by Tough Mama

You wake up in the morning, the sunlight hits you — and you know it’s not going to be the lovely day from that old song. You’re a little groggy, your eyes feel like someone shook out a bathing suit in them, and you’re feeling a little foggy. 

Could it be a weed hangover? Are weed hangovers even a real thing? And most important of all, how do you make it better? 

You’ve got questions about marijuana hangovers, and Mama’s got the answers you’re looking for. Here’s everything you need to know about how to handle the occasional morning-after yuck.

Weed Hangovers: the TL;DR

Mama knows sometimes you just want the facts without a lot of explanation, so here’s the TL;DR version.

• Weed hangovers are probably a real thing. Yeah, Mama said it.
• The main symptoms are dry eyes, cottonmouth, grogginess, brain fog, and sometimes, headache. 
• They’re pretty rare.
• They’re a lot less gnarly than hangovers caused by alcohol.
• The main cause of weed hangovers is too much high-potency weed.
• Not drinking enough water, eating too many Takis in a munchies-induced haze, and getting stoned on an empty stomach can also cause you to feel hungover. 
• There are things you can do to feel better the morning after a serious session, like taking a shower, drinking some coffee, and eating a good breakfast.
• The best way to avoid weed hangovers is to stick to your limits.

Are Weed Hangovers Real? Scientists Don’t Know, but Stoners Say So 

This is where Mama would usually whip out a few scientific studies to give you the down-low, but newsflash — scientists haven’t done a whole lot of research about marijuana hangovers. Maybe they were too busy trying to prove that it’s a gateway drug and all the other scare stories you read. Insert eye roll here. 

There are only a few studies on whether weed gives you a hangover. They’re pretty old, and only included young men as subjects, so they may not apply to everyone. 

• One study in 1985 had 13 guys smoke either a joint or a placebo (a.k.a, a fake joint). Then, they had them do a bunch of simple tests that night and the next morning. They found that the guys who smoked the real deal didn’t judge the passage of time as accurately in the morning as the guys who smoked the fake doobies. The researchers concluded that smoking marijuana may have some subtle “residual” effects.
• In a 1990 study, researchers had 12 guys smoke weed one weekend, and fake doobies the next. Each weekend, they had them answer questions and do tests the morning after they smoked. They found no real differences in their results between the two weekends and concluded that weed doesn’t cause hangover effects.
• In 2015, researchers asked medical marijuana users what they liked best and least about using medical cannabis. Some of the people who answered mentioned “marijuana hangover” and “a foggy, non-alert feeling in the morning.” The study doesn’t mention how common those particular effects were. They were lumped in with the 21% of smokers who said they didn’t like the smell, the munchies, coughing, or feeling paranoia. 

So science is pretty split on whether or not weed hangovers even exist. But stoners have been talking about weed hangovers practically as long as they’ve been lighting up. That’s what scientists call “anecdotal evidence,” and anecdotal evidence often turns out to be on point. It’s obvious that some people have some kind of symptoms the morning after enjoying themselves, but the very fact that folks still have to ask if it’s a real thing suggests that it’s pretty rare.

The bottom line: Yeah, weed hangovers are a real thing. But they’re pretty rare and the effects are pretty tame. 

What Causes Weed Hangovers? 

The first answer to that one is pretty basic. The most common cause of being stoned-over is smoking or ingesting edibles beyond your tolerance level. Just like greening out, when you smoke more than your body is used to, you might feel crappy afterward. You’re more likely to experience some symptoms if you’re indulging in high THC products, especially if it’s more potent than you’re used to, or if you use more than usual.

Some folks suggest that the morning after grogginess, sleepiness, and general blah-ness isn’t actually a hangover. Instead, they say, you’re just still high from last night. This can be especially true with edibles, which take much longer to kick in and deliver a high that can last for hours. 

It’s also possible that you’re feeling the effects of something else. *Cough*Alcohol*Cough*. If crossfading is your thing and you get that hungover feeling in the morning, you might be blaming the wrong intoxicant. Booze hangovers come with symptoms — like nausea and pounding headaches — that don’t usually happen when you stick to weed. 

If you like your intoxicants in liquid form, Tough Mama’s Yolo Shotz come in tasty flavors, mix well with your favorite mixers, and kick in fast to get the party started. Check out Mama’s recipe for Lucky Lemon Lime Elixir and follow on Insta for more tasty home-baked goodie ideas.

What Are the Symptoms of a Weed Hangover?

The most common symptoms of being stoned-over include… 

• Fatigue
• Sleepiness
• Brain fog
• Grogginess
• Dry eyes 
• Dry mouth
• Mild headache

How to Get Rid of a Weed Hangover

The best way to get your day going if you wake up still feeling baked is to just get on with your day. That may sound like some of Mama’s Tough Love, but it turns out that a typical morning routine is just what the doctor ordered for those symptoms.

Here’s Mama’s weed hangover cure:

• Take a shower. You can try alternating hot and cold water, but really, just getting under the water will help wake your system up and get your circulation going.
• Drink a cup of coffee. Caffeine will help jumpstart your alertness.
• Go for a brisk walk or do a quick workout. Just like the shower and the coffee, it will help wake you up.
• Eat a good breakfast. Hey, good nutrition is the key to feeling right any time, and it’s especially helpful if you’ve overindulged in anything the night before. Keep it light, and hit all the important food groups.
• Invest in some eye drops. Burning, grainy eyes? This, too, shall pass, but in the meantime, over-the-counter eye drops can help soothe them.
• Get the juices flowing. To deal with cotton mouth, try chewing some gum or sucking on hard candy. Either of those will give your salivary glands a little poke.

How to Avoid a Weed Hangover 

The best way to deal with a weed hangover is not to get one in the first place. Duh. 

Here’s Mama’s best advice on getting properly baked without feeling burned in the morning.

• Know your personal limits. If you’ve been around the block a bit, you know what yours are.
• If you’re trying something new — especially if it’s stronger than your usual — start low and go slow. 
• Listen to your body. It will let you know when you’ve hit the point of a little more is a little too much.
• Avoid mixing your intoxicants. Or at least know that if you do, the chances of feeling grim in the morning are a lot higher.
• Start the party earlier. If your late-night seshes make it hard for you to get going in the morning, try indulging earlier in the evening.
• Eat before you toke. 

Weed hangovers aren’t inevitable — some people will never wake up twice-baked — but they can happen to even the toughest of us. The trick is knowing what to expect and what to do if it happens to you. 

Now that you’ve got all the info you need, Mama doesn’t want to hear any more whining. You know what to do.

Sources

PubMed – ‘Hangover’ Effects the Morning After Marijuana Smoking

Psychopharmacology Subjective and Behavioral Effects of Marijuana the Morning After Smoking

PubMed – Chronic Pain Patients’ Perspectives of Medical Cannabis