5 Common Morning Habits That Aren’t Great

Maria Loreto

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May 30, 2020

5 Common Morning Habits That Aren’t Great

Morning routines can determine how the rest of your day will go. Here are some common habits that you should try to avoid.

We all have our morning routines that help us focus and start the day off right — at least that’s what we assume. Although these habits are very personal, there’s a lot of overlap with the majority of the population. People like to have their coffee, watch TV and check their phones to catch up on ~~world news~~ Instagram.

Whatever works for you works for you, but there are a few tweaks here and there that can improve your mornings and make you feel better for the rest of your day. Bustle spoke with experts and compiled a list of popular morning habits that are not that healthy when you give them a closer look.

Jumping right out of bed

While ripping the band-aid off quickly works for many (who are these people?), there are some experts who believe it promotes anxiety. Dr. Catherine Jackson explains that rushing so early in the day puts unnecessary stress on your body, increasing your need to get everything done as soon as possible. If you’re an anxious person, waking up 5 or 10 minutes earlier than usual in order to meditate and have some time to think could really improve your attitude toward the rest of your day.

Checking your phone

instagram is considering making their like invisible — Photo by rawpixel.com

You knew this one was coming. This habit is extremely common, with almost everyone checking their phone first thing in the morning since they have to interact with it in order to deactivate their alarm. While checking social media or reading the news might be something you like to do, these activities are highly addictive, delaying the start of your day and distracting you from other things. There’s also nothing more stressful than waking up to a bunch of unread emails or by reading crazy tweets from politicians.

Eating lots of carbs

There’s a common belief that consuming high caloric meals in the morning is good for you, because it gives you energy for the rest of the day. While this is true, consuming a lot of carbs, especially simple ones, like sugar cereal or pastries, can make you feel very sluggish and bloated. Experts recommend getting in some protein and fat with your carbs. Foods you may have thought were carb-heavy but are actually great sources of protein and fat include: oatmeal, sprouted grain bread, and chickpea flour pancakes.

Thinking about your to-do lists

To-do lists remind us of all the stuff we need to do, which is great, but maybe checking them first thing in the morning is not what you need. This anxious feeling can quickly become overwhelming when you’re waking up to particularly busy days, filled with meetings and things you need to do. Keep your to-do lists in mind, but try to push them to the back of your head, at least while you’re waking up and getting ready to work.

Washing your hair

Lots of people need a shower first thing in the morning in order to feel like they’re up and awake, which is great, but maybe skip the shampoo. Society has taught us to wash our hair more than necessary, leaving most people with tons of split ends and dryness. Buy a shower cap and try washing your hair every other day or every couple of days. Two words: dry shampoo. You’ll quickly notice the change.

The Unusual Way Prince William Has Dealt With Anxiety

Patricia Wallace

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May 30, 2020

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The Unusual Way Prince William Has Dealt With Anxiety

The Duke of Cambridge opens up about how he’s managed to deal with intense anxiety while giving important speeches.

There’s possibly no better time to discuss mental health than during a pandemic when many are struggling with anxiety and depression. It’s a featured topic in a new documentary called Football, Prince William and Our Mental Health.

In the documentary, which aired earlier this week on BBC One, William interviews soccer players and fans across the U.K. in an attempt to destigmatize mental health issues surrounding men.

Having grown up in the public eye, the Duke of Cambridge is no stranger to anxiety himself. In the documentary, he shares that, “Certain days, especially certain speeches as well when I was growing up, you definitely get a bit of anxiety.”

William revealed that his failing eyesight actually helped him manage his anxiety when giving public speeches.

“My eyesight started to tail off a little bit as I got older, and I didn’t used to wear contacts when I was working, so actually when I gave speeches I couldn’t see anyone’s face,” he says. “And it helps, because it’s just a blur of faces and because you can’t see anyone looking at you—I can see enough to read the paper and stuff like that—but I couldn’t actually see the whole room. And actually that really helps with my anxiety.”

Speaking to former soccer player Marvin Sordell, William added that the trauma and anxiety he experienced when his mom, Princess Diana, died, resurfaced when he had his own kids.

