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Topics: Vaping, Health, Sex and Relationships, Life
Madison Burgess
Topics: Vaping, Health, Sex and Relationships, Life
We all know there are a whole slew of health benefits linked to quitting vaping - but did you know it could even improve your sex life?
In October last year, scientists estimated that a million adults had started vaping, despite never having been regular smokers, as reported by the BBC.
And it's largely young people who are causing the sudden spike, with one out of every seven 18-24-year-olds who never regularly smoked, now turning to e-cigarettes.
The UK government took a step against this in June by banning the sale and supply of single-use vaping devices across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
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But, with reusable vapes still available, quitting can be a huge challenge as nicotine is a highly addictive substance that increases the levels of dopamine in your brain.
So, maybe this NSFW reason will give you the all-important motivation you need to drop the habit for good.
Research has revealed that nicotine and vaping may be causing issues in the bedroom by negatively affect your sex drive and causing low libido.
One small 2020 study found that sexual dysfunctions surrounding sex drive, erection, arousal, and orgasm, are being correlated with nicotine dependence.
And another 2017 research paper revealed that quitting smoking may be beneficial if you're struggling with libido.
There is also a growing body of scientific evidence that nicotine may be associated with erectile dysfunction in men.
Erectile dysfunction occurs when men are unable to get an erection or unable to keep one for long enough to have sex - it's quite common in the UK, affecting about one in 10 men.
One New York study revealed the staggering fact that vaping doubles the risk of ED in men aged 20 and older, and a study of 13,700 men found that those using e-cigarettes every day were more than twice as likely to deal with the condition, compared to those who had never touched a vape.
And it's important to note that it's not just men as another 2013 study revealed that more than 34% of women with substance use disorder experienced sexual dysfunction.
Those who particularly struggled with nicotine dependence had a sexual dysfunction risk that was almost 3 times higher, as reported by Healthline.
But what's the science behind all of this?
Well, it terms of ED, when nicotine enters the body, it stimulates the central nervous system to release the hormone adrenaline - a chemical response that is normally associated with stressful or dangerous situations, explains University Hospitals.
This adrenaline release then prompts some changes in the body’s cardiovascular system, leading to an increased heart rate, blood pressure and breathing rate.
The nicotine also has a 'vaso-constrictive effect,' meaning it shrinks and tightens blood vessels, subsequently reducing the amount of blood that can flow through them - do you see where we're going with this?
Getting and maintaining an erection is dependent on a strong, steady flow of blood, which is made more difficult by the nicotine in your system.
So, if you're struggling under the covers, it might be worth binning the vapes once and for all!