Marijuana Munchies: Why Does Weed Make You Hungry?

Why Do You Get The Munchies?

You’ve settled in for a cannabis session, and all of a sudden, you get a serious case of the munchies. You’re craving salty and sugary junk food in a snack attack that cannot be denied!

Are you wondering why this happens nearly every time you eat or smoke cannabis? Green Gone Detox has the answers to why weed makes you hungry. Check out this overview to learn more about the munchies and why they happen.

Normal Hunger Signals

When you’re sober, your body feels hunger based on four distinct factors, including hormone levels, blood sugar levels, the emptiness of your stomach and intestines, and the signals from the hypothalamus region of your brain. These four factors also tell you when you’re feeling full.

There is something else that may encourage you to eat that is a bit different from hunger: appetite. Unlike hunger, your appetite may be stimulated by the smell of your favorite food or when you’re in a stressful mood. The munchies stimulated by weed consumption are not actual hunger, rather appetite! It turns out that the question isn’t why does weed make you hungry – it’s why does weed stoke your appetite?

How Cannabis Amplifies Hunger

Why do you get the munchies when using cannabis? When you smoke or eat marijuana, the cannabinoids within the plant stimulate a hormone called ghrelin. Ghrelin influences the appetite center of the brain to stimulate hunger, telling you that your body needs food. The cannabinoids interacting with your body can also influence your taste and smell centers, encouraging your appetite even more.

How Much Is Too Much?

Since the reason why weed makes you hungry is an integral part of how it interacts with your body, you don’t usually get the benefits of marijuana without this side effect – that’s why it’s frequently used to help cancer patients and those with eating disorders find their appetites.

How hungry you get does depend on the amount of marijuana you consume, as well as how you consume it. The higher the levels of THC in your bloodstream, the hungrier you’ll feel. For example, smoking a joint leads to much higher THC levels than eating an edible. Smoking will also make you feel the effects of the munchies faster than edibles because edibles must be digested before they affect the body.

Controlling the Munchies

If the munchies aren’t something you’re interested in indulging in, there are options that minimize the risk of this side effect. Eating your cannabis instead of smoking is one choice, but you can also control the dosage to get a better high without the munchies.

If you do end up with the munchies, try to have healthier foods on hand to avoid succumbing to ordering pizza and eating unhealthy snacks. They may not satisfy the cannabis-induced cravings as much, but they’re better than nothing!

Now that you know why weed makes you hungry, you can take better control of the situation and ensure you’re doing what’s best for your health!