How Nicotine Impacts Your Brain & Enhances Focus | Dr. Andrew Huberman 

This clip is from the Huberman Lab episode "Nicotine's Effects on the Brain & Body & How to Quit Smoking or Vaping." The full episode can be found on RU-vid here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-uXs-zPc63kM.html

I started smoking cigarettes since my teenage. Got addicted for over 23 years. Cigarettes addiction actually destroyed my life. I suffered severe depression and mental disorder. Not until a friend recommended me to psilocybin mushrooms treatment. Psilocybin treatment saved my life honestly. 8 years totally clean. Never thought I would be saying this about mushrooms.

Because of this man, 15 of my mates and I literally quit cigarettes and alcohol immediately. Someone protect this man!!!

Been a smoker for 15 years, started smoking more than a pack a day. I decided to quit cold turkey. It's been more than a year since I touched a cigarette. The anxiety I got was something I will never forget. I am happy, and I have more energy and stamina. But I do miss the calm nicotine gave me.

I chewed nicotine gum for a while as an appetite suppressor but it seemed to make my anxiety worse. I replaced it with regular gum and enjoy having one less addiction and more peace of mind.

I was really hooked on Zyns for about 2 months. Nicotine for me personally is great for about 5 minutes then my dopamine drops significantly and it leaves me feeling extremely emotionally unstable. I also started feeling extremely nervous overall and started having irregular heart beats. For me personally the best way to increase dopamine with zero side effects are cold plunges

This explains why so many ADHD friends I know are hooked on nicotine. ADHD makes you more impulsive in general. Plus the nicotine has been shown to function like adderall while also having relaxant properties at the same time

I started using the nicotine lozenges about 10 years ago to help with dieting. My use gradually increased from 1 tab few times per week to pretty much full day use. Past few years I've noticed reduce enjoyment for the little things. Decreases buzz from things I used to enjoy. I stopped for a week, first few days were a bit rough, not too bad. Then felt more like my old self. Like a lot of artificially dopamine increasing drugs and activities, they seem to be serving you, until they don't. It's hard not too escalate usage. Almost subconscious.

so keep using Zyn, i like this guy.

I specifically picked up chewing tobacco when I was a driver in the army overseas in combat. Helped me stay focused for hours on end. I left the US with 3 cavities my whole life. I came back with more cavities than I had teeth lol. Quitting wasn’t hard. The first time. The second time I picked up back up, was much harder to quit. I loved the routine and oral fixation. Quit again cold Turkey and have never gone back. I don’t like feeling chained to something. Needing a crutch that was destroying my gums. That being said I’ve seen a lot about Zyn. Makes me curious, but again, I’ve already beat the addiction so not feeling like picking one back up. Good luck bros, it’s a tough life, some folks need this extra bit of juice to make it through. I respect it. It’s just not for me anymore. I microdose mushrooms for my mental health issues. Seems to do the trick.

Ive been a heavy vaper for 10 years. Really abused it the last 7 years. Quit cold turkey last week. Miserable but so far so good.

Thanks for this video. I realize I should've started smoking years ago.

This makes a lot of sense. Whenever life was really difficult, I would turn to smoking. I used to say, if you see me with a cigarette I'm likely not doing well. The plan was usually just until the cycles of life rebounded which it almost always does. Once the train was back on the tracks, I'd stop smoking. I think I unknowingly used smoking as a self induced prescription for mild form of depression.

I would go out on my patio with my laptop to get a lot of work done while smoking cigars. I found cigars really helped me stick to my projects, but I stopped because the side effect was I'd be insanely tired from it.

I’ve been looking into this more, I really want to add this to my cognitive stack… but I am also seeing studies about it lowering testosterone and long term effects on memory and learning. I wish Andrew could share what he thinks about it

Maybe things work differently for different people. For me personally I use zyn pouches and I just feel really dialed in and complete a lot more work. It also helps me relax and be more stoic as I am normally very aggressive all the time. Im not sure exactly how safe or unsafe they are but I haven’t had bad experiences with it yet. I guess I’ve always been good at quitting addictions but this just seems to be something I don’t really want to quit like caffeine.

as a doc, what was always curious to me during my studies: whenever we had traineeship on psychiatric wards, it was striking how many patients were smokers (much more than in other patient groups), especially on the locked wards, where almost all patients smoked. don't mess with your neurotransmitters, folks!

