Signs You Have a Weed Hangover

There are reasons why you should smoke weed daily, and then there are reasons you shouldn't. It's all about pacing, knowing your body, and understanding the limitations of marijuana use (whether by your own system's standards, or the actual standard). In my personal experience, I have never felt nor even witnessed a weed hangover, but they are real and can happen to anyone (even myself). There are, unsurprisingly, loads of studies and diagnoses on the so-called weed hangover, the earliest recorded of them being in 1985 by Chait et al., which states:

“The findings suggest that marijuana smoking can produce residual (hangover) effects the day after smoking.”

When the earliest rendition of the study immediately stipulates the issue's existence, chances are it truly does exist, but in being thorough, there are also multitudes of other examinations on the claim, such as Wadsworth (2005) and Heishman (1990). There are even a few others that claim the opposite, as with Fant (1998) and (ironically returning five years after his first discovery) Chait, L.D. (1990). The discovery that all these tests have unearthed are the literal signs you have a weed hangover. Whether you're new to the game (which may account for your very symptoms in the first place) or an avid user, this guide to cannabis 101 will not only showcase what you will experience during a weed hangover but how to amend them for the future.

Difficulty Performing Math & Verbal Expression

Quite seemingly out of the freaking blue, the one major sign you have a weed hangover comes when you find yourself having trouble not only with mathematics, but with verbally expressing yourself. This could also be in line with the following symptom of the "brain fog," but it may even go deeper than that.

First categorized by the likes of Block & Ghoneim (1993), the two discoveries seem to be a little more rare than the other marijuana hangover symptoms. Ill mathematics performances was also backed by research uncovered by Heishman in 1990, so there is some residual grounding in the claims. Here's what to do if you get too high: don't do your homework.

Brain Fog

The all-too-familiar mental confusion, like your mind, is unhinged over something you can't quite explain, seems to make its place as among the most substantial of the signs you have a weed hangover. This isn't meant to be confused with the actual high itself, which can very much be misunderstood.

A brain fog, or brain fart, often stems from the way marijuana can slow your perception of time, hence everything may seem a bit slower than normal for long-term users as opposed to newcomers. The best way to combat this is to simply drink your fill of water. The theory goes that a weed hangover comes about through a subtle form of dehydration, which in of itself can cause memory and brain function impairment.

Fatigue

It's not too hard to see how sleepiness itself can be among the signs you have a weed hangover. There are a couple of tests out there that stipulate smoking marijuana can lead to restless sleep and, especially for those who smoke right before they go to bed, can also lead to a deep feeling of fatigue the following day.

The best way to combat this is by literally sleeping, and making sure that this time your sleep is undisturbed and that you awake well-rested. Also, try not to sleep in for too long; around 6-8 hours of slumber is most ideal, plus the more obvious coffee can suffice.

Dehydration

Yeah, it may be as simple as drinking more water either during the smoking session or afterward, because dehydration is also among signs you have a weed hangover. This is due to the fact that THC's cannabinoid nature makes its ingestion prone to ceasing our production of saliva, since it binds to the receptor of our submandibular glands.

The feeling isn't all too uncommon, since practically every pothead knows the all-too typical (and often despised) feeling of "cotton mouth." The best way to combat this is by drinking lots of water, duh! If you're feeling really under the weather, try out eating some water-rich vegetables or fruits, which will also raise your sugar levels to eliminate fatigue.

Chest of Fire

Some people have even claimed to have their chest feel something quite similar to an actual fire pit. That may sound a little like an exaggeration, but on the contrary, it's not something you want to experience.

Chances are you've experienced this addition to the signs you have a weed hangover, and you don't even realize; you ever hit a bong so hard your chest feels like it's going to explode? That's exactly the same. It's often due to new to the game smokers outdoing themselves, or for people more used to eating edibles. The one way you can get around this issue is continuing edible use, or simply taking your time when smoking, which is key.

Now, I know every smoker on the face of the earth has experienced this one: dry eyes, or red eyes, is one of the most annoying signs you have a weed hangover, and is a residual effect of the cannabis use in general. It's probably one of the easiest side effect to rid, too, since all you need are eye drops.

Sometimes, though, it may not be that easy. If your dry eyes continue after applying anything from Clear Eyes, to the above Rhoto's (I always go with the blue ones), I'd get some sleep. THC makes red eyes occur by dilating the ocular capillaries, and if recurring following a long sleep, chances are you've got yourself a weed hangover my friend.

Easily Distractible

This seems more like something marijuana consumption itself may cause, but it's also among signs you have a weed hangover. If you begin feeling a more shortened attention span after waking the day following a large smoking session, chances are you smoked way too much than necessary.

This was first introduced by Pope et al. (1995), and the only real method of reducing this symptom to memory is by keeping an avid list of the most necessary everyday concerns you may have, like finding some weed hangover medicine (or, water).

Difficulty with Psychomotor Tasks

If you're wondering what the hell this means, you might want to look into Pope et al. (1995) again. He also discusses how one's motor skills may be affected by smoking too much marijuana, as in the high levels of cognitive thinking necessary for motor skills.

While it may be a stipulation of marijuana consumption itself, if you're experiencing prolonged symptoms of reduced motor skill cognition, I'd slow down your smoking, since it's among signs you have a weed hangover. Instead of smoking and driving, though, I'd stick to driving like an asshat in GTA V.

Nausea

One way you know something's wrong is when you feel the onslaught of nausea. No matter what you may be experiencing it for, when nausea hits there's no turning back. You're stuck with feeling either hungry, which is exactly what you'll need in remedying the situation, or you're actually sick.

When it comes to diagnosing the signs you have weed, nausea is one of the more difficult concepts to gather. Chances are marijuana-induced nausea is nowhere as bad as an alcohol hangover, but you won't be experiencing it for long since it only lasts a few hours. Then you can get right back to smoking all the pot you want to, just as long as it's not enough to send you right back to that nausea again.

Short-Term Memory Loss

Surprisingly, while many of us stoners do tend to forget our valuable information or items at the drop of a dime, this can actually be summed up among signs you have a weed hangover. The best way to avoid short-term memory loss as a side effect to too much pot is by smoking less—yes, that's about all I got. The more marijuana you end up consuming, the more likely you are to forget your shit.

This side effect was discussed by various theories and studies on weed hangovers, first brought into the fold by Heishman et al. (1990), then reiterated by Block and Ghoneim (1993), and subsequently brought up in Pope et al. (1995), so it's nothing new.

Congestion

Honestly much more common in cocaine hangovers, congestion is still among the variety of signs you have a weed hangover. Oftentimes, this is among signs you have a weed hangover if you're a new smoker since congestion usually occurs when the smoke enters an individual's lungs.

There's really no way to combat this symptom other than through an increase in smoking habits, which may be the exact opposite of what you're realistically looking for. Either way, I suggest allowing your body to react to the smoke and just take some Mucinex if it really gets that bad.