it might not actually be because of dehydration. A hangover is technically a post-intoxication syndrome, and while cannabis is a drug that alters your perception of reality, intoxication from THC doesn’t cause a hangover.
As weed becomes more accepted and normalized, there are more conversations around the effects of marijuana on our body—and along with it comes the myth that weed makes you dehydrated.
There have been countless articles about how marijuana causes dehydration and dry mouth (colloquially known as cottonmouth), but there’s no scientific evidence that says cannabis consumption causes dehydration.
One study found that “there was no evidence of brain dehydration when blood levels of THC were high,” although the same study did find that cannabis consumption did lead to decreased blood pressure.
Another study conducted by researchers at the University of Buffalo found that unlike alcohol, which reduces nerve growth factors in the brain, marijuana actually increases those factors and encourages new brain cell growth.
Cannabis’ effect on nerve growth factor production is important because they are responsible for keeping our hearts beating and maintaining muscle control in our bodies (not to mention they’re helpful in recovering from a concussion).
Symptoms Of A Weed Hangover
It’s not a secret that over-indulging in marijuana can result in some unwanted side effects. In fact, if you partake too much, you may even wake up feeling like you’ve had one too many cocktails the night before.
Fatigue
Feeling fatigued the day after smoking weed is a common problem, especially if you are not used to it.
Brain Fog
There is no doubt that a weed hangover can cause you to experience brain fog. Experiencing brain fog can be quite unpleasant and cause you to feel a little more sluggish as you go about your day.
Nausea
It’s common to feel nauseous after smoking weed, particularly if you’re a first-time user. This can be a very unpleasant experience, but fortunately, it usually isn’t dangerous. If you frequently have this reaction, however, it may be time to cut back on your consumption.
Nausea associated with weed use is caused by the way THC interacts with the brain and body. THC is the chemical in marijuana that causes intoxication and other effects, including nausea.
When THC enters your bloodstream, it travels to the brain and binds to cannabinoid receptors throughout the brain and body. This interferes with the way your endocannabinoid system works.
The endocannabinoid system is a central part of how your brain and body to function normally. It plays an important role in regulating feelings and emotions, including nausea. By interfering with this system — according to official NIH research — THC can cause nausea or increase nausea that already exists for other reasons.
Final Thoughts
While a hangover from weed can be quite annoying and uncomfortable to deal with, it is also natural. If you still have any concerns about getting a hangover from weed after reading this article, then talk to your doctor, or do additional research online. You’ll be glad you did in order to progress through your weed hangover as best as possible.
