We’ve all been there- you get a little too high the night before, only to wake up the next day not quite feeling like yourself. The solution? Get back on that bong, pipe or joint, and have a few more hits to sort your mind out once again! Although this feeling can be mild and moderate – maybe just manifesting as a bit of brain fog or trouble concentrating – what is dubbed “the weed hangover” is actually very much a real thing.

As with alcohol, though, which we all know tends to make you feel like a ton of bricks just fell on your head, the weed hangover is normally not nearly as severe, and the cause for this experience might not be from the origin that you expected. There are numerous misconceptions regarding feeling “off” the next day after consuming marijuana, so this article serves as a way to hopefully clear up the circulating misinformation.

Keep reading to discover if cannabis can cause a hangover, where we explain in depth and reveal the actual truth…

When Is a Person Susceptible to Getting a “Weed Hangover”?

If you are consuming regular sized doses of cannabis the night before, then don’t expect to feel very groggy the next day. As with alcohol, there’s a point where the quantity propels hungover feelings in the future, and this is the same with cannabis. If you find yourself having bong rip after bong rip, and aren’t normally accustomed to doing so, then don’t be surprised if you wake up with a bit of a weed hangover.

How Can You Expect to Feel with a Cannabis Fueled Hangover, aka Weed Hangover?

Hangovers fueled by cannabis will feel different than the typical alcohol-induced hangovers that most people are accustomed to. If you’ve had too much alcohol to drink, in many ways your body will feel poisoned because alcohol is notoriously not healthy for the body and it wants to quickly get rid of the remnants. This is not the case with over consumption of cannabis. If you’ve smoked too much weed before, then you know that the hangover from cannabis is actually quite bearable, and the symptoms subside effortlessly.

This is because the body is slowly getting rid of the THC, but the high normally subsides after a few hours if you are just smoking marijuana and not for example consuming edibles. Nevertheless, you do still possess small amounts of the THC in your fat cells, as fat binds with THC and stores the element long after the physical high has left your body. This is typically why it takes weeks, if not months, for THC to completely leave the system. The marijuana hangover is normally characterized by the following feelings or experiences:

• Mild nausea
• Dehydration
• Dry eyes/ dry mouth (cottonmouth)
• Brain fog or grogginess
• Coughing, sore throat or congestion
• Fatigue or tiredness
• Lethargy
• Headache

What Causes a Hangover from Cannabis?

Even if you no longer feel high the next morning, the THC will still be present in your body. THC binds to fat cells internally, which is why drug tests can still show up positive for cannabis even weeks after you last took in some weed. These lingering remnants of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, which is one of the main cannabinoids in cannabis that produces the psychoactive “high” feeling, is essentially the cause for the next day grogginess because although you might not be high, you may still feel some of the underlying sensations from the active compound.

Cannabis hangovers are far more common after consuming heavy doses of edibles, which are food items constructed of super high concentrations of marijuana infused in. Edibles have a high that can last anywhere from 3 to sometimes even 20 hours, and after an edible is consumed, the THC is metabolized in the liver into the more potent compound known as THC-COOH. This element is capable of moving from the body and into the brain, which could also be to blame for the grogginess the next day.

Some people also believe that dehydration can increase hangover-like feelings, and this is certainly legitimate being that it is common to not drink enough water while you’re high. Maybe you feel too couch-locked to get up and move, or maybe you simply forgot. Regardless, not drinking enough water is definitely linked to headaches, brain fog, grogginess, fatigue and more – essentially all of the crappy feelings that you get with a hangover. Thus, it is vital to drink plenty of liquids — especially when you are high. Not only will this prevent any next day discomforts, it will also help to take care of the inevitable cottonmouth you’re probably likely to deal with.

What Can You Do if You Are Experiencing a Weed Hangover?

If you are experiencing a marijuana hangover, don’t worry about it! The feelings will pass before you know it, and they are typically much more subtle than the type of hangover that you get from alcohol. If you want to remedy your weed hangover as fast as possible, though, then it is important to start with nourishing your body:

• Be sure to drink plenty of water. Stay hydrated and catch up with any of the water you may have forgotten to drink the day prior.
• Be sure to eat a well-balanced diet and don’t simply pig out on some type of meal that satisfies your taste buds more than your body. Consume a meal rich in healthy fats/oils, and one that includes plenty of vegetables, fruits, vitamins and minerals. Also be sure to add in a protein so that you’ll be able to fuel-up and gain some much needed energy.
• You may want to stay away from a cup of coffee during the morning. It may sound tempting, but the caffeine might actually just make you feel worse and won’t necessarily help your situation.
• By all means, stay away from drinking any alcohol. You won’t feel any better, and you might actually find yourself with a stronger headache afterwards.
• Take a hot shower or warm bath and try to relax your body a little bit.
• Rest plenty and maybe even try some yoga or meditation.
• If all else fails, take some vitamin B supplement and dose-up on your daily vitamins.
• High potency CBD oil also seems to be of great assistance, and can help balance your mind and body out once again. Cannabidiol oil is non-psychoactive, and shouldn’t make you feel any more high than you already are (or were).

If you don’t want to experience a cannabis hangover at all, there are some preventative measures you can take:

• Know your limits and stick to doses of marijuana that you know have been fine for you in the past. Don’t over-indulge and know when you’ve had enough.
• Drink plenty of water before and during your high — trust us, this can help immensely.
• Choose a strain that also contains some CBD, which can help balance out the psychoactive effects of the THC, all while still providing you with the medicinally beneficial qualities.
• Choose healthy snacks to consume while you’re going through the munchies. This can help you feel a little lighter and energized the next morning.

Final Thoughts on Weed Hangovers:

If you’ve ever wondered if marijuana can actually cause you to experience a hangover the next day, then we hope this article answered your questions and cleared up any misinformation about weed and its relation to post-high feelings. At the end of the day it seems that weed hangovers are, indeed, a very real occurrence. However, they’re just so manageable that cannabis consumers don’t mind that much if they have some of the symptoms afterwards.

We hope you not only found this article to be entertaining, but also educational and informative. It is important to remember that the consumption of marijuana is the sole responsibility of the user, and discretion should always be taken.