Why does nicotine make me tired?

[neutrontech]

I keep reading about people not being able sleep because of nicotine. I know it's a stimulant, and people's experiences show that it makes them jittery and keeps them up all night. I, on the other hand, have to slow my nic way down at night or I get incredibly tired. So tired, in fact, I can't hardly keep my eyes open even when standing up. I end up laying down and crash within seconds into a deep sleep. I love vaping, at night especially while watching TV. Then I have a tendency to chain vape, and I end up passing out and missing my tv show. During the day makes me tired too. I vape in the morning, then want to crawl back into bed. vaping at my desk at work makes me want to nap. It also makes me very tired while driving. It has a narcotic affect on me. Cigarettes did too, although not as much (as I wasn't smoking constantly like I vape). I always thought it was the smoke depriving me of oxygen making me tired. Now that I'm not smoking, I know it's not that.

Anyways, I vape 12mg all the time, but I bought a bottle of 6mg today for use in the evenings. Hope it helps. Am I the only one who gets an opposite reaction to nic?

 

[evan le'garde]

Sounds like you need to be vaping caffeine not nicotine !

 

[suspectK]

I suppose it is possible. I react differently to stimulants and depressants. Nicotine is a stimulant, but had been noted to have some depressant traits. I don't know how extensive those studies are with nicotine outside of tobacco.

How long has it been since you quit smoking?

 

[CreepyLady]

Eh, its probably equivalent to folks who can chug a coffee and go right to bed at night ( I used to be one of those folks before I had to cut my caffeine intake LOL). Some people are less affected by the stimulant properties than others.

Also kinda like how benadryl knocks most people out, but will cause some to bounce off the walls. It just is what it is.

 

[neutrontech]

I suppose it is possible. I react differently to stimulants and depressants. Nicotine is a stimulant, but had been noted to have some depressant traits. I don't know how extensive those studies are with nicotine outside of tobacco.

How long has it been since you quit smoking?

I quit a few months ago. I noticed i was unmotivated when I quit, but I figured that was withdrawl related. The lack of motivation passed though. When I'm feeling awake, I'm very motivated and ready to take on the world. When I vape, I get really sleepy. Then it wears off after a bit and I'm back to being wide awake again.

 

[vaperature]

Different people react differently because for me nicotine is definitely NOT a stimulant in the same way caffeine is. It's quite the opposite. It completely calms me, makes me able to concentrate more not because I'm more alert but because I'm more calm and focused. And yes, when I vape a bit too much, I feel like having a nap and sometimes I do. I have no problem whatsoever falling asleep at night no matter how much I vape. In fact I've been sleeping better. Sometimes I have vape dreams but I'm assuming that's because I've been spending so much time learning and playing with my new toys that it's simply on my mind a lot. LOL. It might have something to do with blood pressure or something, how it affects different people. On the other hand if I drank even a single cup of coffee before going to bed, forget about it, I'd be up all night tossing around. Vaping doesn't make me feel 'speedy' like what you traditionally think a "stimulant" does.

 

[DenimFreak1993]

Honestly when it hits in my throat I kinda wake up. Guess it does work differently on different people.

 

[mkbilbo]

Eh, its probably equivalent to folks who can chug a coffee and go right to bed at night ( I used to be one of those folks before I had to cut my caffeine intake LOL). Some people are less affected by the stimulant properties than others.

Also kinda like how benadryl knocks most people out, but will cause some to bounce off the walls. It just is what it is.

Weird ain't it? Just looking at a Benadryl capsule, I'm out like a light. My brother damn near has anaphylactic shock from the stuff and can't take it.

Go figure?

 

[Steamix]

Nicotine is also a vasoconstrictor ( i.e. narrowing your blood vessels ). That includes the blood flow to your brain too. While this effect is barely felt by the average politician, normal thinking folk experience sleepiness owing to this slightly lowered oxygen supply to their brains ...

 

[steponmytoes]

Ah the wonders of the human body... never heard of nicotine making people tired but I guess while the nicotine is stimulating your nervous system, it can also be producing a narcotic effect in your brain, hence the tiredness.

OP, have you tried vaping different brands and flavors? Perhaps eliquids with more tobacco flavor (or have whole tobacco alkaloids) would be less likely to put you to sleep...

