How to Stop Feeling Sick After Smoking Cigarettes

Most adult smokers would agree that they buy and use cigarettes as a way to relieve some stress out of their system, even in a short time. They likewise smoke cigarettes to shake out negative feelings and emotions they may be experiencing, which can be caused by issues or problems in day-to-day life.

The relaxing sensation of cigarettes is primarily attributed to nicotine, a chemical that is naturally present in tobacco leaves. As your body reacts to nicotine, you can expect to feel a soothing sensation that can somehow clear your mind and relieve you from disturbing thoughts.

But, what if you feel sick after smoking cigarettes?

There might be a number of reasons why you feel sick after smoking cigarettes. In this blog, we’ll uncover these reasons and how to stop feeling nauseous after smoking cigarettes.

Why Do I Feel Nauseous After Smoking?

Cigarettes are tobacco products that have been around for a long time. Most cigarettes you can find in the market today are made from tobacco, chemical additives, a filter, and paper wrapping. 

NativeSmokes4Less sells a wide range of cigarettes from different brands, providing you and other cigarette smokers with plenty of options that can match your preferred taste, throat hit, and many more. 

Using these tobacco products is easy as you only have to light it up with any fire source and puff it. You should place the lit cigarette to your lips and slowly suck the smoke into your lungs with a long, steady intake. Then, hold the smoke there for a moment before inhaling normally through your mouth and drawing air into your lungs.

The chemicals found in cigarettes whenever you smoke are expected to travel into your lungs and through your bloodstream until they reach your brain and other key organs in your body.

One of the chemicals that come from cigarette smoke is nicotine, which is meant to provide a relaxing sensation every time you puff a cigarette. This is possible as it causes a surge of endorphins whenever it enters your body. These chemicals help in relieving your stress and pain. They can also improve mood.

Nicotine also boosts your dopamine levels, a neurotransmitter which is a part of the brain’s reward system. This creates feelings of reward and pleasure. As soon as it is released, it reinforces your behaviour towards taking and consuming nicotine.

As you consume nicotine through smoking, your mind slowly changes its perception of self-control, stress, and learning. Over time, regular nicotine consumption leads to nicotine addiction. It can also trigger withdrawal symptoms whenever you are not smoking. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), some notable symptoms of nicotine withdrawal include:

• Having cravings or urges to smoke cigarettes
• Feeling grouchy, irritated, or upset
• Feeling restless
• Having difficulty concentrating
• Having trouble sleeping
• Feeling hungrier or gaining weight
• Feeling anxious, sad, or depressed

You may think of smoking cigarettes just to get rid of these withdrawal symptoms, especially if you depend heavily on nicotine to overcome negative emotions or simply want to relax a little bit after hours of working, socializing, and so on. 

However, you end up feeling sick or nauseous afterwards. Believe it or not, this particular feeling has to do with the very same thing that you crave, which is nicotine.

At first, you might be able to smoke numerous cigarettes successively in one session. You might even consume a whole pack of cigarettes in one sitting without feeling any adverse reactions in your body. But there might be days when your body cannot take too much nicotine anymore. 

This is where nicotine poisoning takes place.

One of the primary symptoms of nicotine poisoning is feeling nauseous or feeling sick. Nicotine poisoning happens when your body takes in too much nicotine, especially from liquid nicotine.

While smoking cigarettes don’t often cause nicotine poisoning, it’s still possible as proven by a report where two individuals smoked around 18 pipes of tobacco in a row and were poisoned fatally.

Nicotine poisoning is often closely related to nicotine overdose, as it can also make you feel sick after smoking cigarettes or using other nicotine products like e-cigarettes.

Nicotine overdose, which is often associated with feeling nic sick, refers to being exposed to nicotine above the tolerance level of an individual. If nicotine exhibits more drastic health effects on an individual, it means that they might have consumed too much of it.

How to Stop Feeling Nauseous After Smoking

Aside from feeling nauseous or sick, other symptoms of nic sickness may also occur if you have consumed too much nicotine. They include the following:

• Stomachache and loss of appetite
• Increased heart rate and blood pressure
• Headache
• Mouth-watering
• Quick, heavy breathing
• Dizziness or tremors
• Confusion and anxiety

These symptoms of nic sickness then change within 30 minutes to up to four hours of being exposed to nicotine overdose or poisoning. Some of them are as follows:

• Diarrhea
• Difficulty breathing
• Slower heartbeat and blood pressure
• Extreme fatigue
• Weakness, slow reflexes, or unable to control muscles
• Pale skin

If you are feeling sick and manifest the above-mentioned symptoms, you should seek medical attention immediately. You must also go to a hospital if your symptoms have progressed into seizures, respiratory failure, cardiac arrest, breathing difficulties, or coma.

Without seeking medical attention, nicotine poisoning and nicotine overdose can be dangerous. Those who have, fortunately, survived during the first four hours after poisoning can often recover easily. Alternatively, those who have been severely affected may undergo seizures, respiratory failure, or other problems due to the damage done by nicotine overdose to their body.

The prognosis of individuals who experience nicotine poisoning and nicotine overdose would still depend on how much nicotine was consumed and how quickly they are treated.

Now, even though these nicotine-related illnesses are common among those who may have accidentally consumed nicotine liquid, eaten cigarettes, or used extremely high-nicotine vaping products, you should still be wary about smoking too many cigarettes in one sitting. 

You must do your part in protecting yourself from feeling sick and ending up in a hospital bed due to consuming too much nicotine in your body.