“Having children is the biggest life-changing moment, it really is. I think when you’ve been through something traumatic in life…my mother dying when I was younger, the emotions come back, in leaps and bounds.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CApRAKkgjMu/

Last year, in another BBC documentary, William talked about the loss of Princess Di when he was just 15-years-old, saying that he experienced “pain like no other.”

It’s one of the reasons he’s able to be a proponent of mental health and why he is urging British men in particular to open up about their struggles.

Cleaning Marijuana Gear Without Using Rubbing Alcohol

Maria Loreto

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May 29, 2020

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Cleaning Marijuana Gear Without Using Rubbing Alcohol

The coronavirus has created a shortage of many cleaning products, including rubbing alcohol. Here’s how you can effectively clean your bongs and pipes without it.

The pandemic has affected the production of a variety of disinfectants, from hand sanitizer and Clorox wipes, to the latest product in short supply: rubbing alcohol. These items, intended to clean surfaces, heal cuts and disinfect all sorts of areas of your home, are in high demand during the pandemic for obvious reasons. But sometimes you need rubbing alcohol for more mundane and non-related COVID-19 activities, like making sure your bong is clean and your hits don’t taste strange.

Luckily for you, there’s lots of ways to clean your marijuana gear. As always, the best way to prevent the build up of gunk on your expensive smoke pieces is to clean them regularly and to never use products that may harm the materials in them or your health. Here are three cheap and easy ways to do it.

Vinegar & coarse salt

How To Clean Your Marijuana Gear With No Rubbing Alcohol — Photo by Jason Tuinstra via Unsplash

This simple mixture doesn’t require much and it’s completely safe for bongs and pipes, removing all kinds of caked on grime and ensuring your smoke piece is clean. (You might just have to scrub a little more without the alcohol.)

Simply mix some vinegar and coarse salt and use the mixture to clean the inside of a bong, coating it entirely. Use a scrub brush or Q-tip for the parts that are harder to reach. This recipe is also highly adaptable; you can swap the salt for baking soda or the vinegar for vodka, which isn’t ideal in these heavy-drinking pandemic times, but chose your fighter.

Bong & pipe cleaning products

marijuana pipe — Photo by SharonMcCutcheon via Pixabay

Marijuana cleaning products like 420 Formula and ResRemover may be more expensive than salt and vinegar, but they smell pretty nice smells and are very easy to use. There’s different categories of products, including those that can treat glass, plastic or are meant for soaking.

Bong & pipe cleaning kits

If you’re new to this world, you may be surprised to find out just how many companies sell bong and pipe cleaning kits. These kits contain all the necessary cleaning supplies for your smoke piece(s), such as cleaners, brushes, wipes, seals for joints and mouthpieces, screens for reducing build up in bong water, and more.

Your Genes Have A Surprising Impact On How Marijuana Affects You

Maria Loreto

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May 29, 2020

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Your Genes Have A Surprising Impact On How Marijuana Affects You

Studies have found links between genetics and the ways in which people react to marijuana.

Marijuana is a widely used drug yet it remains unpredictable. Seasoned users can usually manage the effect that marijuana has on them, while also staying calm during an unpredictable high. For newcomers, however, it’s different; novice users usually can’t predict how the drug will affect them, whether it’ll lead to a paranoid high or giggle fest.

Science says your genes might play a part in how your body reacts to cannabis.

Cannabis functions by binding itself to the cannabinoid receptors in our bodies, which are located in our cells, containing our individual DNA. Mutations in CB1 or CB2 receptors can make you more vulnerable to different illnesses, such as Chron’s disease or anorexia. These changes could also impact how your cells bind to different molecules including the ones in cannabis.

In a 2019 study, published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, researchers found that a variable in the gene CHRNA2 could increase the risk of becoming addicted to cannabis. Cannabis addiction is something that’s not all that understood, with many people doubting its existence. Symptoms of marijuana withdrawal include depression, irritability, a higher heart rate and more.

While this gene doesn’t indicate whether or not someone is a marijuana addict, it does increase the odds of these kinds of responses to heavy use of the drug.

nice genes this new dating app using your dna to find your perfect match — Photo by PublicDomainPictures via Pixabay

All of this means that when sharing a bong or a joint with friends, a few of them can have slightly different reactions depending on several factors including their genome, personal experience with the drug and the strain they’re ingesting.

