Vaping has gained worldwide accolades as a healthier alternative to smoking cigarettes. The smell doesn’t linger around and you also don’t need ashtrays to carry along. However, vaping can trigger a similar level of addiction as that of smoking cigarettes and might turn you into a chain vaper. You must have seen chain vapers holding the vape devices next to their mouths replacing one cartridge after another.
What is Chain Vaping?
Chain vaping refers to continuous vaping with minimal intervals between the sessions and puffs. This can easily turn into a habit, especially for smokers who have just transitioned to vaping. It is essential to give a pause of 15-30 seconds between puffs so that your wick has adequate e-liquid. If this time frame is seeming too long, then chances are high that you have developed a vaping addiction.
Signs of heavy vaping
- Constant vaping with very short breaks between puffs.
- Holding your vape in your hand at all times.
- Hard to remove the smell of e-cig vapor indoors.
- Noticing your e-cig battery running out of juice too soon.
- Vaping in secret in places where you shouldn’t.
- Feeling inactive, lazy, or tired.
- Losing interest in social events and daily activities.
- Not getting the buzz unless you select stronger e-liquids.
Health risks associated with vaping
Vaping in moderation can help control this habit. You might still be vulnerable to the inherent health hazards even when you aren’t a chain vaper. The risks are significantly low compared to cigarettes. Nonetheless, vaping isn’t fully harmless making it imperative to stop chain vaping. It can cause cardiovascular ailments and chronic lung disease as the nicotine present in e-liquid is equally harmful as in a cigarette. Manufacturers offer them in pleasant flavors making it increasingly challenging to gauge your nicotine intake while vaping. If you haven’t smoked cigarettes before, then excessive vaping might be more insidious as you won’t be aware of the effects of nicotine. The first red flag before you reach the stage of nicotine poisoning is acute dehydration. Going overboard can cause you to feel dizzy, nauseous, or even have a headache. You should stop vaping immediately after experiencing any of the symptoms that have been listed below:
- Dehydration is one of the most common side effects of chain vaping. You will be at heightened risk of getting dehydrated on using vaping juices having high propylene glycol (PG) ratios. PG is both colorless and odorless but offers a similar sensation as that of cigarettes while producing big vapor clouds. Since PG is a humectant, it will absorb water molecules from your mouth and nose causing dehydration if you vape constantly. Novice vapers will require a few weeks to get used to PG-based liquids and it can cause a sore throat and dry mouth even if you aren’t a chain vaper. However, the intensity of these effects gets amplified by chain vaping. Prolonged dehydration is infamous for breaking skin cells, lowering blood pressure, and causing weakness. You can circumvent the same by increasing your fluid intake.
- Excessive vaping has also been linked with “vaper’s tongue” where your taste buds get overstimulated. Dehydration is an indirect cause of Vapers tongue wherein different flavors start seeming either unpleasant or tasteless. This issue usually affects a particular flavor rather than a full loss of taste and the effects linger for around two weeks.
- Often vapers develop an allergic reaction to certain e-liquid components like PG. Chances of consuming more PG-containing e-liquids increase for chain vapers who experience a higher level of allergic reaction compared to moderate vapers. You might also experience the side effects of having PG sensitivity. In most cases, PG allergy feels like general sicknesses like a sore throat, skin rashes, or symptoms similar to a sinus infection. It is advisable to switch to vegetable glycerin (VG) based juices if you are allergic to PG.
Signs of nicotine poisoning
You will rarely hear someone falling prey to a fatal dose of nicotine. However, this might happen if you consume high levels of nicotine causing you to fall ill though you will recover from the same. It is also advisable to be vigilant about storing nicotine products around your pets and children. E-liquids come in small bottles that aren’t childproof. The fact that they both taste and smell great and have colorful packaging can attract small children. Nicotine poisoning usually occurs in stages with the early symptoms being vomiting, nausea, loss of appetite, stomach pain, headache, increased salivation, sweating, anxiety, rapid heart rate, and confusion. While these symptoms might be experienced within an hour of nicotine consumption, it might be followed by other symptoms like respiratory failure, shallow breath, pale skin, diarrhea, weakness, and fatigue.
Limits to vaping
Nicotine overdose or poisoning is the ultimate result of chain vaping. An average vape cartridge contains approximately 40 milligrams of nicotine and smoking two to three cartridges can cause nicotine poisoning. As per CDC, 50-60 milligrams of nicotine can prove to be fatal for a 150-pound adult. An important factor of nicotine poisoning is your level of nicotine tolerance. Some vapers can experience the symptoms going through one to two packs a day whereas others can have multiple refills without experiencing any adverse effects. Apart from your health, over-vaping can also damage your vape wick and coil’s ability to properly absorb the e-liquid.
Chain Vaping FAQs
Will chain vaping damage my coil?
Chain vaping can significantly impact the life expectancy of the coil by heating it up over prolonged time periods. The robustness of the coil and the inhalation depth are two deciding factors of the longevity of the coil. If you wish to continue with the chain vaping habit, then it’s advisable to invest in a premium-grade coil.
How much daily vaping is considered an average?
Taking 132 puffs daily is considered an average vaping habit. Most vape users take between 100-140 puffs daily.
How much break time should you take between each puff while vaping?
Ideally, you should give a resting time of 15-30 seconds between each puff. You can also switch to a more potent e-juice if the wait seems too long. A liquid having higher nicotine content can satisfy you between puffs.
How much vaping is too much?
If you are doing either any or all of these things, then it means you are heavy vaping or chain vaping:
· Vaping constantly throughout the day with very short breaks.
· Using either 10ml or more liquid daily.
· Having more than 4 puffs per minute over a prolonged stretch.
· Using e-liquid with nicotine concentrations higher than 2.5%.
Is chain vaping and heavy vaping the same?
Heavy vaping means vaping regularly or frequently using e-liquids having high nicotine content. Chain vaping on the other hand is characterized by prolonged sessions of almost continuous vaping.
Tips to stop chain vaping
The best way of stopping chain vaping is to stay occupied as long as possible so that the constant action of vaping gets disrupted. Some activities you can engage in are cooking, writing, typing, or playing video games as they can keep your hands busy and mind distracted. Keeping your vape pod or pen either at the work desk or bedside table can help deter the vaping habit. A more foolproof way of disrupting the chain vaping routine is taking time-limited vape breaks. You can give yourself adequate space to relax and recover by choosing to vape at given times of the day.
Conclusion
You can understand whether you have vaped too much by simply examining your body. Make sure to cut back on experiencing symptoms associated with over-vaping. If you aren’t experiencing any symptoms despite chain vaping, then monitor how fast your vape products get depleted. If it deteriorates faster than it should have, then you need to slow down a bit. Though the detrimental effects of chain vaping aren’t very serious, constantly using e-cigarettes can bring along a negative impact on your well-being. You are bound to feel tired and restless and your overall vaping enjoyment might diminish over time on spending all day using an e-cigarette.
