Do you believe that Cannabis can give you a hangover? Fortunately, the herb is nothing like alcohol. You can do all night vaporizing Cannabis without experiencing headaches, upset stomach, and body ache.  

However, Cannabis does have it’s own “hangover” effect, albeit a mild one. Here’s some information about when to expect a cannabis hangover and what to do if you already have one.

Does Cannabis Give you a Hangover?

A cannabis hangover often happens after unusually large doses of Cannabis. Take too many bong rips last night? Don’t be surprised if you find yourself a little dizzy.

Cannabis’s acute effects only last a few hours, but residual effects can linger for a while after consuming, especially if you’ve intake a large number of cannabis edibles.

Some of the signs of a cannabis hangover include:

  • Fatigue
  • Headache
  • Lethargy
  • Grogginess
  • Dry eyes
  • Lack of appetite
  • Mild nausea
  • Coughing or congestion

After gasping the herb, you can expect to experience a “high” for three to four hours, peaking during the first hour or so. After eating an edible, the effects can take up to two hours to kick in and last up to six hours.

What causes cannabis hangovers?

The plant’s main psychoactive component, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), has a long half-life. That means that you can still experience some of THC’s effects after the primary psychoactive high has subsided.

The cannabinoid hides out in fat for a substantial amount of time. As you burn fat, some THC is released into your system. After consuming an excessive THC, you can count on the cannabinoid hanging around for a while. For this reason, it takes quite a long time to entirely clear THC from your system.

Cannabis hangovers are also more likely after eating edible Cannabis. After an edible, the liver metabolizes THC into a more potent compound. This compound is called THC-COOH, and it can readily move from the blood into the brain.

Edibles produce a far stronger high than inhaled Cannabis, which is one reason it is so easy to become a little too loopy after overindulging in some cannabis-infused treats.

Edible Cannabis is also more likely to cause a long hangover. Edibles take a significant amount of time to work through the digestive tract.

If you’ve eaten too many, the body can take up to a day to fully digest the food. Your digestive tract can keep metabolizing THC for up to a day or so after consuming an edible.

While the experience will be more potent at first, it’s not uncommon to feel a lingering, low-grade high for up to 48 hours after going hog-wild with some infused goodies.

Some experts suggest that teens may experience more of this hangover effect than adults. According to neuroscientist Dr. Frances Jensen, author of The Teenage Brain, Not only does the teen brain have more places for the Cannabis to land, but it stays there longer. It locks on longer than in the adult brain.

If they were to get high over a weekend, the effects might still be on Thursday and Friday later that week. An adult wouldn’t have that same long-term effect.

In this case, she is not suggesting that the cannabis high lasts nearly a week in teens. Rather, one of the concerns is that teens are more likely to experience more subtle symptoms like grogginess, trouble with memory, brain fog, fatigue, and lack of focus for up to a few days after a weekend smoke out.

How to remove hangover with Cannabis?

The first step to fixing a cannabis hangover is knowing how to prevent one. To prevent a hangover,

  • Don’t over-indulge, stick to a reasonable dose
  • Eat a balanced diet with plenty of healthy fats, fruits, and vegetables
  • Avoid excess sugar, caffeine, and alcohol
  • Drink plenty of water
  • Have some high-CBD cannabis on hand

To fix a cannabis hangover, you need to do the following:

  • Get some moderate physical exercise
  • Eat a healthy meal, including something with fish and plenty of fruits and veggies
  • Drink plenty of water
  • Take a B vitamin supplement
  • Take a hot shower
  • Relax and get some sleep
  • Try a small dose of high-CBD Cannabis

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