Genes are extremely complex. Although we’re born with some genetic mutations, other mutations can occur due to the things we’re exposed to throughout our lives, such as the foods we eat, the germs we interact with, our levels of stress, and more.

There’s a lot we don’t understand about cannabis and its impact on our genes, but there’s a lot of possibilities once you start playing around with these variables, hopefully resulting in more medicinal and recreational effects of the drug.

How Marijuana And CBD Help Create Calm, Healing Walks

David Hodes

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May 29, 2020

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How Marijuana And CBD Help Create Calm, Healing Walks

The heightened visual and auditory senses that cannabis can provide are just the ticket for many people who experience a daily anxiety buzzkill.

Being locked down or otherwise limited in your movements during this pandemic doesn’t mean you are down and out on keeping physically fit.

But it does mean you are limited on your options for getting out like you used to. Those long walks that used to be just a part of what you did once or twice a week in your fitness regime is now becoming a bigger part of a daily routine. And cannabis should be right there with you, mind and body.

There has been more scientific research on terpenes in cannabis where scientists are finding interesting properties that come into play for those moving and grooving while fighting the COVID crazy.

For example, a 2015 study published in European Journal of Pharmacology, shows that the terpene, myrcene — and to a lesser extent, limonene — can help provide an anti-inflammatory effect for joints and allow people with osteoporosis to move about better.

Both of these terpenes are available in certain strains of high THC cannabis; myrcene (also found in hops and lemongrass) is the dominant terpene in OG Kush, Grape Ape and Purple Urkle and others; limonene is dominant in White Fire OG, Banana OG, Black Cherry Soda and others. More research on these terpenes is on the way from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH).

CBD products generally have lower levels of myrcene and other terpenes in their full-spectrum oils than in high-THC indica strains, generally because most hemp products where CBD oil comes from are sativa strains. But you can purchase distilled terpene isolates and add them to any CBD product. Many CBD manufacturers will show their terpene profile on the product label or their website.

The heightened visual and auditory senses that cannabis can provide are just the ticket for many people, where anxieties about these turbulent times — and the unknowns of what is coming next — are a daily buzzkill.

Walking while consuming cannabis can actually affect the way you walk, according to a 2017 study, which found that there was a change in the body’s biomechanics, specifically how someone swings their arms and legs.

And if you happen to take a walk through the woods, guess what? There are terpenes lurking in the atmosphere of a forest that can provide healing properties, such as pinene, which has been shown to fight tumors. Pinene is in the pine tree resin and provides the fragrance of a pine tree, which is the dominant terpene in the Blue Dream strain.

There has also been news about how a cannabinoid receptor in the human body’s endocannabinoid system, which is stimulated by THC, gets fired up during exercise and actually helps motivate the person exercising to higher performance levels.

So while you are taking that daily walk in your chosen quiet place, around the block, or through the woods, there are other perceptions that come into play when you add cannabis to the mix. For example, THC use can increase “internal clock speed”, meaning time seemed compressed. That long walk was probably more like a really long walk.

The bottom line is that when you are out there trying to feel better about you, your life and our current situation, remember, as one researcher found out: low THC/high CBD cannabis is best for reducing perceived symptoms of depression; high THC/high CBD cannabis is best for reducing perceived symptoms of stress.

And that means you, as a cannabis consumer looking to stay fit, can keep on keeping on until the light at the end of the dark COVID-19 tunnel illuminates a pathway to a new beginning for all of us.

3 Ways To Celebrate Pride Month This Year

Culture
News

Maria Loreto

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May 29, 2020

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3 Ways To Celebrate Pride Month This Year

The pandemic has cancelled most Pride parades and events, dealing a blow to different LGBT organizations. Here’s how you can still celebrate and contribute.

This year’s Pride celebration will be very different from previous years. In 2019, World Pride Month was held in New York, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots. Over 2.5 million people were in attendance, listening to music, drinking and watching the floats that drove by the East Village. While this year a smaller Pride parade was expected, the pandemic has changed things, forcing all events to go online.