 

[mkbilbo]

I keep reading about people not being able sleep because of nicotine. I know it's a stimulant, and people's experiences show that it makes them jittery and keeps them up all night. I, on the other hand, have to slow my nic way down at night or I get incredibly tired. So tired, in fact, I can't hardly keep my eyes open even when standing up. I end up laying down and crash within seconds into a deep sleep. I love vaping, at night especially while watching TV. Then I have a tendency to chain vape, and I end up passing out and missing my tv show. During the day makes me tired too. I vape in the morning, then want to crawl back into bed. Vaping at my desk at work makes me want to nap. It also makes me very tired while driving. It has a narcotic affect on me. Cigarettes did too, although not as much (as I wasn't smoking constantly like I vape). I always thought it was the smoke depriving me of oxygen making me tired. Now that I'm not smoking, I know it's not that.

Anyways, I vape 12mg all the time, but I bought a bottle of 6mg today for use in the evenings. Hope it helps. Am I the only one who gets an opposite reaction to nic?

You know, it's hard to say. I'm not convinced nicotine alone is a stimulant per se. There are over 4,000 other chemicals in tobacco smoke. How do you separate out which does what in what combinations?

I had week long runs of severe drowsiness after switching to vaping with sporadic bursts of insomnia. I'm not sure what that was about. I tried fiddling with my nic levels and that seemed at the time to have something to do with it but lately don't bother and vape all I want at 12mg and it makes not a lick of difference.

It's certainly worth trying adjusting your nic and see if that helps but it could be any number of other factors from leaving all those other chemicals behind and the answer may be just give it time?

 

[Vapoor eyes er]

Different strokes different folks. Can be either a stimulant or a relaxant. Also remember your body is under the stress of withdrawal and, more importantly, the process of healing...keep the fire stoked by drinking lottsa water and know that you're going in the right direction. The lung cilia, after being covered in tar and paralyzed from the chems in tobacco (fact), begin regrowth/ revitalization within a couple of days.
Best of Luck...it does get MUCH better.

 

[ycromo]

a google search gave me several hits linking dehydration and sleepiness, tiredness, lethargy, drowsiness...
"Dehydration — Sleepiness or tiredness ..."
"Other symptoms in these states include lethargy or extreme sleepiness, ... In humans, dehydration can be caused by a wide range of diseases and states that .."

maybe not enough water in the system?

 

[Rickajho]

You know, it's hard to say. I'm not convinced nicotine alone is a stimulant per se. There are over 4,000 other chemicals in tobacco smoke. How do you separate out which does what in what combinations?

I had week long runs of severe drowsiness after switching to vaping with sporadic bursts of insomnia. I'm not sure what that was about. I tried fiddling with my nic levels and that seemed at the time to have something to do with it but lately don't bother and vape all I want at 12mg and it makes not a lick of difference.

It's certainly worth trying adjusting your nic and see if that helps but it could be any number of other factors from leaving all those other chemicals behind and the answer may be just give it time?

One of the 4,000 things you lose when you quit smoking is a small amount of MAOI's - antidepressants. For some people who quit smoking that shows up as a mild, persistent depression when you quit. It can take several months for your brain chemistry to get used to not having it's multiple daily doses of MAOI's and the depression to lift. It's more apparent for people who have been diagnosed with depression or have tendencies/indicators for depression. And also why it's much harder for people diagnosed with depression to quit smoking and stay quit. It doesn't happen to everyone. But there is a reason for feeling depressed in smoker's who quit. Once again - this isn't just about the nicotine.

Is the OP sure there is a direct correlation between vaping and feeling tired? Or is it a more general "something else" going on?

 

[neutrontech]

a google search gave me several hits linking dehydration and sleepiness, tiredness, lethargy, drowsiness...
"Dehydration — Sleepiness or tiredness ..."
"Other symptoms in these states include lethargy or extreme sleepiness, ... In humans, dehydration can be caused by a wide range of diseases and states that .."

maybe not enough water in the system?

You know I do feel a lot better when I'm fully hydrated. Vaping does give me cotton mouth. I almost always have a Nalgene full of water with me. But sometimes I feel lazy while vaping and don't feel like getting up to fill the bottle. I'll start making myself in the future.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk

 

[Notorious C.I.G.]

