Do Edibles Work Less Well on a Full Stomach & Why?
There are many benefits to eating marijuana over smoking it.
Consumers who want to attain a constant dose, who are worried about their lungs, and who want a hidden manner to consume cannabis may all choose edibles versus smoking joints. Additionally, edibles provide a powerful full-body high that takes longer to kick in but lasts a long time.
Do Edibles Work Less Well on a Full Stomach & Why?
Consuming edibles, especially the homemade versions, can occasionally be a little glitchy, just like people who prefer to smoke their marijuana may need to do some troubleshooting. Do you know how we know?
People who take edibles must deal with the digestive system as opposed to marijuana smokers, who may rely on the knowledge that all the beneficial components of the cannabis plant will almost immediately enter their circulation after entering their lungs. Your body must first metabolize the THC, CBD, and terpenes in your edibles before you can benefit from them.
Have you ever noticed that when you have edibles for dessert, they “function less well”? When you consume edibles on an empty stomach, are you not getting high? This is why.
What Happens When You Eat Edibles?
Your mouth is the first part of your digestive system that evolved to assist your body in “harvesting” the nutrients and other substances you absorb. Before reaching your stomach, edibles must go through your mouth, where you chew them, your esophagus, and your esophageal sphincter.
The stomach then continues to break down the food and add digestive fluids. The foods will enter your small intestine once they are ready. While the remainder of your GI system continues to function normally, your liver will absorb some of the active ingredients and pass others into your bloodstream.
Contrary to smoking marijuana, which permits the active ingredients to enter your system almost immediately, this process takes some time; for most individuals, it takes between 45 and two hours. Edibles take significantly longer to start working, but they also provide a higher that lasts longer.
However, it’s also critical to remember that some of the active components are lost during digestion. Some of the effects of cannabis are diminished when you take edibles since your liver must digest it. The only way to avoid it is to take marijuana in a different method. This phenomenon is known as the “first pass effect.”
How Does Eating Edibles on a Full Stomach Affect Your High?
In “scientific lingo,” eating edibles while full will “retard your gastric emptying rate.” In layman’s terms, this means that it will take you longer to become high and that the effect will also be weaker. This phenomenon is well-known to anyone who has attempted to get intoxicated quickly while eating a big meal because it also occurs when drinking alcohol.
Your digestion system is slowed down by the food that is already in your stomach when the edibles are introduced to the equation (because that food has to be processed first). Your high will be less potent as a result, and it will take longer to start working.
That gastrointestinal retardation can actually be beneficial for people who are new to edibles or who only want a light high. Are you eager to try edibles after receiving a fresh medical marijuana prescription to treat your symptoms? Take things slow, you’ll nearly always be told. Start with a smaller dosage and consume your edibles after a meal, or as dessert rather than a main course.
This guarantees a positive experience from your high and gives you enough time to get ready. You might want to crawl into bed or sit on the couch and start watching your favorite TV show or reading that new book because edibles often give you a calming and all-over high.
On the other side, more seasoned cannabis aficionados who find that eating edibles doesn’t give them the desired high or that their high takes too long to begin, may ask if eating edibles as their first course may hasten the process.
Can You (Safely) Take Edibles on an Empty Stomach?
Eating the preferred edibles while full will lessen their effects and prolong your high. Is there a simple fix for this issue? Is it possible to eat your edibles without having a main course?
Yes, but there is a catch. It can take up to 50% less time for the benefits of cannabis to fully take effect if you ingest edibles on an empty stomach. If you follow this advice, your height will be stronger and stay much longer. Please take this as a kind warning!
While generally safe, this might not be fun. Your best bet is to reduce your dose by 50% if you’re considering consuming edibles on an empty stomach. You’ll achieve the best of both worlds in this way: a pretty quick high that won’t be too intense for you to handle.
Start there and increase your dose if you want a somewhat more potent result. Don’t undervalue the differences between eating edibles with meals versus on an empty stomach, though. If you’ve ever had a significant amount of alcohol on an empty stomach, you already have a sense of how much quicker and HARDER your high will start to feel.
How do I act if I’ve consumed too many edibles? We’ve developed a guide about it as well since, as any amateur canna-baker will attest, stuff occasionally turns out stronger than you expected.
We spoke with several budtenders, all of whom recommended consuming edibles along with at least a reasonable amount of food, if only for the extra security it offers and the feeling of satiation, which, if you’re familiar with the munchies, is a nice feeling to have while high.
Because of their lasting effects and relative affordability if you create them yourself, one budtender who admitted to being high as we interviewed him about edibles said he only consumes them these days. He also claims to only consume them along with meals since he has found throughout the years that doing so always results in a better experience.
In conclusion, you’re correct! On a full stomach, edibles don’t function as “well,” which is to say as forcefully or rapidly. But if you want to hit that sweet spot, you’ll need to work your way up from a lesser dose to get the desired high from ingesting edibles first thing in the morning.
What to Do the Day After Eating Edibles to Heal
Many new cannabis users frequently state that a day after first consuming an edible, they are still feeling its effects. It may be challenging to distinguish between the improved level of relaxation and any THC aftereffects that may still be there.
For instance, if your “edible hangover” is more like a brain frog and you feel more exhausted than normal, this can be considered a positive rather than a negative side effect of eating edibles. You’ll quickly feel refreshed and recovered if you just drink some water, eat some nice food, watch a few good cartoons or a good stoner movie, and take a cat nap.
The biggest distinction between recuperating from a heavy night of drinking alcohol and recovering from a heavy edible experience is that you haven’t physically harmed yourself in the process, as alcohol can do to the liver. Similar to alcohol, your “hangover” may linger a little longer if you don’t typically consume than it does for more seasoned consumers.
Personally, I feel a halo effect the following day whether I’ve smoked several large bongs or consumed potent edibles. Either you can simply adjust to it (it feels like when you wake up a little foggy from an extremely long daytime nap) or you can process your way through it by eating, drinking water, and sleeping.
Aside from simply waiting it out, getting outside with some sunshine, fresh air, and, hey, some stimulants like coffee or an energy drink will help your body’s natural mechanisms for becoming alert more quickly.
Although we do feel that the morning cup of freshly made coffee tastes exceptionally good after a long night of edible fun, we can generally function just fine and let the edible fog burn off naturally.