If you’re unfamiliar, Pride month is a celebration of the LGBTQ community’s history, one that has mutated over time. Marches transformed into parades and nowadays famous brands battle each other for the spotlight, marketing products towards queer people. Although these efforts represent the great change that has occurred in America, sometimes the rainbow ads and designs are more of a gesture than a true effort.

Before purchasing your rainbow shoes, it’s worth examining if the brand in question is actually helping out the queer community, if some part of the money you spend is being donated to organizations that can make a difference for the lives of queer people.

Despite the advancements that the LGBTQ community has made, it’s still important to remember the history of Pride and why we celebrate it in the first place. Here are some ways in which you can celebrate all that Pride represents, while also making a meaningful contribution to the community:

Attend a virtual parade

3 Reasons Why You Should Smoke Marijuana With Your Friends Online — Photo by Christina Morillo via Pexels

Different cities are throwing virtual prides, preparing lineups of artists and entertainers as a way of keeping people connected. InterPride, the international network of Pride parades, will be throwing a Global Parade, which hopes to connect people from all over the world, even those who live in countries where Pride parades are illegal. “It’s going to be a very interesting production. We are looking at not just entertainment pieces but human rights components as well,” InterPride co-President Julian Sanjivan told Vox.

You could also visit Stonewall Inn, the historic gay bar on NYC’s Christopher Street that was the scene of an uprising against police repression in 1969, through the website Stonewall Forever. The online exhibit showcases Christopher Park, the epicenter of the LGBT movement, and features snippets of soundbites from the Stonewall protests, which marked a turning point for LGBTQ rights during the late 60s. The site also features relevant bits of interviews, photographs and history, explaining Pride and LGBTQ activism.

Donate to a fundraiser or organization

Why A Big Win For The LGBT Community Matters To Marijuana Companies — Photo by lillen via Pixabay

Due to the cancellation of most Pride parades, many LGBTQ organizations are concerned that they won’t receive the necessary funds and donations to keep themselves functioning. Check out NYCPride.org, the Trevor Project and LGBT Foundation in order to make donations and learn about different events that are being held in order to bring the community together.

Research before you buy

Instagram Is Developing An App Just For Shopping — Photo by rawpixel.com

When purchasing Pride themed clothes and shoes, it pays to do some research and to check if your purchase is contributing to a cause that matters to you. Last year, brands like ASOS, Levi’s, GAP, and more donated proceeds to LGBTQ organizations. Due to the economic uncertainty that the world is facing, it’s very important to keep these organizations funded and running, helping out those in need and working on the future of the LGBTQ community.

COVID-19 Has Changed The Healthcare Landscape

Kate-Madonna Hindes

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May 29, 2020

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COVID-19 Has Changed The Healthcare Landscape

Larry Kaiser with Optimum Healthcare IT shares some of the nuances and considerations healthcare professionals and businesses have had to face with increasing pressure.

“At the end of March 2020, the United States was ranked as one of the top 10 most technologically advanced countries in the world. When a global pandemic struck the country, however, the healthcare system and the technology that drives it brought the country to its knees” – Larry Kaiser

COVID-19 has changed the healthcare landscape. In an ever-changing world of new regulations, partnerships, and strategy, one healthcare leader believes the U.S. market will be forever marked by COVID-19. In an exclusive interview with The Fresh Toast, Larry Kaiser, the Vice President of Marketing and communications for Optimum Healthcare IT, a staffing and consulting services firm based in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, described the pandemic crisis from an insider’s perspective.

He explained that regulatory changes instituted by CMS will evolve the face (and best practices in healthcare) from this moment on. He believes that a post-COVID-19 future means hospital capacity, Medicare directives, billing and the supply chain will be forever marked.

RELATED: Science Explains How Marijuana Inspires Awe

Kaiser mentioned that lessons learned included realizations about revving up the U.S. supply chain for PPE, the rise of agile, temporary (pop-up) hospital locations, and an ever-growing list of off-label medications used to treat up-and-coming diseases. Kaiser believes, “The new normal may bring fewer places to go when you are sick. However, a positive side effect may be increased and improved data sharing so that wherever you go, access to your records is available.”

Here, Kaiser shares some of the nuances and considerations healthcare professionals and businesses have had to face with increasing pressure.

As the pandemic rages on, what are the biggest key takeaways for healthcare professionals and hospitals/clinics?

