If you’re a smoker who’s transitioning to vaping as a way of quitting, you might be wondering if you can still get that same pleasant buzz from a vape. Or if you’re a vaper who’s never smoked, you might be curious about whether this near-mythical nicotine buzz even exists.
Well, the answer to the first question is “yes you can”, and the answer to the second is “yes it does” – and to explain what it is and how to achieve it, in this post, we tell you everything you need to know about how to get a nicotine buzz from vaping.
What is a nicotine buzz?
So, what is a nicotine buzz anyway?
In short, a nicotine buzz is the feeling you get when you “take” nicotine – because nicotine is, after all, a drug.
When you ingest nicotine by smoking – or vaping, as we’ll see in a moment – it delivers a fairly big dose of this drug in a short time, and the nicotine buzz is the feeling that the drug creates.
So what does it feel like?
The buzz you get from nicotine is a subtle feeling, similar in strength to the buzz you get from drinking a strong cup of coffee – although the effects are different.
The effects people report from a nicotine buzz include:
- Headrush
- Dizziness
- Relaxation
- Happiness
- Mild euphoria
- Calmness
- Alertness
- Increased focus and concentration
You may notice that some of these effects might seem contradictory, but there’s no paradox here – it just depends on the dose. In lower doses, nicotine is a stimulant, but as the dose increases, it becomes a sedative.
This is the same as alcohol. In small doses, alcohol is a stimulant, making us talkative, energetic and lively – but if you keep drinking, you become lethargic and drowsy. And if you continue drinking, eventually, you will just pass out.
The effects of nicotine from smoking a cigarette come on quickly – the nicotine reaches your brain in only around 10 seconds.
After this, the initial buzz is moderate, but this lasts for only around 10 seconds or so – or perhaps up to about a minute.
However, more subtle effects can persist, and you may be able to feel something for as long as 10 minutes or even half an hour after smoking, especially if you aren’t used to the effects of nicotine – although it will be nothing like as potent as the initial buzz.
Most people enjoy this sensation – and this is one of the reasons people get into smoking in the first place. But if you ingest too much nicotine, the effects can be far more unpleasant, and you may experience some of the following symptoms of nicotine “overdose”:
- Anxiety
- Dizziness
- Nausea
- Elevated heart rate
- Headache
- Ringing in the ears
What’s the science behind it?
So now let’s have a look at what’s going on when you get a nicotine buzz from a scientific point of view.
Nicotine works by binding with nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in the brain, and in simple terms, this causes the brain to release dopamine, a chemical related to things like pleasure, satisfaction and reward.
Dopamine is what’s responsible for the pleasurable feelings the smoker experiences, but at the same time, nicotine also causes the blood vessels to constrict and the heart rate to increase, which is related to the “racing” feeling and the headrush we sometimes feel.
However, the brain’s neurotransmitters don’t have unlimited capacity, and if you continue to pump them with nicotine, they will eventually become full.
When this happens, it is no longer possible to feel the euphoria of a nicotine buzz – this happens quickly, and when it does, it means we have already built up a tolerance to the effects of the drug.
How can you get a nicotine buzz from your vape?
Most of what we’ve said so far is related to cigarettes, but the same is true of vapes. Vapes don’t deliver nicotine in quite the same way as cigarettes – when you vape, you inhale vapor and not smoke – but the effects can be similar, if slightly slower.
This means all you need to do to get a buzz from a vape is to take a puff, inhale the vapor, hold it in your lungs for a few seconds and then breathe it out again.
If you repeat this a couple of times, it will deliver enough nicotine to your brain, and you will feel a similar nicotine buzz to someone smoking a cigarette.
Why can’t you get a buzz anymore?
It all seems very simple, right? So then why is it that many vapers report not being able to feel a buzz from vaping anymore? And why do some vapers say they’re never experienced it at all?
The main reason is due to one thing – tolerance.
If you smoke or vape regularly, your neurotransmitters will always be full of nicotine, so they can’t accept any more.
A good analogy is to think of a sponge. Once it has soaked up all the water it can hold, it won’t be able to soak up more – and the neurotransmitters in your brain are the same.
This means if you are a regular smoker or vaper, it’s normal to not feel a buzz anymore when you smoke or vape because your neurotransmitters are always full.
Chasing the buzz
Furthermore, “chasing a buzz” by trying to smoke or vape even more won’t work – and is even counterproductive.
Since your neurotransmitters are already full, flooding them with more nicotine won’t help – and the only effect it might have is that it will make you feel sick as you start to experience the symptoms of nicotine overdose.
In addition, once you start chasing a nicotine buzz in this way but are unable to feel it, this is a sign that you are becoming addicted to nicotine – which is, after all, a highly addictive drug.
In people who smoke or vape regularly, having their neurotransmitters filled with nicotine becomes the new normal, and each time they reach for a vape or cigarette, they are essentially just “topping up”.
And when you’re in this situation, there’s no chance of experiencing a buzz.
Withdrawal symptoms
If usually smoke or vape often but then you suddenly stop, you will start to experience withdrawal symptoms, which can include bad mood, anxiety, irritability, insomnia and reduced cognition, depending on the severity.
These symptoms will gradually disappear over the course of a few days, but they will disappear instantly if you ingest nicotine again because you are replenishing your brain with the drug it has come to expect.