I started a few weeks ago with some pills of nicotine. I've never been a smoker or anything. These are 2mg and I take one in the morning once a week with a black coffee and I get a lot of my work done on my laptop. Definitely enjoying it.

i smoked it once yesterday and it felt like it pulled me back to reality

Not only does low dose clean nicotine help with all that Dr Huberman mentions, but it is also being sucessfully used in "long C@vid" and other C@vid v@accine injuries.

In uni I aced my papers and tests with nicotine, caffeine and sugar. My brain was lit 🙌🏻 And yes, I know better now.

Interesting views on nicotine. I smoked cigarettes from age 18 to 34. Switched strictly to vaping for 6 years until this past New Year’s Eve (I’m 40 years old.) Now I’m hooked on Zyn pouches. They help me focus very sharply at work. I haven’t had any side effects from them yet. I feel so much better not inhaling anything in my lungs. So I’ll keep doing 6-7 Zyn pouches a day until I feel they are effecting me negatively. If anyone is reading this you CAN quit vaping and smoking. Mental power is the key.

Cigarette smoke also contains MAOIs (powerful antidepressents) that enhance the dependence-forming characteristics of nicotine. Smokers are also "addicted" to the hand-mouth ritual; oral, olfactory and visual stimuli; and throat hit (not pharmacological). Interesting that you note nicotine's potential impact on weight control and reducing depression/anxiety, while increasing focus and attention. So the question is: Is nicotine itself "bad," or should we focus on how truly bad cigarettes are?

I've read that tobacco inherently has MAOI's that give the relaxing feeling. It acts as an anti-depressant. That's why when you smoke a cigarette, you get a rush and a feeling of relaxation. Anyone who has tried a nicotine only product will tell you there isn't that same relaxing feeling as smoking a cigarette. I think it was Peter Killeen who talked about a lab test on mice that showed it was the combination of nicotine and MAOI that was so addictive. It also makes sense that Bupropion, used as an anti-depressant, helps with easing people off of smoking, since it replaces the anti-depressant properties of the MAOI's in tobacco smoke.

THIS MAN IS GOLD

I read a Harvard study from 2015 that concluded they could not see any addiction at all after giving it to lab mammals. Another report I read obtained through freedom of information act info from tobacco product manufacturers and that they knew this and had to add a chemical called pyrazine in order to make nicotine addictive. Apparently nicotine is found in many vegetables such as egg plant, tomatoes especially green, cauliflower, celery plus many others.

I'm 42 and never consumed nicotine in my life but just picked up a pack Zyn after watching this... lol... I'll try not to get addicted. Let's see how this goes. Wish me luck!

I’m glad I found your show. I’ve been doing nicotine pouches for about a month and a half. I have noticed an incredible spike in my concentration with very little side effects. I was a smoker in my youth, but that only happened when I went to the club and started drinking otherwise I never had a smoking habit. I was introduced to zyn by a friend and I haven’t looked back. I have lost 13 pounds. I don’t have a desire for snacks during the day. I’m down to just one meal a day and 209 pounds. My original weight was 294 pounds but that was about seven years ago.. I found myself getting back into some bad habits and I guess I am using the nicotine pouches as a little bit of a crutch and it seems to help with my cravings. I work out with dumbbells in the morning and stretch and I don’t drink soda or sweets anymore, but I didn’t have a craving for chips which are basically garbage in a bag.. I have also went through stage three A cancer about six years ago I JUST HOPE MY SMALL SHORT TERM NICOTINE FIX DOESN’T CAUSE ANY PROBLEMS.

Hey Doc, love your videos! I've always struggled with depression and addiction. Fortunately I was able to put down the booze and hard drugs almost 9 years ago by adding yoga and meditation to my recovery. I actually wound up going back and teaching for the same nonprofit that introduced me to yoga while I was incarcerated. Would you say the mesolimbic reward pathway is responsible for most or all addictions?