The FDA Reissued Guidelines For PPE In Hospitals And Clinics — Photo by sturti/Getty Images

More than anything, the COVID-19 pandemic made a lot of people realize that the healthcare system and the systems used to both run it and treat patients were not prepared for such an event. The impacts of this will be felt both in the short-term and the long-term. I believe that the biggest key takeaways for both healthcare professionals as well as hospitals/clinics are:

COVID-19 is going to be around for some time and may never actually go away.
Technology such as telehealth is now a necessity.
Organizations are going to be facing financial strain for some time, and some may close because of it.

With the FDA’s EUA’s and new processes in place, do you think it’s going to affect the speed/agility of approvals in years to come?

How COVID-19 Has Changed The Healthcare Landscape — Photo by CDC via Unsplash

Yes, I do. In my opinion, we are not doing ourselves any favors with fast-tracking vaccines. When speed becomes the main focus, corners get cut, and mistakes are more likely to be made. Once there is a COVID-19 vaccine, it begs the question, will the FDA undo what was put in place for it? You may see the companies working on cures for cancer and other diseases that may want the same fast-track to approval. Will it be allowed?

RELATED: Science Says Medical Marijuana Improves Quality Of Life

As elective surgery options start to open, will we be looking at additional challenges that health care professionals should be privy to?

Doctor's Advice On How To Ease Anxiety Around Coronavirus — Photo by rawpixel.com

When healthcare organizations shifted 100% of their focus to fighting COVID-19, elective surgeries were one of the first things to be canceled or postponed. The challenge with doing so was that the hospitals lost their primary source of revenue. It was a necessary step, but the financial impacts will be felt for some time. With almost all of the state’s relaxing restrictions, and these surgeries starting up again, healthcare professionals need to take extra precautions. Patients will require additional screening to ensure they are not infected upon arrival. The doctors, nurses, and other professionals in the room will also need to screened daily and take extra precautions for both their safety and the patients. There could also be additional challenges with the necessary PPE. If a hospital is running short, do they delay surgeries to ensure the emergency department staff has what they need to treat patients? Plans will need to be in place for situations like this as well as a possible second wave of infections.

COVID-19 has changed the healthcare landscape, we will see where it goes.

Are You Smoking Too Much Marijuana

Mike Adams

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May 29, 2020

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It’s none of our business how much weed a person consumes or how they manage their lives. But the reality is, as much as we all love it, marijuana can still bring on some unwanted stress.

Here’s some twisted logic. While it is acceptable in America to refer to a person who drinks too much booze as an alcoholic, calling someone a stoner or pothead for having an overly enthusiastic devotion to the doobie will almost certainly rile up the cannabis advocacy community. In this circle the preferred nomenclature is “cannabis connoisseur” or “patient” — really any moniker that doesn’t defer to the Cheech and Chong stereotype.

Yet regardless of the given name, there are still those members of stoned society that, let’s not candy coat it, make smoking weed such a priority in life that all of their real world responsibilities, like work and family, seem to fall by the wayside. While it may be a stretch to call these people “cannaholics,” anyone who makes getting stoned their life rather than part of it may need to get a hobby…or a job.

Here are a few tell tale signs that you might be riding the thin line between connoisseur and full-blown pothead.

Your Relationships Are Suffering

Anyone who smokes weed has, at one time or another, had relationship troubles. But if a cannabis user is in a position where it is difficult to fulfill family obligations because somehow they are always too stoned to drive when it comes time to pick up the kids from school or take mom to her doctor’s appointment, it could be time to consider a little break.

You Are On The Verge Of Being Fired…Or Can’t Get A Job

Like it or not, work is an essential part of living. After all, weed and all that other crap most humans need to survive can get expensive. So if getting high is putting your job in jeopardy, a total reassessment of what’s important could be in order. Also, if you are having difficulty finding a way to pay the bills because you can’t clean up long enough to pass a drug test, you might be residing deep in pothead territory. Just saying.

You Have Weed But Cannot Pay Your Rent On Time

This is a big one. Paying rent or a mortgage is typically the largest bill most adult humans have to contend with. It is that one expense that must be met every month to keep us from being kicked out into the streets. Considering the importance of shelter, it stands to reason that if a person’s cannabis consumption is chipping away at the monthly budget in as manner that makes it difficult to make rent, it’s time to get a grip.

