Vaping and Anxiety: The Unhealthy Relationship Affecting Your Mental Health

09/13/2024

Key Takeaways

01. Many people turn to vaping to manage mental health challenges, but it can actually lead to more anxiety down the line and even depression.

02. Symptoms of vaping and anxiety include increased heart rate, nervousness, irritability, and trouble sleeping.

03. Quitting vaping has been shown to decrease feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression.

04. Instead of trying to manage anxiety with vaping, opt for an anxiety breathing necklace like Komuso as a healthy alternative to help your body and mind relax.

Replace This Harmful Habit With An Anxiety Breathing Necklace

When your mind is racing, and it feels like ants are under your skin, chances are all you want is a moment of relief. Those feelings are not just stressful– they’re uncomfortable! Not all stress-relieving outlets are healthy, though. Vaping and anxiety are a great example of how something can make you feel slightly better in the moment, only to have bigger problems down the road.

If you’re struggling with vaping and anxiety or are pondering jumping on the e-cigarette train to help curb those stressful feelings, here’s what you need to know and how an anxiety breathing necklace can help.

Can Vaping Cause Anxiety?

The short answer is absolutely.

With the never-ending stream of news alerts, easy availability to doomscroll, constant pressure to keep up with the times, and the millions of other aspects of life to ponder, it’s easy to get bogged down in worries and stress. This tornado of uncomfortable feelings often leads to developing unhealthy habits and cravings, like nicotine. E-cigarettes, in particular, are becoming an increasingly popular product.

Many turn to these smokeless nicotine products because they help to navigate stressful moments and situations, but does it actually help? Research shows that it’s not quite as beneficial as it feels.

How Do Vaping and Anxiety Work Together?

Vaping has become increasingly popular, particularly among young adults, with many turning to it as a way to manage stress and anxiety. A Truth Initiative survey found that 81% of young adults start vaping to cope with mental health challenges. However, while it might seem like a quick fix, vaping can actually worsen anxiety and other mental health issues in the long run.

The Vicious Cycle of Vaping and Anxiety

Nicotine, the addictive substance in most e-cigarettes, temporarily increases dopamine levels in the brain, creating a fleeting sense of calm and pleasure. They’re called happy brain chemicals for a reason! However, as soon as the nicotine wears off, anxiety can rebound more intensely because the dopamine wears off, and your body sounds the alert that it’s craving even more of that substance that made you feel good (nicotine). This pattern—vaping for relief, feeling briefly calm, then experiencing heightened anxiety—often traps users in a cycle of dependency and worsens mental health.

Vaping and anxiety are also bonded together because of a physical response. Nicotine stimulates the release of stress hormones like adrenaline, which increases heart rate and blood pressure. This physical stress response can add to feelings of anxiety, especially when nicotine levels drop, making you feel even more anxious than before you smoked.

Let’s also not forget about the psychological impact. The constant up-and-down of nicotine’s effects can create a heightened sense of unease or nervousness. The worry about when you'll get your next fix can also contribute to underlying anxiety, making you feel trapped in a cycle where anxiety is always just within reach. If you vape regularly, picture yourself going on a long, 7-hour flight. You’re obviously not allowed to vape on a plane, so you’ll be forced to wait to take a puff until after you land. Does that scenario make you nervous? That’s the power of nicotine!

Quitting, in particular, magnifies those feelings of stress and overwhelm. Withdrawal symptoms, such as irritability, restlessness, and panic attacks, mimic or amplify anxiety. This makes it hard for individuals to break free from vaping, even when they recognize its negative impact on their mental health.

The Broader Mental Health Impacts of Vaping

Beyond anxiety, vaping is linked to other serious mental health problems, including depression. Studies show that those who vape report difficulties engaging in activities they once enjoyed and experience significant interference with daily life and relationships. One study found more than 50% of nicotine-only vapers have reported symptoms of depression, compared to just 25% of non-vapers.

These findings highlight the severe impact vaping can have on mental health and why it’s not a useful tool to manage anxiety or positive mental health.

Symptoms of Vaping and Anxiety

Symptoms from the negative relationship between vaping and anxiety vary. Here are a few to look out for:

Increased Heart Rate: Nicotine in e-cigarettes can stimulate the release of adrenaline, leading to an increased heart rate and feelings of anxiety.
Restlessness and Nervousness: Nicotine is a stimulant that can cause heightened alertness and agitation, mimicking or exacerbating anxiety symptoms.
Difficulty Concentrating: Vaping can interfere with cognitive function, making it harder to focus, which can heighten feelings of stress and anxiety.
Sleep Disturbances: Nicotine disrupts sleep patterns, leading to insomnia or poor-quality sleep, which can worsen anxiety over time.
Mood Swings and Irritability: Fluctuations in nicotine levels can lead to withdrawal symptoms, causing mood instability and irritability, which are often associated with anxiety.
Shortness of Breath and Chest Tightness: Physical symptoms like shortness of breath can trigger anxiety or panic attacks, as these sensations can be misinterpreted as signs of an impending health issue.

