Should you use cannabis in the morning if you wake up in a bad mood? Let’s see how Science responds!
Even the most common of mortals have ever stood up on the wrong foot. Even the most insufferably cheerful person in the morning ever has a bad awakening. But a recent scientific investigation raises a possibility to elevate the mood and turn around a bad start to the day with the use of herb marijuana for a morning kick start.
This is suggested by a study published in the May issue of the journal ‘Addictive Behaviors’ and led by psychologist Maria Testa, a scientist at the Institute for Research and Clinical Addictions at the University of Buffalo (USA), in which 183 married (or cohabiting couples who had been living together for more than six months), in which at least one member used cannabis at least twice a week, were asked to record their daily use activity for 30 consecutive days. They were also specifically asked to record in an electronic diary (via a mobile app) a “report of the different sensations each time they were about to use cannabis” and again “immediately after they finished using it.”
The study aimed to determine whether a user’s morning mood, whether positive or negative, influenced their cannabis use. Among the researchers’ assumptions was substance and addiction theory, the one that states that humans pursue substance use as a technique to “reduce their psychological discomfort,” such as having coffee in the morning to start. the day because otherwise, it is not a person.
And the researchers found that a lower-than-normal morning mood made cannabis use more likely that day, but they showed that neither morning anxiety nor hostility had a determining impact. What’s more, the research subjects were more likely to use cannabis because of something more prosaic: if their partner also used it.
“For both men and women, the probability of using cannabis on a given day was higher when the positive effect in the morning (the set of positive emotions we felt) was less than average, suggesting that people can use the cannabis to restore positive effect to more typical levels, “the researchers wrote. “However, the results do not provide convincing support for the self-medication hypothesis, because neither hostile nor anxious mood contributed to the subsequent use of cannabis.”
Within minutes after using marijuana, the heart begins to beat faster, the bronchial tubes relax and widen, and the body experiences a feeling of euphoria and well-being. What is the reason for that pleasant feeling of drunkenness? Research to date shows the effects that the main active compound in cannabis, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), has on the brain system responsible for this bodily response.
Of the more than 400 chemical components present in the marijuana plant, THC is the one that causes most of the known effects. When consumed, this compound quickly passes from the lungs into the bloodstream, where it is transported to the rest of the body, including the brain. Upon entering it, THC acts on the person’s gratification system, which is formed by the regions of the brain that administer the response to pleasures such as chocolate or sex.
Additionally, this component of cannabis stimulates brain cells to release a chemical known as dopamine, which generates that feeling of great euphoria. Other effects derived from this process are spontaneous laughter, increased disinhibition, and increased appetite. The perceptions of the five senses are also increased (for example, we see the most striking and bright colors) and the sense of time and distance are distorted.
The effects vary depending on the person and the route of consumption. As several studies point out, smoking marijuana deposits more THC in the bloodstream than eating it. In fact, if cannabis is ingested in a food or drink, the onset of effects is slower, generally starting half an hour to an hour later.
Dopamine and Pleasure Increase Using Cannabis
Neurotransmitters are the foundation of all emotions and thoughts, memory, and learning. In addition, they are responsible for transporting the signals between the nerve cells, or neurons, of the brain.
Dopamine is one of the most important neurotransmitters in the brain system. It is known as the neurotransmitter of pleasure since its main function is to activate the brain’s reward circuits.
What marijuana does is, through THC and other chemicals called cannabinoids, buffer the activity of another neurotransmitter called GABA, which is in charge of controlling the amount of dopamine that is released. Thus, by blocking GABA, the brain’s dopamine level increases. This dopamine is stored in the nucleus ‘accumbens’, a brain region located a few centimeters behind the eyes and popularly known as ‘the pleasure center’. From this part of the brain the euphoria rush is produced and the components of cannabis influence other behaviors such as hunger, sleep, and moods.Â
Does consuming marijuana in the morning allow you to start the day with joy?
The researchers also make clear that they cannot state unequivocally that the improved moods were directly related to cannabis use and not “natural daytime patterns”; and that the “positive consequences” of cannabis use probably reflect the immediate “good drug” feelings associated with marijuana. Simply put, smoking cannabis seems to make the smoker feel good just for the sake of it. Whether or not it is cannabis or the feelings associated with cannabis, cannot be determined with this type of research.
And is that among the limitations of the study is the lack of control over what type of marijuana was used and how much. Because there is a big difference between facing the beginning of the day with a huge balloon produced by a variety with 20% THC and taking a few puffs of a variety rich in CBD before jumping into the shower.
Does this mean you should use cannabis if you wake up in a bad mood? That is entirely up to you and it is possible that the negative feelings or the bad mood in the morning are not related to the consumption of cannabis but rather to the way you have rested during the night. But if you start the day off on the wrong foot and use cannabis sometime throughout the day, there is at least some explanation for the satisfied smile that gets on your face later.
Does marijuana use to improve the relationship?
The research also revealed another important fact: that cannabis use between couples can benefit their relationship, in the bedroom and beyond. “We found strong support for these positive effects within two hours of when couples use marijuana together or in the presence of their partner, especially in so-called” intimacy events, “which include demonstrations of love, caring, and support for”.
Taken together, these findings suggest that marijuana use alone or as a couple can positively impact the intimacy of the relationship. The results were identical for both men and women, so the study author concludes that it is difficult for these couples to stop their use of marijuana, because they instinctively consider it a positive habit for their partner relationship.