More Legal Marijuana Equals Less Crime? Not So Fast — Photo by nattrass/Getty Images

Look, it’s none of our business how much cannabis a person consumes or how they manage their lives. But the reality is, as much as we all love it, marijuana can still bring on some unwanted stress. Sure, this is mostly due to its overall legal status and the stigmas associated with it, but these variables are still very real.

Common sense goes a long way to keeping it together out here in the big, bad world. Regardless of whether a person is medicated, ripped out of their minds or existing in a completely sober bubble of boredom, the struggles will find a way in. Just do your thing the best you know how and hope for the best. That’s all any of us can do.

How To Use Cannabis To Combat PMS Symptoms

Kent Gruetzmacher

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May 29, 2020

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How To Use Cannabis To Combat PMS Symptoms

Cramps can range from mildly uncomfortable to downright debilitating, making it impossible for people to complete their daily responsibilities.

If you’re among the countless women who are forced to endure the wrath of PMS, with its cramps, bloating, headaches, and mood swings each month, then cannabis just might be the solution you’ve been looking for.

There’s no definitive proof yet — largely due to the federal government’s failure to declassify marijuana as a Schedule I drug and therefore limit the research available — but early studies, as well as firsthand accounts suggest that medical marijuana can significantly abate a number of PMS symptoms.

Period Cramps

Cramps, for many women, are the most uncomfortable side effect of a period. They can range from mildly uncomfortable to downright debilitating, making it impossible for people to complete their daily responsibilities. Cramps occur when the muscles in your abdomen contract to allow your uterine lining to shed each month. The muscle relaxant properties of cannabis—THC, more specifically—can help sooth the pain from these contractions and alleviate cramp discomfort.

Headaches

In addition to painful cramps, headaches also accompany the monthly menstrual cycle for many women. Severe period headaches—sometimes called menstrual migraines—can seriously impact concentration, focus, and general productivity. Fortunately, the anti-inflammatory properties of cannabis are shown to significantly reduce the severity of headaches, sometimes eliminating them altogether.

Marijuana Cuts Migraine and Headache Pain in half, study finds — Photo by JGI/Jamie Grill/Getty Images

Depressed Mood

There’s physical period pain and then there’s mental period pain. Depressive thoughts and feelings are another hormone-induced side effect of PMS that too many have to combat. Studies on both THC and CBD’s effects on depressed moods suggest that ingesting the drug can boost serotonin levels in the body—your “feel-good” hormone—and mitigate these feelings substantially. And unlike antidepressants, which often take weeks to take effect (and are likely overkill if a person is only depressed during PMS), taking cannabis can improve your mood after just one dose.

Diarrhea

So we’ve covered physical pain and mental pain, but what about the awful diarrhea that rears its head with a woman’s monthly visitor? Yep, cannabis can help that too. Cannabis’ aforementioned ability to ease cramps and reduce inflammation in your body can also alleviate gastrointestinal distress. Specifically, in early studies, cannabis has been shown to reduce hypermotility, which is a fancy word for when food moves too quickly through your gastrointestinal tract.

cbd and menstrual pain — Photo by LaylaBird/Getty Images

How To Use Cannabis For PMS

When it comes to best treating PMS symptoms with cannabis, you have a few options with respect to how you use it.

Topical Application

If you’re not keen on getting high with your pain relief, then applying cannabis topically via cream or lotion is your best bet. There are a number of topical pain-relieving cannabis lines available and all you have to do is apply it directly to wherever you’re most uncomfortable for effects.

Teas And Edibles

tea staycation — Photo by Manki Kim via Unsplash

When topical application isn’t enough, ingesting an edible or drinking cannabis-infused tea is a great option for pain relief. Edibles have a knack for bringing more powerful body-high experiences than other modes of ingestion, which makes them among the best options for your most painful period days.

Old-Fashioned Smoking

Of course, you can always just smoke the flower if you’re looking for quick and easy relief. It’ll be more effective than topical application and is generally not as intense as an edible high. Plus, its effects are immediate, so you can easily moderate how much or how little you want/need.

