Using CBD for hangovers is a pro move. CBD works for so many ailments and annoyances, and yes, using CBD for a hangover might be the most amazing benefit of all.
Most CBD users find CBD reduces anxiety, improves sleep, and relieves pain, such as sore muscles and headaches. We often attribute these benefits to the anti-inflammatory properties of CBD. But CBD also works through neurological pathways that regulate bodily functions like nausea, pain, and appetite — all inconveniences you struggle with when dealing with a killer hangover.
No matter what you call it — hangover, hair-ache, the zings, wooden mouth, crapulence (that’s our favorite) — it sucks. Here’s how CBD works for hangovers:
Hangover Symptoms
The well-known symptoms of a hangover include general malaise, fatigue, headache, concentration problems, lousy mood, nausea, vomiting, and sometimes an increased heart rate. Worst case, the physical reactions to a boozy event also involve motor impairments.
However, these impairments could also be due to the residual alcohol. You can’t accelerate the breakdown of alcohol by the liver (contrary to popular belief) with sleep, coffee, or a cold shower.
Why Do I Have a Hangover?
If you can believe it, it’s 2022, and hangovers are still poorly understood by science. However, we know a few factors that play a role.
The accumulation of acetaldehyde (a chemical that breaks down alcohol and impairs the function of your liver and heart), changes in the immune system, sugar metabolism, dehydration, lack of sleep, and malnutrition are all responsible players. Plus, your hangover also depends on your body weight and food intake.
Dehydration is usually responsible for headaches since alcohol draws water from the body. The liver requires a lot of energy to break down alcohol. The body then gets this energy in the form of sugar (glucose) by taking it from other places, for example, the brain. Your brain needs a lot of sugar, which is not sufficiently available when the liver breaks down large amounts of alcohol. As a result, the body becomes hypoglycemic.
In addition, your body forms toxic substances as intermediate products when it breaks down alcohol in the liver. These include, for example, acetaldehyde or formaldehyde, which cause general discomfort.
Can CBD Prevent a Hangover?
You’ve probably heard you can prevent a hangover by eating fatty foods or water-rich veggies and drinking lots of water. But as soon as the DJ plays your jam and you’re feeling buzzed, you probably won’t be thinking about snacking on a cucumber or chugging H₂O.
Studies prove CBD can enhance the effects of alcohol. At least one small study shows that CBD and alcohol amplify the impact of both. When taking CBD with alcohol, you might feel even more mellow than usual or become extra sleepy (which is good for insomnia-fighters.) In 1979, researchers gave subjects 200 mg of CBD with 1 gram of alcohol for every 2.2 pounds of body weight. They observed diminished time perception and motor performance when participants drank alcohol, but when scientists gave them just the CBD, they experienced none of those effects. This verifies that CBD alone causes no such impairment.
Another way CBD prevents hangovers is by helping you reach your optimal intoxication level with less alcohol. Some studies conclude that the blood alcohol level remains lower with CBD than without it. You can achieve a good level of drunkenness with less alcohol if you pair it with CBD, thus preventing or lessening a hangover. Plus, CBD protects your body against cell damage caused by consuming alcohol. It reduces inflammation and encourages the turnover of new cells, leading to tissue regeneration.
Using CBD for a Hangover
Luckily, using CBD for a hangover can feel like a magical, miracle relief bomb when your head is pounding, and you’re regretting every drink from the night before.
Unlike its biological brother THC, CBD doesn’t have an intoxicating effect. Instead, the active ingredient, cannabidiol, has unique abilities. It relieves cramps and anxiety and, as we said, reduces inflammation. Using CBD for a hangover can also alleviate migraines and eliminate nausea.
Comparing the side effects of alcohol consumption with the positive effects of CBD, we think it’s an excellent remedy for hangovers.
Reduce Dehydration
Dehydration causes most of the typical hangover symptoms. Therefore, keeping a plentiful water supply on hand is the easiest, most important way to mitigate hangover risk.
If you can remain clearheaded, you can prevent the worst in the morning by drinking a large glass of water before you go to sleep. The water helps a lot, and once it’s reached its healing limits, you can still get pain relief using CBD for the rest. CBD won’t prevent dehydration, but you can significantly reduce some symptoms and damage.
Prevent Nausea and Vomiting
There’s nothing worse than a pounding headache combined with vomiting (add insult to injury much?), especially when a hangover causes it. As you drink alcohol, your stomach becomes acidic. This results in nausea, which leads to vomiting. Using CBD for a hangover works by activating receptors in the brain that release serotonin, which reduces the uncomfortable queasy feeling.
Ease Headaches and Dizziness
The only thing worse than a headache and vomiting is a headache, vomiting, and a spinning room. Headaches and dizziness associated with alcohol result from an inflammatory response in your immune system. The anti-inflammatory effect of CBD inhibits this reaction and reduces pain.
Save Your Brain
Using CBD to reduce icky sensations is the icing on the hangover cure cake. Perhaps the best reason to use CBD for a hangover is to save brain cells. It’s well known that alcohol damages and destroys brain cells, and cannabidiol protects and keeps these neurons healthy. CBD reduces brain cell damage caused by alcohol and stimulates the growth of new neurons.
Say Goodbye to Hangovers with CBD
Using CBD for a hangover is the best way to feel better fast after a cocktail-filled night with friends. Still, the best defense is a planned offense. The best and easiest way to reduce the severity of a hangover is to limit the number of alcoholic beverages consumed the night before and drink a glass of water for every alcoholic beverage you drink. Hopefully, you won’t wake up feeling awful, but grab your CBD for fast relief if you do.