To stop yourself from feeling nauseous after smoking, you must do the following things:

• Reduce your nicotine intake: If you’re new to smoking cigarettes, you should lower your nicotine intake first by smoking less. Doing this helps your body adjust to the amount of nicotine you are consuming. Alternatively, if you’ve been smoking for a while now, you should also reduce the number of cigarettes you smoke as your body’s nicotine levels might be spiking too fast lately.
• Drink plenty of water: Whenever you smoke, a lot of chemicals from the tobacco get into your body. To make sure you can flush out some toxins from the cigarette smoke, you must drink plenty of water. Hydrating yourself can also prevent you from feeling nauseous since the nicotine from cigarette smoke can often cause dehydration.
• Eat light snacks: Smoking cigarettes can suppress your appetite, deterring you from eating a lot. However, it can also make you feel nauseous, especially after smoking. You can prevent this from happening by eating light snacks like crackers, a banana, or a piece of bread. Eating something light can help settle your stomach and absorb excess nicotine.
• Take deep and slow breaths: You might be smoking cigarettes to relieve some stress and flush out negativity from your mind. But as you take multiple puffs of these tobacco products, you might only end up feeling nauseous, which can make you feel more stressed. Remember to take deep and slow breaths to help calm your nervous system as well as alleviate the dizziness or nausea that may have been caused by the rush of nicotine to your body.

Doing these things may help you feel relaxed after smoking instead of feeling nauseous. However, if you still feel sick after smoking despite following these tips, you might be experiencing nicotine intolerance. 

How to Stop Feeling Sick After Smoking

Nicotine intolerance or nicotine allergy occurs in individuals who manifest allergic reactions whenever they take in smoke or products with nicotine. The symptoms of nicotine allergy may vary from mild to severe and can appear immediately or develop gradually over time.

Some notable symptoms of nicotine intolerance include sneezing, runny nose, itchy eyes, and throat irritation. Skin reactions may likewise occur, especially if allergic individuals touch nicotine-containing products or inhale nicotine.

As for severe cases of nicotine allergy, it can cause an anaphylactic reaction. It is a serious allergic reaction requiring immediate medical attention. Some symptoms of anaphylaxis include nausea and vomiting, difficulty breathing, rapid heartbeat, and dizziness.

Given the severity of symptoms related to an anaphylactic reaction, it’s best for affected individuals to seek immediate medical help.

To know if you are allergic to nicotine or not, you should consult a doctor and take the necessary tests and examinations.One of these tests is the skin prick test. This method involves exposing a part of your skin to a small quantity of the allergen, or nicotine in this case, through a skin prick. If you’re allergic to nicotine, a raised bump or hive at the test site will emerge within 15 to 20 minutes. 

You may likewise undergo a blood test to gauge the amount of antibodies produced by your immune system in response to nicotine. Aside from nicotine, this particular test can also help in diagnosing other allergies or potentially harmful reactions.

If you’ve found out that you’re allergic to nicotine, the best thing you can do to stop feeling sick after smoking is to start reducing the number of cigarettes you smoke. You may also consider quitting smoking altogether to prevent nicotine from causing more harm to your body.

You should then prevent yourself from being exposed to secondhand smoke. To manage mild allergy symptoms, you can use over-the-counter antihistamines. You can then use topical creams or ointments prescribed by your doctor to treat skin reactions due to nicotine.

Want to know more about the connection between cigarette smoke and allergic reactions? Read this blog by NativeSmokes4Less to find out.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do I feel nauseous after smoking?

You might feel nauseous after smoking because of your body’s reaction to nicotine. When you smoke cigarettes, nicotine stimulates the release of hormones and neurotransmitters that can cause dizziness, a rapid heart rate, and nausea. Additionally, you may experience nausea if you’re just starting to smoke as your body is still adjusting to the sudden increase in nicotine levels.

How long does smoking nausea last?

Smoking nausea often lasts anywhere from a few minutes to an hour after smoking. The overall duration of smoking-related nausea may vary from one smoker to another since they may process nicotine differently.

Can smoking too much make you feel sick?

Yes. Smoking too much can make you feel sick due to the effects of nicotine and other harmful chemicals found in cigarettes. High doses of nicotine from cigarettes can cause symptoms such as nausea, dizziness, headache, increased heart rate, and vomiting. Additionally, their harmful substances can reduce oxygen levels in the bloodstream, causing fatigue and lightheadedness.

Why do I feel nauseous the day after I smoke?

You might feel nauseous the day after smoking due to nicotine and the toxins in cigarettes. Cigarette smoke can irritate your stomach lining, causing digestive discomfort that may persist the following day. It can also reduce your blood oxygen levels and disrupt the balance of your autonomic nervous system, leading to persistent fatigue, dizziness, or nausea.

Why do I feel nauseous after inhaling smoke?

You may feel nauseous after inhaling smoke as your body reacts to the chemicals and irritants present in the smoke. As you inhale smoke, toxins get into your lungs and bloodstream, which can irritate your respiratory tract and stomach lining. This then leads to nausea, coughing, and dizziness.

Summary

When you feel nauseous or sick after smoking, it’s most probably due to consuming too much nicotine. If you suspect you have smoked too many cigarettes, it’s best to reduce the number of sticks you light up in every smoking session to avoid feeling sick afterwards. Additionally, you must drink water, eat light snacks, and take deep breaths to help stabilize your body after consuming nicotine.

If nausea persists despite following these things, it might be a sign that you’re allergic to nicotine. The only thing you and others who have nicotine intolerance can do to avoid feeling sick or nauseous is to quit smoking.