Why Food Tastes Better When You Have The Munchies

Maria Loreto

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May 28, 2020

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Why Food Tastes Better When You Have The Munchies

The munchies are one of the most pleasant side effects of marijuana. Here are some explanations as to why that is.

While seasoned consumers find ways of ignoring the urge to inhale satisfying snacks after consuming weed, succumbing to it always leads to really delicious eating — whether you’re splurging on a five-course meal or simply rediscovering the nuances of a grilled cheese sandwich.

The munchies cause some stress for people who don’t want to gain weight, but they’re a great medicinal side effect, stimulating the appetite of people who have trouble eating for whatever reason. Despite the vast body of evidence that exists on the munchies, we don’t really understand why it happens. But there is some research that highlights some interesting connections. Here’s why food tastes better when you have the munchies.

A study conducted on mice found that THC activated a receptor in their brains augmented their sense of smell, leading them to eat more than normal. All mice were exposed to banana and almond oils, spending a while sniffing them until they habituated to the smells. Mice who were exposed to THC didn’t habituate as fast, spending much more time sniffing the oils.

Maybe that also occurs in humans, whose sense of smell and taste is closely linked. Perhaps we love to eat while high because we can smell and taste things better, transforming common and every day foods into truly special experiences.

A Dietitian Says This Is The Best Way To Stop Overeating — Photo by Szabo Viktor via Unsplash

Other studies have found different connections between THC and hunger, with some showing that the drug has an effect on receptors in the brain that stimulate dopamine – the hormone associated with pleasure – whenever people eat while high. There’s also data that suggests that THC stimulates receptors in the hypothalamus, leading to the production of the hormone gherlin, which regulates hunger.

All of this evidence proves that THC’s effects on the body is complex, with a lot of moving parts that involve our hormones and cannabinoid receptors. Maybe it’s people’s augmented sense of smell, or the production of dopamine and gherlin, but we love to eat while high. It feels great.

The Fresh ToastThe most trusted name in cannabis

Morning routines can determine how the rest of your day will go. Here are some common habits that you should try to avoid.

Jumping right out of bed

Checking your phone

Eating lots of carbs

Thinking about your to-do lists

Washing your hair

The Duke of Cambridge opens up about how he’s managed to deal with intense anxiety while giving important speeches.

The coronavirus has created a shortage of many cleaning products, including rubbing alcohol. Here’s how you can effectively clean your bongs and pipes without it.

Vinegar & coarse salt

Bong & pipe cleaning products

Bong & pipe cleaning kits

Studies have found links between genetics and the ways in which people react to marijuana.

The heightened visual and auditory senses that cannabis can provide are just the ticket for many people who experience a daily anxiety buzzkill.

The pandemic has cancelled most Pride parades and events, dealing a blow to different LGBT organizations. Here’s how you can still celebrate and contribute.

Attend a virtual parade

Donate to a fundraiser or organization

Research before you buy

Larry Kaiser with Optimum Healthcare IT shares some of the nuances and considerations healthcare professionals and businesses have had to face with increasing pressure.

RELATED: Science Explains How Marijuana Inspires Awe

As the pandemic rages on, what are the biggest key takeaways for healthcare professionals and hospitals/clinics?

With the FDA’s EUA’s and new processes in place, do you think it’s going to affect the speed/agility of approvals in years to come?

RELATED: Science Says Medical Marijuana Improves Quality Of Life

As elective surgery options start to open, will we be looking at additional challenges that health care professionals should be privy to?

It’s none of our business how much weed a person consumes or how they manage their lives. But the reality is, as much as we all love it, marijuana can still bring on some unwanted stress.

Your Relationships Are Suffering

You Are On The Verge Of Being Fired…Or Can’t Get A Job

You Have Weed But Cannot Pay Your Rent On Time

Cramps can range from mildly uncomfortable to downright debilitating, making it impossible for people to complete their daily responsibilities.

Period Cramps

Headaches

Depressed Mood

Diarrhea

How To Use Cannabis For PMS

Topical Application

Teas And Edibles

Old-Fashioned Smoking

The munchies are one of the most pleasant side effects of marijuana. Here are some explanations as to why that is.

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