The effects of using THC vary greatly, not only depending on the products themselves and the potency of the THC content, but also according to the user’s genetics, personality, mental state, and medical history.
Because cannabis affects each person differently, it’s important to understand your own natural responses to using THC, and whether those responses tend to be positive, negative, or neutral. This will help you choose the right cannabis products for your desired effects.
Read on to learn more about common positive, negative, and psychoactive THC effects.
Common Positive Effects
For many people, using THC supplies a number of benefits for health and well-being. These include:
- Relaxation: While research is still ongoing, studies have shown that small doses of THC can be useful for relaxation and stress relief.
- Help with insomnia: According to the Sleep Foundation, 70% of casual adult cannabis users do so to help them sleep, and 85% of medical users also report improved sleep through cannabis use.
- Pain relief: THC can also be useful for relieving certain types of chronic pain, as it stimulates the brain’s natural cannabinoid receptors and reduces pain levels.
- Improved appetite: Cannabis users often experience an increased appetite commonly known as “the munchies.” This can be especially beneficial for people with health conditions that impair their appetite or who are on medications that cause nausea.
There is still much more research to be done on these and other potential health benefits of THC, but people all over the world continue to find ways to experience a higher quality of life through using the right cannabis products.
Potential Negative Side Effects
To consume THC responsibly, it’s important to understand the potential negative effects as well as the positive ones.
While many people use THC to relax, certain strains — especially in large doses — can produce the opposite effect, resulting in feelings of anxiety or paranoia. This likely happens because the increase of cannabinoids overstimulates the amygdala, the part of the brain that helps regulate these types of emotions.
These effects can be caused by a cannabis strain with an abnormally high THC content, a genetic predisposition to THC sensitivity, or even the person’s mental state. The more you understand about how your body responds to THC, the better equipped you’ll be to enjoy it safely.
Psychoactive Effects
In addition to health and wellness applications, cannabis is, of course, popular for its psychoactive effects. As with other effects of THC, these are different for each person and can also vary depending on the strain.
Some of the psychoactive effects of THC can include:
- Feelings of euphoria and/or relaxation
- Hallucinations
- Enhanced senses (e.g., increased tactile awareness or hearing ability, more colorful vision, etc.)
- Increased appetite
- Altered sense of time passing
Often, people describe the psychoactive effects of THC as fitting into one of two categories: a “head high” or a “body high.” Neither is inherently better than the other, though you may find you prefer one over the other, or that one affects you more negatively than the other.
Head highs are typically associated with increased feelings of euphoria, energy, and creativity. However, those who are more predisposed toward anxiety or paranoia may find that a head high exacerbates those tendencies.
Body highs, on the other hand, are more commonly associated with relaxation and rest. This can be helpful for people dealing with chronic pain or who want to unwind after a long day, though in some cases it can also cause sluggishness and heaviness.
Using THC for Higher Quality of Life
THC affects each person differently, so it’s important to understand how your body and mind respond to using cannabis products. That way, you can take advantage of the most positive effects and avoid the more negative ones.
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