CBD Oil for Hangovers?

The hangover!  Unfortunately, everyone has been there…  The nausea, the headache, the feeling of fuzziness and mental impairment. Though popular culture has produced movies, songs, and listicles on hangovers, there’s still no tried-and-true cure (besides not drinking in the first place).

CBD oil might offer some hope for those in the throes of a hangover. Let’s take a look at the way CBD oil interacts with feelings of nausea, migraines, and inflammatory pain in the body. Though nothing cures a hangover, CBD oil might help (and replacing alcohol use with CBD oil might make the hangover a thing of the past anyway).

Let’s start with some sobering facts about hangovers:

1. The hangover reaches its absolute worst when your blood alcohol content (BAC) drops to 0 after drinking. So if you’re still drunk in the morning when you wake up, rest assured: the hangover will worsen as your sober up ⁽¹⁾.
2. Hangovers can last up to 24 hours ⁽²⁾.
3. Even if you’re not still drunk, a hangover can actually impair day-to-day activities by impacting your cognition ⁽³⁾.
4. One study showed drinking cost the United States $249 billion in a year, thanks in part to the financial repercussions of hungover people choosing to skip school or work ⁽⁴⁾.

So what are the symptoms of this affliction that’s plagued so many of us?

Nausea, headaches and migraines, decreased cognitive and motor skills, and general pain are some of the most commonly reported hangover symptoms. Many people report feeling extremely dehydrated while hungover and also suffer from feelings of extreme exhaustion.

How does CBD oil interact with some of these common hangover symptoms?

1. Nausea:  Many studies have shown that the endocannabinoidsystem in humans regulates nausea and vomiting ⁽⁵⁾. CBD oil, which interacts directly with the endocannabinoid system, has been studied extensively for this use. One study ⁽⁶⁾ suggested that CBD oil’s impact in nausea is related to its activation of autoreceptors in the dorsal raphe nucleus, or DRN, which is located in the midbrain and pons ⁽⁷⁾.  In fact, CBD’s links with anti-nausea and antiemetic (anti-vomiting) outcomes have led to researchers studying it in regards to chemotherapy treatments ⁽⁸⁾.

As far as hangovers go, a decrease in nausea would be key to increased comfort. It could also help make water more palatable and encourage proper hydration due to its anti-emetic effects

2. Headache & Migraine:  One study concluded that CBD oil, because of the promise of its “anticonvulsive, analgesic, antiemetic, and anti-inflammatory” effects, could prove a valuable asset in migraine management ⁽⁹⁾. There is also anecdotal support for this. In a story run by the Irish Times, Colette Frawley, a long time migraine sufferer, had this to say on CBD oil ⁽¹⁰⁾:

“When I first got it I decided to go off all painkillers to give it a fair chance. The first time I took it I could actually feel the headache lessening immediately. I thought, ‘This is probably just a fluke’. But it works and I didn’t go back on the painkillers…”

3. Pain and inflammation:  The worst hangovers are known for a general feeling of pain and inflammation throughout the body. Many people will turn to aspirin to help combat these symptoms, but popular NSAIDs like Tylenol are shown to be detrimental to the liver ⁽¹¹⁾. Testing the limits of your liver is the last thing you want to do after a night of heavy drinking.

Several studies have shown that CBD oil is known as an asset for pain management in general. In fact, Sativex, a medication derived from cannabis, has been shown to be efficacious in treating severe pain ⁽¹²⁾. For use in a hangover, it could present a viable alternative to normal NSAIDs.

Can CBD oil (in place of alcohol) prevent hangovers in the first place?

According to the American Addiction Centers, there are some definite connections between alcohol use and anxiety ⁽¹³⁾. Many people turn to booze to help achieve ease and relaxation, leading to long-term health effects and, yes, hangovers. How can CBD oil offer a better option for coping with anxiety in social situations?

• First of all, CBD oil doesn’t contain THC, which is the substance associated with psychoactive responses. So it’s possible to unwind and relax with CBD without suffering the extreme disorientation, cognitive impairment, and yes, hangover, associated with alcohol.
• CBD oil has been shown to naturally decrease all kinds of anxiety. In particular, one study showed that CBD oil can be used to help ease symptoms of Social Anxiety Disorder ⁽¹⁴⁾.

The best way to avoid a hangover is to avoid alcohol. And if you’re suffering from alcohol addiction, your first step is to contact a medical or mental health professional. But if you find yourself occasionally suffering from the nausea, vomiting, and debilitating headaches associated with a hangover, you might want to consider CBD oil.

Sources:

(1) ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3827719/
(2) ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3827719/
(3) ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3827719/#R14
(4) cnbc.com/2015/10/15/cdc-binge-drinking-cost-us-economy-249b-in-2010-on-hangovers-crime-healthcare.html
(5) ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21175589
(6) ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21827451
(7) ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18772036
(8) ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3165951/
(9) ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5928495/
(10)irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/migraine-sufferer-finds-relief-in-cannabis-derived-oil-1.2886770
(11) medicalnewstoday.com/articles/5089.php
(12) ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2503660/
(13) americanaddictioncenters.org/alcoholism-treatment/anxiety/
(14) journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0269881110379283