ZYN nicotine pouches can cause anxiety when you're trying to quit them. ZYN is a stimulant, which means it releases different endorphins, which elevates your brain to a stimulated state. The nicotine withdrawal can force your brain to feel a slump because of the reduced endorphin influx.
Other reasons why ZYN might cause anxiety or queasiness is because of nicotine overdose. We'll look at the scientific reason and how you can avoid them in detail below.
Scientific Correlation Between ZYN and Anxiety
ZYN contains nicotine, which is a psychoactive stimulant, which affects your brain, mood, and functionality. When you use nicotine pouches, it releases endorphins like serotonin, dopamine, and adrenaline. This gives your body and mental state a boost.
Continued use of nicotine pouches forces your brain to acclimate to this new high state. When you stop using nicotine pouches, your mental state slumps into the normal levels of dopamine, serotonin, and adrenaline.
Since, your mind is acclimated to the highs, it feels like a slump. You feel more inactive, down, and anxious. The effects of nicotine pouch withdrawal can also impact your urge to excrete and other bodily functions.
Symptoms of Anxiety
Here are 5 symptoms of severe anxiety that might come about because of nicotine withdrawal.
- Irritability
- Tiredness
- Lack of Concentration
- Over or Under Sleep
- Restlessness
These effects are more pronounced in long-term nicotine users or people with existing trauma. Patients of various mental disorders may also experience these anxiety symptoms in full force.
Does Nicotine Cause Anxiety and Depression?
Yes, different forms of nicotine, be it snus, nicotine pouches, vaping, or cigarettes can cause anxiety and depression. The main reason for this, a temporary or prolonged withdrawal from nicotine products, which forces your brain into an endorphin slump.
Let's look at how this changes with different products:
Cigarettes and Anxiety
Heated tobacco products give an average user 0.8 to 1.5 mg of nicotine. The resulting rush and endorphin release is enough to rewire your reward centre and push an addiction onto your mind. What makes cigarettes so dangerous is their impact on habit formation.
Researched published in the NCBI shows that the hand-to-mouth motion of smokers reinforces their smoking habits. When they aren't smoking, they don't know what to do with their hands. It causes restlessness, anxiety, and a slew of other ticks.
Some people also use cigarettes as a way to cope with their depression, social anxiety, etc. When they leave cigarettes, their anxiety kicks back in because of the endorphin slump and habit breaking kickback.
Snus and Anxiety
Snus is tobacco in its pure, unadulterated form. It has a strong taste and nicotine concentration that significantly affects your mood. Prolonged separation from snus can definitely cause depression and anxiety.
Lack of snus use in long-time users can cause irritability, unjustified anger, and other erratic behavior. Other effects could increase a lack of attention, motivation, and a lack of sleep.
Vapes and Anxiety
Vapes are relatively new, and health experts have yet to study their effects. However, these products have considerable nicotine concentrations and reinforce the hand-to-mouth motion. The social status and array of youth friendly flavors make them much more addictive.
Vapes are also known to keep your endorphins levels high for longer compared to other forms of nicotine use. When you quit vapes, your brain feels the effect of the withdrawal much more strongly.
Tips to Reduce Nicotine-Related Anxiety
Anxiety is a side effect of nicotine pouch withdrawal. Here are some tips to help you fend off anxiety if you're quitting nicotine:
1. Reduce Nicotine Gradually
One mistake most people make is trying to go cold turkey on nicotine after long-term use. It increases anxiety, depression, and other potential side effects, because of the sudden slump. As a result, 75% of smokers relapse in the first 6 months because of the side effects.
An easier way to do this is to slowly stabilize your mood and reduce nicotine consumption. When you're down to minimal amounts of nicotine, you can cut if off altogether. Ideally, go from cigarettes to oral nicotine pouches, reduce their consumption, until you can quit completely.
2. Break Your Habits
The hardest part of nicotine withdrawal is breaking the consumption habits. For example, the hand to mouth motion in smokers is the hardest to break. The same applies to vape and snus users, who might feel anxious when they don't undertake the action.
One way to break the habit is to identify potential triggers and make the act harder. For example, if you start smoking straight after dinner, then lock your cigarettes in a drawer. The extra steps that you have to undertake will discourage the habit.
3. Flush Your System
One good way to get rid of anxiety is to flush your system or have occasional detoxes. It stabilizes your system and gives you a fresh slate. For reference, nicotine stays in your body for 3 to 10 days, while the by-products can last much longer.
One good way to flush your system is by eating good food and drinking water. Use fresh juices to give your body the energy it craves. You can try rejuvenating fruit punch or pomegranate juice to get your body functions back in order.
4. Exercise Regularly
Anxiety is usually accompanied by a feeling of depression. One good way to bring down your anxiety levels is through exercise. It brings your serotonin, dopamine, and adrenaline levels back into check.
It also distracts your attention from the effects of nicotine withdrawal, while boosting your self-confidence. Overall, exercise is a great way to get rid of anxiety and depression.
Conclusion
ZYN nicotine pouches are stimulants, which affect your mood. When you use any form of nicotine, your body experiences an elevated state. When you stay away from the nicotine product, your endorphin and nicotine levels go into a slump.
This slump can cause symptoms of nicotine withdrawal like anxiety and depression. Eating healthy and planning a consistent reduction in nicotine consumption can keep the symptoms away.
