There is a huge controversy surrounding the weed hangover and whether or not it is real. Surely, the only people who say a weed hangover isn’t a real thing are those who have just become completely accustomed to it! Want to learn what the symptoms are and how to deal with them? You can learn how in this article.
A weed hangover? But hangovers are the entire reason I stopped drinking! Well, cannabis isn’t an exception to the rule by any means. Overdoing it can absolutely result in a weed hangover, otherwise known as a stone-over. Some stoners don’t think it’s a real thing, but I suspect that’s just because they’ve become used to the symptoms of a weed hangover.
In any case, there are actually studies about this. Yes – there are crazy scientists out there who want to know the truth about the residual effect of using cannabis. So, it’s time to set some things straight. There is definitely such a thing as a weed hangover, and here are some signs that you’re experiencing it!
So, the weed hangover, what is it exactly?
The research on weed hangovers
What we can observe from the very little research that has taken place about weed hangovers is that it probably has something to do with overuse, just like alcohol. The biggest study was conducted in 1985. There were only 13 men in total, and they were tested with some cannabis containing less than 3% THC. As you can imagine, it wasn’t quite the THC level that we are used to smoking today.
The men were subjected to a handful of different tasks, including sorting cards and free recall exercises. They repeated these exercises the next day, and the researchers noticed that in the group of people who used the herb (compared to those who were given a placebo), there was a significant residual effect! Basically, the test subjects couldn’t do things as well as they could the day before.
The truth is that we don’t really need research to prove the existence of a weed hangover. If you ever spent a night hotboxing a friend’s car, you know it’s real. The symptoms are a true thing. And unfortunately, it seems like there’s no real way to avoid them except to avoid getting too stoned in the first place.
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A weed hangover is NOT caused by dehydration
A common misconception is that a weed hangover is caused by dehydration. Although this is the case with alcohol, weed doesn’t dehydrate the body when it is used. Cottonmouth is not a symptom of dehydration. In fact, the drys are caused by the THC molecules binding to certain parts of the mouth with produce saliva. That binding effectively causes those parts to stop producing saliva, leaving you with a cottonmouth.
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It’s more common with edibles
As it seems from the anecdotal evidence, weed hangovers are far more common after using edibles than they are from smoking. We might be able to figure out what this one is about. When we talk about residual effects, it’s usually from overuse. Maybe what’s actually happening is that you wake up and are still stoned. Whereas you’re usually used to feeling clear after a good night’s sleep, waking up still stoned can make you feel fifty different shades of weird.
Edibles generally have a longer lasting effect than joints, and it makes total sense that they could last well into the next day – especially if you went hack on the brownies. That foggy feeling the next day is probably because you’re still stoned when you were expecting to feel human again. A cold shower usually does the trick!
What are the symptoms of a weed hangover?
1. Red eyes
Cannabis enthusiast are used to having to deal with a case of the red eyes immediately after smoking. For most of us, a shower and a good night’s sleep is enough to make that go away. But for some, it lingers. How unfortunate for those who have to deal with red eyes well into the next day! It makes it next to impossible to hide the details of the previous night from your boss. Thank the weed gods for eye drops, and don’t smoke so much next time!
2. Headaches
Although this isn’t as common as red eyes, some people experience headaches as a symptom of the weed hangover. Well, smoking a lot is probably a little tough on the skull. Inhaling the fumes of weed for a few hours instead of oxygen might upset your brain a little bit. You might have to suffer for a few hours in exchange for the pleasure you experienced the previous night.
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3. A chest that feels like a fire pit!
Ah, I know the feeling of this one. If your stoner circle loves to get on the bong, sometimes the stone-over causes your chest to feel incredibly sore. Smoking is hard on the lungs, especially if you’re more accustomed to using edibles. This one is usually experienced by people who don’t often smoke, whereas regular smokers can ignore this weed hangover symptom easily.
Of course, if you notice that after a big smoke your nose is all blocked and your chest is punishing you, you could always make the switch to edibles or a vaporizer. This doesn’t mean you can avoid a weed hangover, as we already discussed. But your lungs will certainly be happier!
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4. The brain fart
This is probably the most common symptom of a weed hangover, and arguably the worst. It’s like you have to spend half of the next day recovering half of your brain. Regular tasks suddenly seem like you’re doing them for the first time, you can’t remember where you put anything, and all you want to do is daydream or go to sleep.
I think the brain fart is the biggest perpetrator of the weed hangover, and the one most people associate with. It’s why some people won’t have a huge smoking session the day before they have to write an important email or go to an important meeting.
Let’s face it: the morning after can be pure confusion. Everything is just twice as difficult and requires twice the amount of energy. My recommendation for the brain fart is a strong cup of coffee and a shower. Basically, anything to stimulate the senses again back into the physical world!
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The best way out of a weed-hangover…
Is just to smoke again? I remember hearing this one in my days as a drinker: the best way to avoid a hangover is to stay drunk. The same might be true of cannabis, but you can’t let it go on forever, right? Only let this be a last resort. In fact, it’s not even that effective. It will just delay your hangover for a few more hours. The best way out of a weed hangover is time! There are other things you can do, such as get a healthy meal into and hydrate well. And of course, don’t forget – so that next time, you won’t smoke enough to induce a weed hangover!