What this means, though, is that the nicotine is not actually making you happy or relaxed – rather, it is just curing the bad mood or the anxiety that nicotine withdrawal had created in the first place!
When you smoke or vape for the first time after experiencing withdrawal symptoms, you are likely to experience that elusive nicotine buzz again.
However, putting yourself through a cycle of nicotine withdrawal repeatedly just to get a buzz again is not something many people will enjoy.
The first vape of the morning
Having said that, even if you vape a lot, there’s some good news too because there’s another way.
As even the heaviest and most addicted smokers will tell you, the best cigarette of the day is usually the first one in the morning.
This is because the brain has had time to rid itself of some of the nicotine overnight, and by morning, the neurotransmitters are at least partially empty again.
This is why, even in fairly heavy smokers, the first cigarette of the day is still able to create at least some kind of buzz – in the same way the first cup of coffee in the morning can create a pleasant buzz, even in people who drink quite a few cups every day.
So even heavy vapers can still look forward to a buzz once a day when they take that first puff in the morning.
Other reasons why you might not be getting a buzz
Although tolerance may be the main reason you’re not getting a buzz, there may be other reasons.
For example, if you’re using nicotine-free vape juice, it goes without saying that you won’t get a nicotine buzz – although some people still don’t seem to understand this! Similarly, juice with a very low nicotine content may also not be strong enough to create a buzz.
Alternatively, your vape may not be set up in the optimal way to create a buzz, so this is something you’ll need to experiment with – and yet another possibility is that certain elements of your vape may be dirty, in which case, giving them a quick clean may help.
Tips for getting nic buzz back
If you’re no longer experiencing the nicotine buzz you used to enjoy, here are some tips for getting it back.
1. Tolerance break – let the sponge drip dry!
The key to experiencing regular nicotine buzzes is to take tolerance breaks, which, in other words, means not vaping too often.
If you vape every day – and usually several times a day – you will quickly build up a tolerance. Those neurotransmitters in your brain will always be full, and when you vape, you will just be topping them up.
To go back to our sponge analogy, the answer is to let the sponge drip dry. Then, once the nicotine has left your brain, try vaping – and you should feel a nice strong buzz again.
This might be easier said than done, but if you are a social vaper who only vapes a few times a week, you are much more likely to experience a buzz than a heavy vaper who vapes constantly throughout the day.
2. Check your juice has nicotine in it!
It almost goes without saying, but if you’re not getting a buzz, check if the juice you are using actually contains nicotine.
If it does, check how much – because choosing juice with a higher nicotine content may be the answer – although as we mentioned above, this won’t help if you have already built up a tolerance.
3. Try higher doses or high-volume sub-ohm vapes with a lower dose
If you are only an occasional vaper and don’t think you have built up a nicotine tolerance but are still not getting a buzz, experiment with changing the dose and also try things like vaping with high-dose nicotine salts.
Alternatively, experiment with higher volumes of lower-dose juice with sub-ohm vapes.
These are the vaping equivalents of drinking a strong shot of espresso or a large cup of americano!
Try a few different delivery options to see what works best for you – but always remember that if you have built up your tolerance, none of these solutions will help.
4. Adjust wattage
You can also experiment with changing the wattage on your vape if you have a system that allows you to do this.
5. Try different coil types
Another thing to experiment with is the coil type. Try changing all the different parameters to see what gives you the biggest hit.
6. Experiment with MTL and DTL delivery
You can also experiment with mouth-to-lung and direct-to-lung vapes to see which works best for you.
7. Adjust the airflow
Finally, adjusting the airflow may help you inhale more when you vape, delivering a bigger nicotine hit and allowing you to experience a more powerful buzz.
8. Clean your vape
If none of the above works, you should also inspect your vape and clean it if necessary. In fact, it’s probably a smart move to try this first before you start experimenting with all the other options!
FAQ
Can nicotine help you sleep?
No, nicotine can’t help you sleep – and on the contrary, it is more likely to give you insomnia.
When you smoke or vape, the nicotine you are ingesting functions as a stimulant, which will keep you awake.
Even if you ingest a higher amount and it makes you feel drowsy, as it wears off, the stimulant effect will return, waking you up and preventing you from going back to sleep.
Nicotine also inhibits rapid eye movement when we sleep, so even if you do go to sleep after ingesting nicotine, the sleep will be of poorer quality.
So the best advice is not to smoke or vape just before bedtime!
How can you get over a nicotine “overdose”?
If you ingest too much nicotine trying to chase a buzz, the first thing you should do is stop vaping!
After that, drink some water – or perhaps some sugary drinks like cola or juice – and try to make yourself eat something.
The effects will wear off pretty quickly, so all you need to do is sit down, relax and wait for the unpleasant sensation to disappear.
However, if you lose consciousness or suffer any other severe symptoms, you should contact a medical professional immediately.
Avoid tolerance for a regular buzz
So as we’ve seen, it’s possible to get a nicotine buzz from vaping, just as it is from smoking. However, tolerance to nicotine builds up quickly, so the key to getting that buzz is to manage your tolerance.
Take tolerance breaks from vaping by not vaping every day – and then, when you do vape, the buzz will be back and vaping will become a more pleasurable experience because of it.
