What Happens When You Quit Smoking and Start Vaping?

Switching from combustible cigarettes to nicotine vaping is a growing trend among smokers trying to kick the habit.

Question is: What happens when you quit smoking and start vaping?

The good news is that when you make the switch, you may be able to reverse some of the damage done by smoking. This could lead to many immediate and short-term changes like improved lung function, as well as long-term effects like reduced risk of a heart attack.

Although nicotine vaping may be less harmful than traditional cigarettes, it’s not completely risk-free.

Let’s delve deeper into the changes you experience when switching from smoking to vaping, why vaping may be safer than smoking, as well as the side effects of vaping nicotine.

Then, we’ll introduce you to high-quality, nicotine-free vape products from Cyclone Pods and answer some questions about making the switch.

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What Happens to Your Body When You Quit Smoking and Start Vaping?

Smokers who’ve made the jump from cigarettes to nicotine vapes may experience several immediate and long-term physical and mental benefits.

But did you know these changes can start as soon as 20 minutes after your last smoke?

Let’s look at these changes to see what typically happens when you switch from a tobacco cigarette to a vape pen.

A. Immediate Effects (20 minutes - 72 hours)

20 minutes after giving up smoking, your heart rate and blood pressure drop to normal levels. At this point, you may not have even switched to vaping. So it’s just the tip of the iceberg regarding the benefits of ‘not smoking.’

Note: The nicotine ingested via cigarette smoking increases your heart rate by as much as 10-15 bpm (beats per minute).

After 2 hours, your blood circulation improves. This is when you would begin to experience the effects of nicotine withdrawal, but using a nicotine vaping device can help curb these effects.

8 hours after you quit smoking and start vaping, the oxygen in your blood returns to normal levels.

How?
Unlike cigarette smoke, the vapor produced by an electronic cigarette doesn’t contain carbon monoxide, allowing your body to eliminate the previously inhaled carbon monoxide.

Within 24 hours of quitting smoking and switching to vaping, all residual carbon monoxide is removed from your system. Your lungs also work to remove other toxic debris and mucus from smoking.

After 48 hours, you’ll most likely notice an improved sense of taste, making foods and beverages more enjoyable. You’ll also enjoy a keener sense of smell after quitting smoking.

This happens because your body begins repairing the nerve endings in your mouth and nose previousky damaged by the toxic chemicals in cigarettes.

72 hours after you’ve switched to vaping, you may notice an overall improvement in breathing. This improved breathing is due to the clearance of smoking-related mucous - known to clog and irritate bronchial tubes.

If you quit cold turkey, you will begin to experience nicotine withdrawal symptoms at this stage.

B. Short-term Effects (3-9 months)

After 3-9 months of quitting smoking and continuing to vape, you should see a significant reduction in smoking-related shallow breathing, coughing, and wheezing. For some, these symptoms may completely disappear in this timeframe.

You experience these incremental improvements in lung function as your body removes harmful debris from smoking.

C. Long-term Effects (12 months - 10 years)

Within the first year of giving up smoking cigarettes, your risk of developing heart disease reduces by half. So does the risk of having a stroke.

5 years later, your risk of having a heart attack reduces by about 50%. The longer you go without smoking a traditional cigarette, the lower your risk.

Finally, within 10 years, your risk of developing lung cancer drops by about half of what it was when you were smoking.

Additionally, your risk of a heart attack falls to roughly the same as someone who’s never smoked. Impressive, huh?

Now you may be wondering…

Why Vaping Is Safer Than Smoking

The truth is: Both smoking cigarettes and nicotine vaping have health risks.

The difference?
Vaping has a much smaller impact on your lungs and other bodily systems than combustible cigarettes. In fact, Public Health England deems vaping 95% less harmful than smoking.

The cigarette smoke produced by burned tobacco contains about 7000 harmful chemicals. 70 of which can cause cancer. Besides, secondhand smoke from cigarettes harms people near the smoker and is a public health concern.

In contrast, e cigarette aerosol contains roughly 2000 chemicals - much lower than cigarette smoke.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), smoking tobacco products causes:

  • Damage to all body organs and functions
  • Over 480,000 deaths a year in the United States
  • 90% of lung cancer related deaths
  • Roughly 80% of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease-related deaths
  • An increased risk of developing health conditions, like a stroke and heart disease
  • An increased risk of death


What does science say?

