CBD benefits for Hangovers

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Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

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Introduction

Hangover – Brown bottle flue – Hamster mouth – Ta dha cinn orm (Irish: There are two heads on me) Crapulence…… There are many ways to describe this terrible self-inflicted feeling. New studies find that CBD could be the solution – No more Hair of the Dog!!

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CBD for hangovers

Let's be honest for a moment here. Sometimes, just sometimes, we might have one or two drinks too many. It seems like such a good idea at the time, then you roll over its 1 pm, and you feel like hell. Your head is pounding, you're dehydrated, and you feel sick. That magic late-night kebab and bottle of Lucozade you were so sure was going to stop your hangover didn't work. Damn.

So, what's your next move? We think it's time you bust out the CBD!

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Why do you get a hangover?

You might be thinking to yourself, “well, it's because I drank too much”, and you might be right. But it's not always quite as simple as that, as anyone who's had the infamous one drink hangover will know.

Hangovers are a result of multiple factors, some more impactful than others. These can be:

• Dehydration
• Sugar Crash
• Low Electrolyte Levels
• Alcohol Withdrawal
• Inflammation

All of these play a role in feeling rough the morning after. And if you're one of the lucky people who doesn't get hangovers, the symptoms are as follows:

• Nausea (Feeling Sick)
• Headache
• Aching
• Tiredness/ Lethargy
• Dry-Mouth
• Shakes
• Anxiety

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What is CBD?

CBD, which stands for “cannabidiol,” is a natural substance found in the cannabis plant. It is a cannabinoid, which is a type of chemical that works with the body's endocannabinoid system (ECS). The ECS is very important for keeping the body in homeostasis, or balance. CBD comes from the hemp variety of the cannabis plant, which has low amounts of THC. This means that using CBD won't get you high.

How CBD Came to Be

CBD has been around for many thousand years. Ancient civilizations like China, India, and Egypt grew cannabis for medical reasons. These cultures knew that the plant might be able to help with health problems and used it to do so. But it wasn't until the 20th century that scientists started to figure out what CBD was and how it helped people.

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How can CBD help a hangover?

Anyone that's into CBD will be looking at the lists above and starting to put the pieces of the puzzle together already!

CBD is used by millions of people worldwide for relief from nearly all of the hangover symptoms mentioned. Coupled with the fact that many people start making other healthier lifestyle choices around the same time as supplementing CBD, you can begin to see why hangovers might just become a thing of that past! Or at least have the edge taken off…

So, let's take a look at exactly how and why CBD may be able to help you with your future (or current) hangovers.

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CBD for hangover nausea

Believe it or not, your body does NOT like alcohol. Your brain, under the influence of alcohol itself, might do an excellent job of fooling you into thinking otherwise, but the reality is alcohol is toxic.

When you drink alcohol, it triggers an alert in the aptly named “vomiting centre” of your brain. Likewise, when you feel sick with a hangover, this same trigger is being applied. It's your body's way of telling you it wants to get rid of the alcohol you've consumed via the same way it came in. Yuck.

Thankfully, however, CBD has been shown to produce some fantastic anti-nausea effects. The vomiting centre is partially controlled by your endocannabinoid system (namely CB1 receptors), the same system CBD works with.

In fact, CBD (and THC) have such excellent anti-nausea properties that they are increasingly taken alongside chemotherapy drugs which cause some of the worst feelings of sickness.

More from our blog:

• CBD and Alcohol
• Can CBD oil help with food addiction?
• How CBD Can Target Your Pain – From Headaches to Arthritis
• CBD Capsules – Water Soluble – 1%
• Can CBD help with Nausea?

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CBD for hangover headaches

One of the most popular medicinal uses for CBD has become as an additional or alternative form of migraine pain relief. So it should come as no surprise to learn that more and more people are turning to CBD to help relieve the #1 hangover symptom – the headache!

Your hangover headache is usually caused by one key factor – dehydration.  

As we mentioned before, alcohol is toxic. When you consume it, your liver needs to work in overdrive to break it down so it can be expelled from your system. Your liver needs water to carry out this process and, as alcohol is a diuretic (it dehydrates the body), the liver must take water from elsewhere in the body. It's this function that leads to dehydration.

One source of this precious water is from the brain's dura mater, a fluid-filled membrane that separates the brain from the skull. When water is taken from this membrane, it shrinks and causes your painful hangover headaches. 

Studies have shown that taking CBD can reduce both the severity and frequency of headaches and migraines and produce pain relieving effects. For example, in one survey, out of 121 test subjects, 103 of them found that the pain was reduced dramatically after consuming cannabinoids.

So, next time you're suffering a hangover headache that just won't budge, give CBD a go. Oh, and maybe try drinking a bit more water too!

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CBD for hangover anxiety

So, you've just woken up after a big night out. You start to think back on the night you just had, and your memory of it is a bit fuzzy. Then the creeping sense of doubt and anxiety kicks in. Did you embarrass yourself? Did you do anything stupid? How did you get home? Where on earth is your phone?!

As symptoms go, hangover anxiety is maybe the worst, especially for those who suffer from anxiety at the best of times. Even people who aren't usually anxious can experience these sorts of thoughts and feelings though.

It stems from the fact that when you drink alcohol, your brain releases dopamine into the areas of your brain associated with reward (hence the reason alcohol can be highly addictive to some people).

The next day your dopamine levels are depleted and anxiety, panic attacks and even depression can arise as a result. CBD has been extensively investigated as an anti-anxiety and anti-depression compound for many different psychiatric disorders. It has been found that CBD can reduce the anxiety that is both induced and occurring naturally.

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CBD for hangover aches and pains

Were you feeling a little bit sore after spending a bit too long showing the dance floor your best moves? Chances are, your body probably isn't used to spending hours at a time boogying the night away. If you aren't, you are probably feeling a bit of muscle soreness due to some minor inflammation.

Luckily for you, CBD is an incredible natural painkiller and anti-inflammatory. In fact, 40% of our own customers use CBD specifically for the management of pain and inflammation. So if you are suffering from aches and pains, you could do a lot worse than a good dose of CBD to get you back on track!

CBD is shown to begin working within minutes of taking it too, so you won't have to wait long to notice a difference! So, next time you maybe went a little too heavy the night before and are suffering a hangover, reach for the CBD!

If you have any further questions or queries CBD related, take a look through our blog for more articles and information on exactly how and what CBD can do for you. Alternatively, if you have any further questions that you can't find an answer to, please feel free to get in touch with our fabulous team by clicking here.

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The Real CBD for Hangovers

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