Throat Hit: What is it, what causes it?

[P-Funk]

I am hearing alot about something called "throat hit." I gather that e-smokers feel it as a sensation in their throat. As I have never used an e-cig, I have no idea what to imagine this is. I have been unable to find a suitable explanation for the phenomenon.

Does anyone know what a "throat hit" is in physiological terms? What external stimulus triggers the "throat hit?" What human sensory mechanism causes it to be experienced?

One of the reasons I have elected to switch to an e-cig is that I am a singer. I think that e-cigs might be significantly better for my vocal health than tobacco cigs, which plenty of research has shown are bad for the vocal folds. One of the chief reasons tobacco cigs are bad for your voice is swelling and irritation due to heat and dryness.

I am wondering if heat plays a part in this "throat hit" sensation. Does anyone know whetner or not this is the case? Does anyone have strong anecdotal evidence based on personal experience that might point to this?

I already know I want to get an e-cig with as low a heat output as possible while maintaining sufficient vapour production for nicotine delivery. I am wondering if this might mean a heavy "throat hit" is something for me to avoid.

Thanks in advance for the feedback.

 

[jennlsnoopy]

It's kind of hard to explain. At least for me. I've heard people explain TH as a tightness in your throat. All I can say is I love it! I am more about throat hit than vapor. For me it all depends on the e-liquid. It might have something to do with either flavor or nic level.

 

[VapingRulz]

Throat hit is primarily related to nicotine content but secondarily to the heat produced by the battery. (I'm pretty sure that's right.)

I don't know if vaping is bad for your throat in the longer term, but many new vapers experience sore throats in the first few days. Also, I very much doubt that vaping can be as bad as - or equivalent to - smoking analogs, in terms of throat damage.

 

[River]

y'know that feeling that you get as the smoke from a cig hits in the back of your throat and your lungs? that what the makers of liquids and hardware is trying to replicate with PVs.

Here it's called throat hit, or TH for short.

you can combat the problems ( from either smoking or vaping) when you sing by staying hydrated, I used to use water with a bit of honey and lemon mixed in to keep the pipes moist.

 

[420GypsyGirl]

I thought there was someone on this forum that is a lounge singer and she said that after getting off regular cigarettes and switching to PV's she can sing higher notes and hold them longer. Doesn't hurt her vocal cords the way regular cigarettes did.

 

[DC2]

I am starting to think that "throat hit" is caused by irritiation from heated and vaporized nicotine juice.

I believe throat hit is usually increased by getting the juice hotter. And I believe throat hit is increased by using more propylene glycol (PG) juice (which I do believe is somewhat of an irritant) than vegetable glycerine (VG) juice. But nicotine content does seem to increase throat hit, as well as what flavor you are using, so that leaves me scratching my head a bit.

One thing I am pretty much certain of is that propylene glycol is a humectant, which means it absorbs water, which means it will definitely have a tendency to dry out your throat.

In the end, most people say they can sing better from what I've read on here.

 

[P-Funk]

Yes, I have been as dilligent as I can with keeping myself well hydrated etc, but after 5 years of smoking I have seen significant (and negative!) changes to my voice, especially to my once-beautiful falsetto (which now sometimes produces little more than a whisper.) More recently, I have begun to notice small difficulties in pitch and tone control even when singing in the center of my most comfortable range. This is troubling.

I have accepted the fact that I have most likely permanently damaged my voice by way of my smoking habit. How and how badly I won't know until I go off the cigs for a time. As I have found it exceedingly difficult to quit, I am trying to be as dilligent as possible going foreward.

 

[P-Funk]

Because I have never consciously observed this before, I am going to go outside and pay careful attention to the way my throat feels when the smoke from a cig hits it.

 

[hiei]

I have accepted the fact that I have most likely permanently damaged my voice by way of my smoking habit. How and how badly I won't know until I go off the cigs for a time. As I have found it exceedingly difficult to quit, I am trying to be as dilligent as possible going foreward.

Fact: Every 10 years you get a new set of lungs from cells dying and reproducing. 5 years worth of damage should not take that long to heal, but you can expect significant improvement within 2 years of quitting analogs. If you'll be a singer your whole life then 10 years is nothing because you'll be back in peak performance again in no time.

-Hiei