lucid dreams?

[msladyk81]

OK. This may all be in my head, but last night, I puffed and puffed and puffed away on my pv, more than I ever have before, into the wee hours of morning. When I finally went to sleep, I experienced some very vivid dreams. Is it possible that the nicotine in e-cigs could have the same effects as transdermal patches in regards to causing lucid dreams? This may all be a coincidence, but I'm very curious as to whether there's some sort of connection. Thanks in advance for your responses.

 

[Odinist]

Nicotine acts like nicotine, regardless of how you intake it. ;-)

 

[Plantgirl]

OK. This may all be in my head, but last night, I puffed and puffed and puffed away on my pv, more than I ever have before, into the wee hours of morning. When I finally went to sleep, I experienced some very vivid dreams. Is it possible that the nicotine in e-cigs could have the same effects as transdermal patches in regards to causing lucid dreams? This may all be a coincidence, but I'm very curious as to whether there's some sort of connection. Thanks in advance for your responses.

thats funny you mention this as , since I quit the analogues. Ive been having some very weird dreams. Not scary, just vivid.

 

[Kilroy]

I have had more vivid dreams since I stopped smoking. I think that its more related to not smoking than vaping.

 

[chrisl317]

Ah, you're in that phase of vaping now, huh? It's common, your not alone. We've all gone through it, and it can actually be quite entertaining! I had one dream last year, that after having it and waking up at 3 a.m., I tried my best to go back to sleep and get back into that dream, and it didn't have anything to do with sex! Enjoy it while it lasts, they'll go away eventually. Write them down if you have a mind too. It might make for interesting reading later on.

 

[CaptJay]

Its often a good idea to drop your nic liquid strength about an hour or 2 before you go to bed - that should help you sleep more peacefully

 

[Rosa]

ahhh...I wish I was having those dreams! That was the best thing about the patch IMO, almost worth the money I spent on them (even though they didn't help me quit smoking) I always wished they'd come up with a "dream patch" instead.

 

[mick11]

oops.....sorry

seems I weren't playin nice

 

[voltaire]

As another one who has experienced this, I also attribute it to no longer smoking - not something in ecigs. It could have to do with the absence/reduction of the many (non-nicotine) psychoactive compounds found in tobacco and not in ecigs. It could also have to do with the much more simple fact that you are now starting to get more oxygen in your blood and into your brain while sleeping.

 

[dkindig]

Vivid dreams are a common side-effect of using the patch, and I suspect you ramped up your nicotine levels enough to cause the same side-effects...

 

[subby]

In the last 4 weeks since stopping smoking analogues I have been having some very weird dreams also. I never had dreams like this before in my life except when i tried nicotine patches for a week and they are very vivid.

I did not make any connection but now that you mention it you may be onto something.

 

[chrisl317]

As I said before, "Your sub-conscience can be a wild place to visit".

 

[Elapid]

As I said before, "Your sub-conscience can be a wild place to visit".

Sometimes the conscious can be a wild ride also!

 

[Devilooman]

Sooo, since my mom has parkinson's I happen to know that one of the symptoms is a LACK of dreaming due to the lack of dopamine. It is amazing to me how many things dopamine in the brain is responsible for... dreaming, handwriting, controlling muscles, facial expression, etc. Since there are several studies linking nicotine and the uptake of dopamine I would assume this is why. Dreaming is a very healthy thing attributable to ample amounts of dopamine in your brain

 

[Rosa]

Yay Dopamine! I love dreaming...

 

[M76]

I have to agree with the ramped up nicotine theory proposed by Voltaire. I had similar experiences using the patch.

I've had the same thing happen to me since I started vaping 3 weeks ago. Here I thought I was all alone on this until I did a forum search for "vivid dreams". I haven't had any actual nightmares, but my dreams tend to be very intense, vivid and emotional (e.g.: strong feelings of fear, happiness, anxiety, etc.). I find it all very entertaining, although it sometimes takes me a few minutes in the morning to get my head back on straight. Overall though I find I'm sleeping pretty well though.

 

[pwnsauce]

This is one of the things I loved about the patch. It didn't work for me either to quit smoking but the dreams were wicked. I hope this happens to me as well as it is yet another reason to smoke electronic. (Sorry I cannot bring myself to call it vaping)

I will follow up and post similar experiences if I have them. One other thing to note is that your brain is getting more oxygen so might be experiencing more activity as a result.

 

[Hash25]

I too have had these weird dreams. Especially whilst using the patch and in the initial stages of now vaping...

 

[voltaire]

I have to agree with the ramped up nicotine theory proposed by Voltaire. I had similar experiences using the patch.

The theory I proposed was actually quite the opposite from increased nicotine. I guessed that it's the lack of/reduction of the other stuff in cigs/tobacco (WTA or other) that is affecting people's dreams. Or maybe it's the increased oxygen to the brain. I personally don't really think it's because of more nicotine - in fact I think the average vaper gets less nicotine than when they smoked.

The reason I think this, is that I wasn't even used to being conscious of or remembering dreams after waking, until I quit smoking cold-turkey. Within the little more than a week after I quit smoking, (and before I started vaping to prevent falling off the wagon) I was already noticing that my dreams were vivid, lucid, would occasionally awaken me, and I could actually remember them for the first time in a very long time.

All very anecdotal and subjective, I know. But it could be reinforced from more experiences of cold-turkey cig-quitters.

 

[the4thpower3]

I personally don't really think it's because of more nicotine - in fact I think the average vaper gets less nicotine than when they smoked.

-I disagree and I agree.

I smoked and average of 30 cigarettes per day. Awake for 18 hrs.
From what I've read, one average cigarette contains approx 10 mg of nicotine but only approx 1-2 mg absorbed. So that would mean I was carrying around 300 mg of nicotine/day. And absorbing about 45 mg (avg 1.5mg per cig) within 18 hrs. So that's about 2.5 mg per hour.

I tried to reduce smoking with vaping. It didn't work for me.

So I started the patch as 21 mg. Keeping it on 24/7.
Being uncertain of transdermal absorption I can only guess and divide 21mg/24hrs = 0.875 mg per hour.

The patch alone wasn't enough for me. I would get really strong cravings a few times a day. So I decided to vape and patch.

I vaped 1 36mg carto per day. If vaping delivers/absorbs 1:1 then 36mg in 18 hours is 2mg per hour. Though I sure there's a loss in delivery, so I'll guess at actually getting 1.5 mg per hour instead of 2. If you add that to the patch 1.5 + 0.875 = 2.375 mg per hour absorbed. Which is about the same nicotine intake as I was smoking.

Now, I didn't start vaping that much when I first started the patch at all. Then I only vaped a couple times a day, after meals and at night (and in which I still had to really fight cravings). During that week is when my dreams were very vivid. I think it was due to a lack of nicotine and my body over compensating in high dopamine levels.

But I also think the delivery of nicotine through vaping is different from that of smoking. And if you chain vape all night before you go to bed (and didn't chain smoke all night before) , excessively high nicotine levels will have the same effect.