I am 69 and I vape. As a young man I smoked and quit many times but once married my wife demanded it. Thank you dear! In my 50s I started smoking on the sly and then switched to vaping. I do enjoy it and when I hike or mountain climb I leave the vape in the car and damn, getting back to the car is fueled by my desire to vape and reload on nicotine. Great motivator in that case. In my late 50s early 60s I worked on a research project and nicotine from vaping kept me focused. Hopefully it doesn’t kill me in the long run.

Suffered from what I think to be severe depression which now I think is better. Tried mushrooms ( the chocolate bar type, only had 3.5 grams of shrooms total which I ate 😅) and what happend was special which I won’t share but it did have a lasting effect for me 1 month after I’ve taken it. It basically factory-reset my emotional sensitivity towards anything. Show me a video of a person crying and I will go through the same emotions as that person in that moment.

If you are trying to free yourself from addiction and it seems harder than you expected, you are not alone. People don’t quit doing something because they ‘want’ to quit. They only quit once their mind is ready to quit. If you would like to start making your mind ready, I can show you the path. Stay strong and keep your chin up.

Hm, never had a problem quitting nicotine gum when using it on and off for studying. Caffeine on the other hand feels impossible to quit...

For me it's the reverse that happens everytime I puff. It drains me of energy right after I take my first puff in the morning. And then I keep on smoking throughout the day and feel more breathless, more anxious, more defocused.

I have been using Nicotine in a Vaping format for 5 years now, since I was 16 years old. I tried using Zyn pouches, which worked for about 1 month but then they lost their potency, and due to my high tolerance, Zyn Pouches were just too costly for me to justify using daily, because I had to use up to 3 pouches at one time. So I switched to a different brand, Rogue, which has 20 pouches, but those did some damage to my mouth. Eventually I ended becoming a Dual User, of Dipping Tobacco and Vaping, and I still am a Dual User, I think it is worth mentioning that if you are going to try to quit Nicotine, switching the delivery method DOES NOT work for most people and can end up causing a worsening of your dependence, just like it did in my case. If your goal is harm reduction, then fine, Zyn Pouches in my opinion are at least substantially less harmful than Vaping, and they are certainly far less harmful that Cigarette smoking. In my opinion however, Dipping Tobacco is not all that dangerous either so long as you take care of your mouth appropriately, doesn't mean I am recommending it, most people cannot even stomach Dipping Tobacco but I believe its the lesser of evils when put up against a Smokeable form of Nicotine. Point is, if you are trying to quit, then follow the advice of a Health Professional where applicable, switching to something like Zyn will not cause cessation for the vast majority of people because you are still using Nicotine, you are just creating a new form of the Habit, so stop while you are ahead. Being a Dual user is unhealthy both physiologically and financially, take it from me. Especially if you are a younger person watching this video and seeing this comment, stop while you are ahead, I am only 21 years old and this is how quickly it got its hold on me, you are not immune to the addictive effect of Nicotine.

Weird because i started smoking cigs at 13 years. It started making me feel sick at the age of 19 so i quit. Was not hard at all. Nowadays, i smoke cigars and i never felt any addictive urges. I simply enjoyed a good cigar when i want. Could be day, weeks or even months before i got another one.

The weird thing is, if I have nicotine it completely wipes out my energy levels, desire to exercise, and causes pain to increase. I feel like I get maybe a slight sense of relief or euphoria but at the same time makes my anxiety that much easier to trigger. I've been avoiding most of the time because it hurts my performance rather than helps

So then if used in moderation, it can actually be used to benefit one's life with increased metabolism (great for people trying to lose fats) and it's increased dopamine can be used as a motivator for an activity if used around that activity

I’m not even close to quitting it feels like but I am postponing my morning nicotine until after ( not with) my morning coffee. Which I have at least 90 minutes after waking and getting sunlight in my eyes🎉 Ty dr Huberman

There seems to be a push lately, regarding nicotine as more or less safe. But aren't there risks to the circulatory system, namely cardiovascular arteries? There was some study that concluded short-term nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) had no correlation with CVD risk, but long-term NRT did.

