SAFE GC Coalition: The Truth About Vaping Nicotine and Sleep

According to a recent news article that discusses research from the CDC Foundation and Truth Initiative, vaping nicotine is associated with sleep problems. Sleep problems can include insufficient sleep, interrupted sleep, restlessness during sleep, nightmares, and daytime sleepiness. Sleep is essential for young people’s brain development and mental health, with research finding an association between poor sleep quality and negative mental health.

A study published in Journal of Adolescence that focused on young people aged 12-17 found that vaping nicotine (as well as dual smoking and vaping) is significantly associated with greater odds of reporting sleep problems such as sleeping restlessly, bad dreams, and daytime fatigue. Another study of high school students found that e-cigarette users were at increased odds of reporting insufficient sleep compared with cigarette smokers or people who had never used tobacco products.

Research points to a similar association in adults: in a study of people aged 18-65, those currently vaping nicotine were more likely to report less sleep compared with those who had never used e-cigarettes. Nicotine is known to increase heart rate, blood pressure, and glucose levels, all of which has the potential to delay or interfere with sleep.

According to a body of peer-reviewed research gathered in a Truth Initiative report, nicotine addiction may pose a threat to a generation of young people already experiencing a mental health crisis.

A Truth Initiative survey has shown that a majority of young people who have used e-cigarettes started vaping nicotine to lessen feelings of stress, anxiety, or depression, and many continue vaping to cope with these feelings, possibly due to tobacco industry efforts to market their products with claims that smoking or vaping nicotine is relaxing and calming.

The association between nicotine and sleep may indicate a similar trend – young people may be vaping nicotine to cope with symptoms of disrupted sleep, not realizing that nicotine may be part of the problem.

Research shows that in the long term, quitting nicotine can improve mental health, with 90% of young people who quit vaping reporting feeling less stressed, anxious, or depressed, according to a Truth Initiative survey.

If you or someone you know is quitting smoking or vaping, there are resources proven to help.

SAFE, Inc. is the only alcohol and substance abuse prevention, intervention, and education agency in the City of Glen Cove. Its Coalition is concerned with all combustible and electronic products with tobacco. The Agency employs environmental strategies to educate and update the community regarding the negative consequences of smoking and vaping. To learn more about the SAFE Glen Cove Coalition please follow www.facebook.com/safeglencove or to learn more about electronic products visit the Youth and Tobacco Use and Vaping Facts and Myths Pages of SAFE’s website to learn more about how vaping is detrimental to your health at www.safeglencove.org.

The Truth Initiative is the nation’s largest nonprofit public health organization dedicated to preventing youth and young adult nicotine addiction and empowering quitting. Research is conducted through the Truth Initiative Schroeder Institute that produces independent research to provide evidence for policy change and leadership in cessation research. For more information, please visit www.truthinitiative.org.

EX Program by Truth Initiative, a comprehensive quitting program developed with Mayo Clinic in 2008, is designed to help people of all ages quit any type of tobacco or nicotine product. EX Program offers a free personalized quit plan, interactive text message reminders, and access to the nation's most established online quitting community. Proven effective and backed by science, EX Program has helped millions of people on their journey to quit and can increase a user's odds of quitting by up to 40%. For more information, please visit www.exprogram.com