Does Weed Make You Dehydrated?

By
Aanchal Rao
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Does Weed Make You Dehydrated- DATOS

In simple terms, dehydration happens when your body loses more water than it gets. When this occurs, your body can’t work properly.

Usually, when we’re thirsty, it’s a sign that we need water. But sometimes, we feel thirsty when we’re already dehydrated, especially as we get older. So, it’s a good idea to drink more water when you’re sick, it’s hot outside, or you’re active.

If you’re dehydrated, you’ll notice some signs. The most obvious is that you pee less, and your urine is darker yellow. You might also feel tired or dizzy, which can be confused with feeling not-so-great after using weed.

Dehydration happens because we lose water when we breathe, sweat, urine, make spit, and more. If you don’t drink appropriate amount of water to replace what you lose, you become dehydrated.

Sometimes, we don’t mean to get dehydrated. We might forget to drink water when we’re busy, not feel thirsty, or even when we’re using marijuana. When you smoke or use marijuana, it’s common to get a dry mouth, but does that mean you’re dehydrated?

How Marijuana Affects Your Body’s Water Levels

People who smoke marijuana often get a dry mouth, which is sometimes called “cotton mouth.” A dry mouth can also be a sign of dehydration, but when marijuana smokers experience it, it doesn’t mean they’re dehydrated.

Smoking marijuana doesn’t make you dehydrated, even though it might feel that way. After using weed, some people feel dizzy, have a dry mouth, or feel lightheaded, and these are also signs of dehydration. So, it’s easy to mix up the reasons behind these symptoms.

When you smoke weed, your mouth gets dry because of THC (that’s the stuff in marijuana that makes you feel high). THC sticks to the glands that make saliva in your mouth, so your body doesn’t produce as much saliva. But this doesn’t mean your body is lacking water.

In contrast, a dry mouth when you’re dehydrated happens because your body doesn’t have enough water or the right balance of salts and minerals (which are called electrolytes).

Weed itself doesn’t usually make your body lose water. There’s no clear proof that weed causes dehydration. However, some things people often do when they use weed can lead to dehydration. For instance, if you drink alcohol while using marijuana, it can make you dehydrated. So, it’s best not to mix alcohol and weed to avoid this and other side effects.

But, there’s a rare condition called cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS) that can cause dehydration in a small percentage of daily, users of marijuana (about 6% of them). CHS makes people feel really sick with vomiting, nausea, and stomach pain.

CHS usually has three stages. First, regular, long-term marijuana users may feel sick in the morning and have stomach pain. In the second stage, they can experience vomiting, nausea, lose weight because they eat less, and get dehydrated. The third stage is getting better, which shows that stopping using marijuana, and that’s the only sure way to treat CHS.

The Signs of Dehydration Caused by Weed

To put it simply, weed itself doesn’t make you dehydrated, but people who smoke it can still become dehydrated for other reasons. Actually, around 75% of Americans, whether they use weed or not, are often not drinking enough water and might not even realize it. So, it’s possible that someone who smokes weed was already dehydrated before they started.

When you use weed and when you’re dehydrated, you might feel similar things like a dry mouth, dizziness, tiredness, super thirsty, and more. People often mix up these symptoms. It’s important to know that if you’re dehydrated and then you smoke weed, the bad effects can be worse.

That’s because when you’re high, your vessels of blood get shorter, making it even harder to send water to your body’s cells that are already lacking water.

If you use marijuana, it’s a good idea to drink enough water to avoid these problems:

  • Feeling super thirsty
  • Having a dry mouth
  • Getting headaches
  • Muscle cramps (when your muscles suddenly tighten up)
  • Feeling dizzy or lightheaded
  • Being really tired
  • Having a white tongue
  • Feeling pain in your back
  • Being easily annoyed

Some of these issues can also happen when you use marijuana, but they’ll get worse if you’re already dehydrated. A simple way to know if you’re dehydrated is to look at your pee. If it’s dark in color, you need to drink more water.

How to Keep from Getting Dehydrated When Using Weed

One of the best ways to avoid getting dehydrated when you use weed is to use it in moderation. This also lowers your chances of getting something called CHS.

Also, it’s a good idea not to drink alcohol when you’re using weed because alcohol makes you lose more water. If you do have alcohol, be sure to drink lots of water too. If you feel tired or not so great the day after using weed, skipping coffee or drinks with caffeine is best because they can make you lose more water. Instead, try to let your body recover by taking extra sleep.

Apart from these tips, there are a few more ways to avoid dehydration when using weed, which we’ll talk about next.

Choose Healthy Snacks and Foods

Think carefully about the snacks and foods you pick, mainly when you have munchies after using weed. If you eat a lot of salty or processed foods, it can make your body have more sodium, and then you’ll feel even thirstier than usual.

Your body tries to balance the amount of sodium and water, so you should drink more water to keep this balance right. If you don’t drink enough, your body will take water from your cells, which leaves you dehydrated.

Normally, about 20% of the water your body needs comes from the food you eat. When you’re using weed, try to choose snacks and foods that have lots of water in them, like cucumbers, peppers, lettuce or celery. Watermelon and strawberries are also great choices because they keep you well-hydrated.

Have the Right Drinks to Stay Hydrated

Besides drinking lots of water, there are other drinks that can keep you hydrated when you use weed:

  • Skimmed milk is even better at hydrating than water.
  • Tea is not only good for hydration but also helps you feel relaxed and less stressed. Just avoid teas with caffeine, like green tea, because they can make you lose water.
  • Water of coconut is hydrating and has electrolytes, which are like little helpers for your body.
  • You can also have mixes of hydration that you can maintain with you all day or when you’re using weed. These not only hydrate you but also taste good and can help with the munchies.

Make smoothies with your veggies and favourite fresh fruits. You can add coconut water or milk to make them super hydrating. You can even put in liquid cannabis extracts if you like.

But remember, it’s important to do these things all the time, not just when you use weed. Dehydration when using weed can make all the bad effects worse, like dizziness, headaches, and feeling tired. So, keep yourself hydrated regularly.

More Ways to Stay Hydrated

Usually, it’s a good idea to consume about 3 liters of water each day (that’s about 100 ounces) to maintain your body hydrated. Ensure you have water or other drinks that help with hydration nearby, mainly when your mouth gets dry after using weed. Try to stay away from energy drinks or sugary sodas because they can make you lose more water.

Here are some tips for staying hydrated when you use marijuana:

  • Chew on ice cubes.
  • Use a lozenge (like a throat drop).
  • Don’t mix weed with alcohol.
  • Try not to eat too many sugary or salty snacks because they can make you dehydrated.
  • Drink water all day long, not just when you’re using weed.
  • Eat less fried foods and processed foods because they have a lot of salt that can make you lose water.

However, you should be careful not to drink too much water. Drinking too much water in a short time can cause a condition called water intoxication, where you have too much water in your body. This can be really dangerous, even deadly, if you drink whole 100 ounces of water in only 1 to 2 hours. So, it’s better to spread out your water intake throughout the day.

In general, there are a number of ways to stay hydrated when using marijuana. The best and most useful method to stay healthy is to use marijuana in moderation and have a healthy diet and lifestyle. We don’t always feel thirsty when we want to have water, so having plain water and hydrating drinks available is a good way to avoid getting dehydrated.

Again, staying hydrated is a sure way to reduce the symptoms of feeling not so-great the day after using marijuana.

Read More: Does Weed Make You Dehydrated?

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