How much nicotine is in a cigarette?
Aside from being well-established harbingers of death and disease, there remains an abundance of misconceptions when it comes to cigarettes. The most prominent of which, of course, is people’s perceptions about nicotine. Synonymous with the cigarette, nicotine is the substance that gives them their addictive quality. But what actually is nicotine? Is it bad for you? And how much of it does a cigarette contain, and how about e-cigarettes for that matter?
Nicotine itself constitutes anywhere from 0.6% to 3% of the dry weight of tobacco. Generally speaking, a single cigarette contains around 9.5 milligrams of nicotine, around 2 milligrams of which are actually absorbed into the body. Of course, the levels of nicotine vary from brand-to-brand and which size of cigarette you opt for.
Without going into too much detail, nicotine is a naturally occurring, addictive component of tobacco. It acts as both a stimulant and a relaxant, causing the heart to beat faster and stronger, as well as increasing blood pressure temporarily. As you may have guessed, it is also responsible for all of the psychological draws and drawbacks of smoking. It reels you back in for the reward that comes with another cigarette, and then punishes you with withdrawal when you give up – anxiety, irritably, craving and even mild tremors are all to be expected.
In spite of these effects and its inextricable association with the heart and respiratory maladies of smoking, there are relatively few health effects associated with nicotine use. Its infliction of suffering is largely limited to withdrawal symptoms. The administration of nicotine via nicotine replacement therapy has been studied in great detail and numerous studies have declared it a safe undertaking. That is not to say that nicotine is without its problems though. It definitively has dangerous effects on foetal development. It has also been posited that nicotine may play a role in promoting tumours and aggravating cardiovascular conditions – but research on this is far from conclusive.
The extent to which you will struggle with quitting cigarettes, is directly related to the amount of nicotine your body is used to consuming. Methods range from going cold turkey to undergoing nicotine replacement therapy (which is nowhere near as scary as it sounds by the way) but one of the most effective routes is to adopt vaping as an alternative.
The real advantage of using an e-cigarette is that, regardless of your previous nicotine intake, you can tailor the nicotine content to appease your own needs. When kicking a heavy smoking habit, it is best to start on a higher or equivalent dose of nicotine. This will prevent the overcompensation that commonly occurs when vapors elect for too low of a dose, which invariably leads them to decide that vaping doesn’t work for them, when, in fact, it was the nicotine content that didn’t work for them.
By starting at a satisfactory dose, the nicotine content can be gradually reduced over time, which leads many ex-smokers to eventually adopt a zero-nicotine e-cigarette – how’s that for progress?! With an extensive range of e-liquids, Vapourmate is the perfect place to get started – you are sure to find a flavour you’ll love.
