Vaping has been promoted as a healthier alternative to smoking cigarettes and other tobacco products for several years. It’s helped see many people stop smoking altogether, which is only a good thing.
However, given how new vapes are to the market, their regulation is still a little loose here in the US. As a result, vapes have found their way into the hands of children and teenagers. Side effects of vapes have been more widely reported as a result, and one of those is how vapes can make you tired.
In this guide, we answer definitively the question: does vaping make you tired? We look at the chemicals found in vape pens, such as nicotine, and how it can impact sleep and energy levels.
Let’s start by answering this key question.
Does Vaping Make You Tired?
So, does vaping make you tired?
Vaping has the potential to make you tired, and heavy vape use has a greater chance of causing more chronic tiredness.
Many people believe that vaping is a stimulant, but it’s important to understand how the body reacts to the chemicals inhaled.
First, you receive a burst of adrenaline as the chemicals in the vape enter your bloodstream. This is why many people think that vaping makes you more awake.
However, as that initial burst of energy wears off, your body begins to process those chemicals and you may experience a crash. This will leave you feeling tired and sluggish.
The knock on effect of this is a disruption to your sleep. As we explain below, the main chemical in vapes, nicotine, has the potential to interfere with your deep sleep, which is where the body properly rests and recovers. A persistent lack of deep sleep can lead to the development of chronic fatigue.
Can Vaping Make You Tired All Of The Time?
If you tend to vape a lot, there’s a chance that you could develop chronic fatigue. This is a condition where you feel exhausted mentally and physically and suffer from severe tiredness and trouble thinking.
Those who suffer from chronic fatigue may say that they feel tired all of the time. While vaping is not a definitive cause of this condition, heavy vape-users are more likely to experience it. So if you do feel tired often, take a step back and look at how much you’re vaping.
What is it in vapes specifically that can make you tired? Let’s take a look.
What Chemicals In Vapes Can Make You Tired?
Nicotine is by far the most prevalent chemical compound in vapes and the biggest culprit for making you feel tired. It’s classed as a psychoactive substance, meaning it affects the brain and nervous system.
This substance, which is as addictive as heroin and cocaine, is absorbed into our bloodstreams quickly, giving that immediate buzz. However, nicotine’s effects are fleeting and leaves you wanting more. Persistent use of vapes or tobacco can turn into a dependence or addiction. For those under the age of 21, breaking the habit is regarded as even tougher.
Let’s take a closer look at how nicotine affects the body.
Understanding How Nicotine Affects Your Body
To understand how vaping can make you tired, it’s important to know how nicotine interacts with your body.
When we first ingest nicotine, it reacts with receptors in our brains that release dopamine, adrenaline and serotonin, all things that make us feel good. Adrenaline, for example, increases heart rate, blood pressure and boosts our focus and alertness. Dopamine is what helps us feel pleasure, so we can grow addicted to things that give us that sensation.
However, the more nicotine our bodies have, the less dopamine we produce. To achieve those same pleasurable feelings, it’s necessary to consume more on a regular basis, and that’s how addictions form.
When we don’t have nicotine or enough of it, it’s common to experience withdrawal effects, like stress, irritability and anxiety. These feelings are then relieved by vaping, which gives the user the false impression that vapes relaxes them.
Vaping And Sleep
Regularly vaping nicotine products has the potential to disrupt your sleep. Nicotine is a stimulant and promotes the release of adrenaline within the body. This naturally increases your heart rate and focus, which is the antithesis of what we need for sleep.
Numerous scientific studies have explored the impact of nicotine on sleep. Many of the findings can be found in this scientific review. Here’s a handy breakdown of the key findings:
- Sleep Latency – studies have found that the consumption of nicotine can delay the onset of sleep, making it harder to fall asleep.
- Sleep Architecture – as a psychoactive substance, nicotine can disrupt the stages we go through when sleeping. Studies have found that it can impact Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep, which we rely on to help with cognitive functions and regulating our emotions.
- Sleep Quality – the consequence of the two points above is an overall reduction in the quality of your sleep, which can lead to the likes of chronic fatigue.
What Other Effects Can Vaping Have On The Body?
As we’ve seen, vaping has the potential to impact sleep, but nicotine can have other effects too. For example, the reason why our blood pressure increases is because the release of adrenaline constricts our blood vessels. Chronic exposure to this can lead to cardiovascular diseases and hypertension.
Nicotine can also suppress your appetite, which may lead to weight loss. It can also boost gastric acid secretion, which can cause stomach ulcers. Nicotine also has the effect of suppressing functions of the immune system which can lead to inflammation and longer healing times.
Vaping nicotine is also known to cause harm to pregnant women, with nicotine passing through the placenta and negatively impacting fetal brain development.
To learn more about the health effects of vaping, please see our in-depth guide here.
Does Quitting Vaping Nicotine Make You Tired?
Quitting vaping can make you tired and the reason for this is because it’s a withdrawal symptom. Your body is essentially adjusting to the lack of nicotine and the adrenaline and dopamine that it releases.
The lack of dopamine can even cause a mild depression and can cause your body to dehydrate itself.
However, it’s vital to understand that these symptoms are temporary. The first week after quitting is the toughest, but over the following week or two your body will adjust. Within a month, you should no longer feel tired and sluggish.
How To Fight Fatigue
There are a few things that you can do to help deal with symptoms of fatigue after you’ve quit vaping. Here’s a breakdown:
- Get as much sleep as you can. It can help to make a schedule and stick to it to enable your body to adjust.
- Drink plenty of water to help your body flush nicotine out of your system.
- Eat foods that give you energy, like vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins
- Regular exercise can boost your mood and fight fatigue by releasing endorphins.
- Try to avoid other stimulants like caffeine which can impact your sleep
- And most important of all is to stay committed and be patient. Trust your body to heal itself and give it time to recover.
For more advice on how to stop vaping, please head here to read our guide.
Stopping Vaping Can Boost Your Energy Levels And Mental Health
While stopping vaping sounds tough, the benefits you could unlock in quitting are numerous. Not only will you have better, undisturbed sleep, you’ll find you have more energy in the day for work, school or exercise.
Those who quit vaping also report boosts to their mental health. No longer addicted or dependent on a vape pen, you’re less likely to experience irritability and impatience. You may also find that you’re better able to engage with tasks and can maintain focus for longer.
If you’re trying to help someone quit vaping but they’re finding the compulsions too difficult, you could try a nicotine-free e-liquid. This works almost like a placebo, allowing a person to vape while not causing the same damage to their sleep.
If this is still no use, there are other options like using a vape detector to catch people in the act. These are commonly used in schools and public buildings.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Below, you can find answers to some frequently asked questions on vaping and tiredness and fatigue.
Why Does Vaping Make You Feel Tired If It’s A Stimulant?
Vaping nicotine gives you an immediate buzz as adrenaline and dopamine is released into your system. But it’s a temporary stimulant and as it fades you can begin to feel tired and sluggish.
Does Vaping Make You Tired In The Morning?
Vaping can make you feel tired in the morning if it’s affected your sleep that night. Vaping can increase the amount of time it takes to get off to sleep as well as impacting the quality of the sleep you get. This means a shorter and less restful night’s sleep, meaning you’re more likely to be tired in the morning.
Does Vaping THC Make You Tired?
Vaping THC, while different to nicotine, does have the potential to make you feel tired. THC is a psychoactive substance found in marijuana. Unlike nicotine, it has more of a relaxing and calming effect. Depending on the strain, you could experience greater levels of tiredness.