There have been many studies into the effects of nicotine on sleep, and it is almost certain that Elf Bars could be the reason you are struggling to fall asleep. If you have recently switched from smoking to vaping, then you could be noticing a change in your sleeping pattern, and this is perfectly normal. It won’t be a permanent problem, and there are many ways that you can use your Elf Bar to get a better night’s sleep.

Smoking Vs Elf Bar at night

It is no secret that nicotine is a powerful stimulant – many smokers love to wake up in the morning and have a coffee with a morning cigarette simply because it wakes you up. Now, the other popular cigarette time is last thing at night, with many smokers claiming that the last cigarette before bed helps them to relax ready for a good night sleep. So, can nicotine be both a stimulant and relaxant?

It is an unusual combination to have a habit that can both wake you up and send you to sleep, but it could be to do with the way that the cigarette is smoked rather than solely being about the nicotine. The first cigarette will be more rushed than the night-time cigarette as people will start to have withdrawal symptoms overnight and will want their nicotine hit as quickly as possible. This results in short, repeated puffs first thing in a morning and giving you a higher dosage over a shorter period. The cigarette you have just before bed is more likely to be longer and slower drags, giving a relaxing feeling with a smaller dosage, which is why people find they can be sleepy right after it.

If you think about how you vape your Elf Bar, you will find that you probably puff away most of the night using small, quick drags rather than the longer, more drawn out drags that you do with a cigarette. There is also no real end to an e-cigarette like there is with a real cigarette. As you don’t have to put it out and wait until to light another one up, you can be constantly puffing away without even realising. This means that you are probably giving yourself a higher dose of nicotine without realising it.

As there is no moderating the type of inhale you have on an e-cigarette, you may only be getting the stimulant effect rather than the relaxing effect. The Elf Bar devices also contain nicotine salt, which is a stronger type of liquid that mimics the effects of a real cigarette. Nicotine salts are absorbed into the body extremely quickly, so if you are puffing away on your Elf Bar all night, you might not realise what dose of nicotine you are receiving.

How to stop vaping from affecting your sleep

We all know that vaping is better for your health than smoking, and we are not suggesting that you go back to using real cigarettes to help you get to sleep quicker at night. There are some things that you can do to help you to get through the transitional period of moving from smoking to vaping and still get a good night’s sleep (even when using an Elf Bar!)

· Stay hydrated – vaping can lead to a drier throat than you are normally used to, which in turn can lead to irritation during the night. This can lead to a disturbed night’s sleep without you even realising. To counteract this, make sure that you stay hydrated throughout the day by drinking plenty of water, and having some on your bedside table in case you wake up in the night. If you notice that your throat is irritated before you go to sleep, then you also try drinking a hot drink with honey or having a cough sweet before you go to sleep

· Nicotine Free – if you don’t want to stop vaping before you go to bed, you can also try swapping to a nicotine free liquid to use for a couple of hours before you go to sleep. This will counter act the stimulating nicotine effect that you can get from using the Elf Bar right before bed.

· Reduce your screen time – this is not solely to do with vaping, but if you want to (hopefully) fall asleep straight away then turn your phone off half an hour before you sleep. The blue light that emits from your phone makes your brain think that it is time to wake up when you are trying to wind down.

· Avoid alcohol and caffeine – try to avoid drinking alcohol and caffeine too close to bed time, as these will also act as a stimulant and prevent you from having a deep and peaceful night sleep.