These symptoms often become more pronounced while quitting as withdrawal settles in.

Does Quitting Vaping Help With Anxiety?

Quitting smoking isn’t just about breaking a habit—it can really improve how you feel mentally and emotionally. Don’t just take our word for it, though! Let’s look at what others are saying.

A review of multiple studies found that those who quit smoking experienced less stress, anxiety, and depression and reported feeling happier and more positive overall compared to people who kept smoking. Even when it comes to vaping, Truth Initiative surveys showed that a whopping 90 percent of young people who stopped vaping felt a noticeable drop in their stress, anxiety, and depression levels.

Another study of over 4,000 adults highlighted that giving up smoking can lead to significant improvements in anxiety and depression, regardless of whether or not you have a history of mental health issues. If you’re dealing with mental health challenges, quitting smoking could help you feel more at ease and give you a better quality of life. The positive impact on your mental well-being might even rival the effects of antidepressants.

So, to sum it up, quitting vaping can absolutely help with anxiety.

Overcoming Vaping and Anxiety: What is an Alternative?

Instead of reaching for a vape to battle overthinking or stress, try a healthy alternative like an anxiety breathing necklace!

The power behind using these tools is that they are a physical reminder to slowly exhale through your mouth, stimulating the vagus nerve and helping your body relax. From falling asleep faster to naturally reversing anxiety, anxiety breathing necklaces are designed to help you feel better throughout the day. So, whether you’re feeling anxious overall or going through a seriously stressful situation, you’ll have a physical reminder to breathe purposefully and release that tension. Even better, those slower breaths become more consistent as a daily practice the more you use the breathing necklace. You may find that certain situations that used to trigger anxiety no longer have such an impact on your mental health as you breathe steadily through it!

How to Use an Anxiety Breathing Necklace

With a few simple tweaks to the timing and mechanics of your breath, you can start breathing properly (and experiencing the benefits) right now. That’s the great thing about breathwork!

To feel the full effect of breathing properly, repeat this cycle for 5 minutes.

How to inhale:

Place one hand on your chest and the other on your belly.
Inhale slowly through your nose, directing breath into your belly.
Feel your belly rise, pausing briefly when full.

How to exhale:

Place the anxiety breathing necklace up to your lips and exhale slowly through it.
Start gradually, going as slowly as possible, and exhaling completely.
Feel your belly deflate, pausing before the next inhale.

Once you’ve mastered this, the key is to practice as much as possible. The more you do it, the more it helps and the better you feel.

How to practice better breathing daily.

Set a timer for 60 minutes.
Every time the timer goes off, breathe purposefully for 2-5 minutes.
A slow, deep inhale followed by a slow, long exhale.

Do this all day long and see how it affects your level of anxiety and stress.

The Best Anxiety Breathing Necklace

Let’s be real—remembering to breathe slowly when you're feeling anxious can be a real struggle. Slowing down your exhale during moments of anxiety sounds simple, but in the heat of the moment, it’s tough to put into practice. Building a routine around mindful breathing can feel overwhelming, especially when anxiety spikes unexpectedly.

That’s where the Shift Anxiety Breathing Necklace comes in. Designed to be a discreet and accessible tool, the Shift helps you slow down your breath anytime, anywhere, without needing Wi-Fi, charging, or special settings. Whether you're at work, on a flight, or dealing with everyday stress, you can take a moment to reset your breathing and find calm.

Why Choose the Shift?

Komuso, the original creator of the anxiety breathing necklace concept, designed the Shift with intention and care. Unlike many knock-offs on the market, which often use questionable materials and take forever to arrive, the Shift is made from high-quality, medical-grade 316 stainless steel. It’s designed to look good and function well, with a chamber specifically measured to slow your exhale to over eight seconds, helping you get the most out of each breath.

Komuso has also developed a free breath course called TKM: The Komuso Method. This course is about integrating the Shift into your daily routine, teaching you practical breathwork techniques, emotional awareness, and ways to feel more in control during stressful moments. With these tools, you can turn breathing into a habit that supports better mental health and helps manage anxious thoughts.

So whether you’re dealing with work stress, parenting challenges, chronic anxiety, or just the ups and downs of daily life, the Shift breathing necklace is a simple yet powerful tool to help you navigate those moments of heightened emotion with greater ease. Opting for this instead of vaping is an excellent way to support your mental and physical health.

The Shift breathing necklace, so much good in one breath.

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