The Science Behind a Wake and Bake

Cannabis use has a few downsides, but research is increasingly demonstrating that using weed can be exceedingly beneficial, too. Aside from the substantial medical uses of cannabis, especially when the drug is used in treatment of serious disease, cannabis can have advantages amongst everyday users, too. In particular, compounds within cannabis seem to radically improve relaxation, which can improve concentration, memory, productivity and more in the long run.

Yet, even if you admit that the occasional toke doesn’t hurt, you might be opposed to one common practice in the stoner community: the wake-and-bake. Using cannabis in the morning might feel like an activity that signals substance abuse, but science seems to indicate that waking and baking can provide benefits of its own.

Breaking Your Fast With Cannabis

During nighttime sleep, your body experiences its longest period without food, and that fast — although normal — causes the body to rapidly process anything you put into it in the hopes of gaining energy to keep systems functioning healthily. The result is that chemical stimulants and depressants can hit much harder in the morning on an empty stomach than they would at other times of day when the body is properly nourished.

Using a cannabis product anytime your body is drained is likely to result in a greater uptake of THC. If you already have a high tolerance for THC, this might be a good thing; waking and baking might help you start the day by fully addressing issues like nausea or chronic pain that can impede your ability to get out of bed and be productive. If you find that dosing with cannabis later in the day is less effective, the wake-and-bake on an empty stomach might be the best way to address troublesome symptoms.

However, just as most coffee drinkers prefer to have their first cup after a muffin or bowl of oatmeal, which can help reduce unpleasant side-effects of caffeine, most wake-and-bakers strongly recommend filling your stomach at least slightly before you toke. This will help reduce the likelihood of negative symptoms of THC, like paranoia, fast heart rate or dangerously low blood pressure. If you can find a morning-time edible that you like from a recreational dispensary in Aurora, noshing on that might be the best option for nourishing your body and giving you a boost of THC.

Dosing Can Be Difficult

One of the best ways to navigate a wake-and-bake successfully is to carefully select a strain. Some strains are known for providing sedative relaxation that helps you drift peacefully into sleep — but those aren’t the strains you want to use. Instead, you should talk to the budtenders at your Aurora dispensary about sativas, or strains that are appreciated for their energizing effects. Often, stimulating strains contain a citrusy or tropical terpene profile, which supplement the drive to get up and go.

Some of the best wake-and-bake strains, according to the experts, include:

• Sour Space Candy. Thanks to its high CBD content, this strain shaves off the fogginess and jitteriness of THC to calm and clear the mind and invigorate the body.
• Jack Herer. There’s a reason this sativa has been so famous for so long. Allegedly as stimulating as a cup of coffee, this strain packs a punch, even for cannabis experts.
• Chocolope. With a flavor like a chocolate orange, this strain is a 100-percent pure sativa that is sure to get the mind buzzing.
• Chocolate Thai. This strain can be a bit more difficult to find, but it is perhaps the perfect strain for the beginner wake-and-baker, thanks to a lower THC content than most modern sativas.

Waking and baking isn’t necessarily the dangerous habit that most people suspect. If coffee or tea aren’t appetizing in the morning, and if you suffer from a health condition treatable with cannabis, you might benefit from the wake-and-bake — as long as you make smart decisions for your body.