It’s believed that e-cigarettes have helped millions of people quit smoking in the UK alone, but that doesn’t mean they’re good for you.
Vapes may contain less nicotine, tar and other harmful substances compared to combustible cigarettes, but they’re still linked to long-term health conditions. And they’re addictive, which means the body may still need a period of adaptation to fully kick the habit.
If you’re addicted to the nicotine in vapes, quitting may involve withdrawal symptoms, especially if you go ‘cold turkey’. As well as cravings, these symptoms can include feeling anxious and irritable, or groggy and sleepy. You may experience headaches and your appetite could change, too.
These symptoms peak around 72 hours after your last vape. By this time, the nicotine will have left your body completely.
Around the same time, you may notice your sense of taste and smell has improved, as your respiratory passages clear. Your blood pressure and heart rate will also fall to healthier levels. You may feel less tightness in your chest and notice yourself getting less out of breath.
According to a survey from anti-smoking charity, Truth Initiative, 90 per cent of people who quit e-cigarettes also felt less stressed, anxious or depressed.
Depending on the amount of existing damage there is – which could be higher if you’ve previously been a smoker – your lungs have some capacity to repair themselves. Within a year of zero nicotine, your lung capacity and the organs’ ability to fight off infections will be much higher.
Because vaping is a relatively new phenomenon (and the urge to quit is even newer), there are no long-term studies that show us exactly what happens over time, but generally, experts agree it’s very likely that a person’s risk of cancer and heart disease will also fall after quitting e-cigarettes for good.
This article is an answer to the question (asked by Antonia Fletcher, via email) 'What happens when you stop vaping?'
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