From wikipedia Nicotine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Nicotine's mood-altering effects are different by report: in particular it is both a stimulant and a relaxant.[10] First causing a release of glucose from the liver and epinephrine(adrenaline) from the adrenal medulla, it causes stimulation. Users report feelings of relaxation, sharpness, calmness, and alertness."
"At higher doses, nicotine enhances the effect of serotonin and opiate activity, producing a calming, pain-killing effect. Nicotine is unique in comparison to most drugs, as its profile changes from stimulant to sedative/pain killer in increasing dosages and use."

 

[mkbilbo]

One of the 4,000 things you lose when you quit smoking is a small amount of MAOI's - antidepressants. For some people who quit smoking that shows up as a mild, persistent depression when you quit. It can take several months for your brain chemistry to get used to not having it's multiple daily doses of MAOI's and the depression to lift. It's more apparent for people who have been diagnosed with depression or have tendencies/indicators for depression. And also why it's much harder for people diagnosed with depression to quit smoking and stay quit. It doesn't happen to everyone. But there is a reason for feeling depressed in smoker's who quit. Once again - this isn't just about the nicotine.

Is the OP sure there is a direct correlation between vaping and feeling tired? Or is it a more general "something else" going on?

I thought about the MAOIs but the OP mentioned that cigs also caused sleepiness/tired feelings such as:

It has a narcotic affect on me. Cigarettes did too, although not as much (as I wasn't smoking constantly like I vape). I always thought it was the smoke depriving me of oxygen making me tired.

So far as I know, the only commonality between smoking and vaping is the nicotine. So it seems the OP is correct to suspect it first. At least it's a reasonable suspicion.

At the same time, leaving that many chemicals behind that you were putting into your blood stream regularly (and fast, absorption via the lungs is quick) could cause who the heck could figure out how many effects and it could be something totally unrelated to the nic.

In short... derrrr I dunno...

 

[Anybody]

Eh, its probably equivalent to folks who can chug a coffee and go right to bed at night ( I used to be one of those folks before I had to cut my caffeine intake LOL). Some people are less affected by the stimulant properties than others.

Also kinda like how benadryl knocks most people out, but will cause some to bounce off the walls. It just is what it is.

Thats something that happens to me, I can't sleep taking benadryl to save my life. Some folks simply react completely opposite than most to the strangest stuff.

 

[mkbilbo]

From wikipedia Nicotine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Nicotine's mood-altering effects are different by report: in particular it is both a stimulant and a relaxant.[10] First causing a release of glucose from the liver and epinephrine(adrenaline) from the adrenal medulla, it causes stimulation. Users report feelings of relaxation, sharpness, calmness, and alertness."
"At higher doses, nicotine enhances the effect of serotonin and opiate activity, producing a calming, pain-killing effect. Nicotine is unique in comparison to most drugs, as its profile changes from stimulant to sedative/pain killer in increasing dosages and use."

Yeah, that.

We do know it triggers dopamine production among other effects and does have a "calming" effect (hence the smoker tendency to smoke more when stressed). Maybe the OP is more sensitive to that effect than average?

 

[Notorious C.I.G.]

You absorb nicotine more quickly with cigarette smoke than with vape, so it's going to hit you differently. If your vaping all the time you're going to gradually raise the nic level in your blood to the point of the sedative effects. I'd go with a lower nic level for chain vaping.

Also, here is a bit from something I posted in another thread about the additives in cigarettes which make them different than just nicotine:

Ammonium is one which freebases the nicotine to makes it absorbed more easily. Acetaldehyde is created when sugars are burned (which are added to cigs) which creates a synergistic effect in combination with nicotine, research on mice showed mice became more addicted to the combination than nicotine alone, and e cigs don't reach a high enough temperature to burn sugar(which is good, acetaldehyde causes cancer). Alone it was also found to have a similar effect to nicotine. Levulinic acid is also added to cigarettes and in studies resulted in an increase 20-50% uptake of nicotine than without it. Cocoa and theobromine are added which open the lungs airways to provide more absorption and have minor nicotine like effects as well. Glycyrrhizin is another additive which opens up the airways. Also, additional pyridine is added which is a tobacco alkaloid which similar effects of nicotine. http://www.ash.org.uk/files/documents/ASH_623.pdf

And here is another bit from wiki, but I am not sure if the same applies to vape:
Research suggests that, when smokers wish to achieve a stimulating effect, they take short quick puffs, which produce a low level of blood nicotine.[18] This stimulates nerve transmission. When they wish to relax, they take deep puffs, which produce a high level of blood nicotine, which depresses the passage of nerve impulses, producing a mild sedative effect.