In a 2022 study, researchers found an association between smoking tobacco products and several health risks, including:

  • Lung cancer (107% increase in risk)
  • Bladder cancer (40% increase in risk)
  • Tuberculosis (31% increase in risk)
  • Esophageal cancer (29% increase in risk)


Another reason vaping is safer than smoking?

E cigarette aerosol doesn’t contain two of the most harmful chemicals found in tobacco smoke from cigarettes - carbon monoxide and tar. Inhaling carbon monoxide prevents your body from using oxygen properly, potentially harming the brain, heart, and other organs.

While nicotine vaping products may be less harmful than a traditional cigarette, it's not entirely risk-free.

Did you know?
As per the Surgeon General’s Report, electronic cigarette use among youth is a major public health concern. The report also states that electronic cigarettes are the most commonly used tobacco product among the youth of America. (Source: American Lung Association)

The Side Effects of Vaping Nicotine

Vaping liquids containing nicotine comes with undeniable health risks. These include:

  • Coughing
  • Headaches
  • Oxygen dizziness
  • Nausea
  • Mouth and throat irritation
  • Shortness of breath
  • Impair lung function
  • Hinder your immune system
  • Make it more challenging for wounds to heal
  • More addictive than smoking (especially among youngsters)


Now,
Whether you’re a smoker trying to quit or a non-smoker looking to try vaping, nicotine-free vapes are the safest option.



Did you know? Combining cigarette smoking and vaping nicotine (dual use) can increase the risk of developing a respiratory disease than using either product alone.

Cyclone Pods: Nicotine-Free Vaping Made Easy

Want to kick your nicotine addiction to the curb without having to quit vaping?

Cyclone Pods offers high-quality, nicotine-free vaping products that eliminate nicotine-imposed health risks.

Not only do they use the finest quality ingredients, but their vapes are also free from:

  • Nicotine
  • Vitamin e acetate
  • Diacetyl
  • Tar
  • Formaldehyde


If you’re looking for an all-in-one vaping device, look no further than the Thunder Device Starter Kit. This pod system comes with a rechargeable vape pen and a flavor pod of your choice.



The icing on the cake - you can choose from 13 exciting flavors like coffee and strawberry.

On the hunt for a disposable vape pen?

The Gust Super is that and more! This device offers up to 5000 puffs and is rechargeable, so you get ‘super’ value out of it. Not to forget that it comes in 11 irresistible flavors, including guava passionfruit, mint, and bold tobacco.


Another benefit of Cyclone Pods’ vaping products?
Flavored, nicotine-free vapes can satiate the increased sugar craving you may experience post quitting cigarettes.

FAQs About Switching From Smoking to Vaping

The following questions will answer any lingering questions about switching from smoking to vaping.

1. How Many Puffs on a Vape Equals a Cigarette?

Most e cigarette manufacturers say that 10 puffs of a vape roughly equals about 10 puffs of a cigarette. To put this in perspective, a regular cigarette gives you around 7-10 puffs.

Let’s break it down further:
The average nicotine vape juice pod is 1ml and provides approximately 100 puffs, about 10 cigarettes. So, 2 ml of vape juice equals one pack of cigarettes.

2. Are Vapes Safe to Use While Pregnant?

Nicotine is always a no-go during pregnancy. Healthcare professionals always advise pregnant women against smoking or vaping nicotine because of its potential harm to the baby.

Research shows that smoking or vaping nicotine can harm fetal health.

3. How Can Vaping Help You Quit Smoking?

A 2021 study found that daily e cigarette use among tobacco smokers can increase the chances of quitting smoking by eightfold.

Unlike cigarette smoking, vape juice has various nicotine strengths, so you can control how much nicotine you need to cope with cigarette cravings and nicotine withdrawal symptoms.

And by slowly decreasing your daily intake, you can gradually reach complete smoking cessation, becoming nicotine free.

4. What Other Nicotine Replacement Therapy Methods Can You Use to Quit Smoking?

Several NRTs (Nicotine Replacement Therapy) are available to cigarette smokers looking to overcome withdrawal symptoms and nicotine addiction. These include:


The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention proposes using a combination of NRTs to successfully help you beat cigarette cravings and nicotine addiction.

Nicotine-Free Vapes: Safer Vaping for Everyone

Cigarette smokers trying to quit often use vaping as a smoking cessation tool. Once you’ve made the switch, changes in your body happen almost immediately.

However, while nicotine vaping can repair some of the damage caused by smoking, it still poses its own set of health risks.

The best way to continue vaping stress-free?

High-quality, nicotine-free vape products from Cyclone Pods, of course!

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