Why Do I Go Lightheaded When I Vape?

Ever taken a few hits on your vape and gone a little dizzy? If so then you might be wondering “why do I go lightheaded when I vape?”

If your e-cig is making you feel a little woozy then it’s perfectly normal to want to know why, but fear not as it’s actually perfectly normal and in the vast majority of cases there’s nothing to worry about at all.

Still, the reason you came to this post was to find out why this happens, so without further ado let’s delve a little deeper and find out why your vape is making you lightheaded.

Why Do I Feel Dizzy After Vaping?

If you’re feeling dizzy after using your vape, we’re willing to bet you a pound to a penny that your e-liquid contains nicotine. The reason we’re so confident is that in the vast majority of cases, it’s the nicotine that causes that dizzy feeling you get when you vape.

Nicotine is a strong stimulant that has a unique effect on your nervous system. When we inhale nicotine, it can cause a range of effects, including:

Decreased appetite
Heightened mood
Increased heart rate and blood pressure
Nausea
Diarrhoea
Improved memory
Increased alertness
Dizziness

Did you spot the last thing on that list? That’s right, if you’re vaping nicotine then a common side-effect is dizziness, so to answer the “why do I go lightheaded when I vape?” question, it’s very likely that the nicotine in your e-liquid is to blame.

**It’s worth noting that most people won’t experience many of the things listed above and some will experience none at all.

Why Does Nicotine Make You Lightheaded?

So we can be pretty confident it’s the nicotine in your e-juice that’s giving you that dizzy feeling. But now we know the root cause of the problem, the question is why is it happening?

Again, this is quite an easy mystery to unravel, and to discover what’s causing your lightheadedness we just need to look at how long you’ve been vaping and/or smoking.

New vapers

If you’ve never vaped or smoked or you haven’t done so for a while then chances are you’re feeling lightheaded simply because your body isn’t used to the nicotine.

It can take a while for our brains to become accustomed to this new chemical that’s suddenly entered our system, and in some cases this can result in the user experiencing some of the undesirable side-effects listed above.

What’s also worth remembering is that vaping carries nicotine into the body differently compared to smoking cigarettes. The amount and the speed at which the nicotine enters the bloodstream can differ, so if you’ve just transitioned from cigarettes and you’re surprised to get a head rush then don’t worry as this is not uncommon.

We would recommend using zero nicotine vape juice or starting on low strength vape liquids in one of our starter kits or pod devices, like the Vaporesso XROS 3 Mini.

Experienced vapers

If you’re a more experienced vaper and you’re still getting dizzy from using your e-cig, then you might well be vaping an e-liquid that’s a tad too strong for you.

Have you recently increased the strength of your juice? If the answer is yes, then you’ve probably located the source of your dizziness! Dramatically increasing the strength of your e-liquid might seem like a good idea, but it can be a shock to the system if you’re not used to the stronger dose of nicotine.

If you do want to up your liquid then there’s no harm in doing so, just remember to do it gradually if you want to avoid going lightheaded!

If you need to lower your nic strength, maybe try a 3mg or 6mg strength, for a medium level strength try 10mg or 12mg strength, or a high strength nicotine like 18mg and 20mg.

Why Do I Feel Light-Headed After Vaping? Other Factors

There are a few other reasons that could explain why your vape is making you dizzy, including:

Nic Salts – This type of e-liquid delivers nicotine similar to a cigarette which is a lot of nicotine to begin with and then tails off. Freebase nicotine delivers nicotine at a steady and lower rate. So if you’ve started or switched to nic salts then this could explain the dizziness
Vaping Relentlessly – Likewise, if you’re repeatedly hitting your vape with long, heavy puffs then these increased hits of nicotine could well be to blame
Wattage too High – The higher the wattage, the more nicotine that’s delivered per puff. So if your wattage is cranked up then try turning it down a bit and see if it makes a difference

So there we have it. If you came here because you’re wondering “why do I go lightheaded when I vape?” then to recap, in almost all cases it’s down to the nicotine in your vape. So if you’re a new vaper then it’s perfectly normal for you to experience some slight dizziness while your body gets used to the new chemical that’s flooding your brain, whilst even seasoned vapers can get light-headedness if they’re vaping a liquid that’s too strong, their vape’s wattage is too high or they’ve recently switched to nic salts.