The cortical thickness of people that smoke is worse than non-smokers (very thin bones in smokers) and the smokers' ability to heal from surgery (especially orthopedic grafting) is decreased as evidenced by the number of revision surgeries required vs a group of non-smokers or through radiographic examination of subjects. Is there a significant difference in bone health of sublingual nicotine users vs inhaled?

Been off smokes for a few years now, never thought i would be seeking out a clean source of nicotine for that little boost.

Nicotine never gave me any calming . The only calming was the 10 minutes that we took break each time we smoked . After that i get anxiety and heart beating depending on the situation . Hell with tobacco .

In my experience pure Nicotine (absent of tar and other chemicals) can be a wonderful stimulant for short spans. IMO it is less harmful than longterm caffeine consumption. But unfortunately the longterm effect it has on the adrenals (releasing adrenaline too often can be extremely corrosive to the body) , along with cheap dopamine hits (leading to dopamine desensitization) it is simply not worth it. But for short periods of focus, stress releif etc it can be incredibly helpful. But as with most drugs or substances that quickly change body chemistry, moderation is always key. Fortunately for me and basically every other mind altering substance, I am blessed to not get addicted to anything. The moment I realize it is causing more harm than good it doesnt require a second thought to put it down. Not sure if it is hereditary as I come from a generations of addicts, but then perhaps seeing all the struggles from addiction growing up may have subconsciously rewired my brain to ensure I never go down that road. For anyone suffering addiction I recommend you always remember you are greater than your circumstances. If anyone in the world ever ended their addiction, that is sufficient evidence to prove you can do the same.

My $0.02 - life is better when you aren’t addicted or dependent on anything. Life is wildly enjoyable and fulfilling when you cut out bad food, alcohol, tobacco, porn, caffeine and shitty people. I’ve walked both sides of the tracks and being free of it all is life changing.

Despite the addicts in my lineage, I don't have an addictive nature. I've been using Zyn, as needed, and it works well for me.

I occasionally use a 1mg nicotine spray. But very rarely like one a month.

Good to know, thanks for the video. I quite smoking cigs 26 years ago when I turned 40. Now at 65 I have started vaping and I def feel more motivated, I have lost weight and feel much better in myself as a result.

frikkin loveeeeee snuff dip. Started in college lol. But the risks… I had to quit. I dunno maybe I’ll try it again though or relapse again. Took me a long long time yes. On off on off on off. Finally quit. Though, I still consider myself addicted for life, and in order to try and quit started a habit of telling myself, ‘today, for one day, I will choose to abstain from dip snuff’. But I would never deny how much I loved it no matter how nasty a habit it might be.

Yeah, I was lucky in a way to grow up with my dad trying to quit cigs for a decade or two and other addicts to harder substances. I'd love to try Zyn and even coke cuz it's around in business, but I've just seen the withdrawal process and it's too risky for me. Everyone's different

Dr Ardis has a lot to say about the health benefits of nicotine. Good to look up

A someone who's never used nicotine (with tobacco or otherwise) the positive impacts it may have on the brain are very intriguing, I would just hate the idea of becoming most likely addicted to any habit however.

I’m not going to lie. I grew up around nicotine addicts and have been strictly against it. I am also surrounded by neurodivergent people- both family and friends. I myself started vaping a couple months ago (I’m almost 26) and have noticed an increase in general well-being, decrease in general anxiety, and an improvement in focus and better control over my ADHD. I also noticed a decrease in my adrenal issues in the morning and I also have no problem not vaping when I’m not busy at work or social. Have there been any direct studies on neurodivergence and Nicotine?

Can you please do one on cigars and effect on health and testosterone in men 🙏🏼

Tea is also a potent source

2:10 I chewed for years and I just can't imagine how this sentence is true. The effect was in under 1 minute. Every time. Without fail. For years. I am very imaginative, but I cannot imagine that being placebo effect of anticipation. Your thoughts?

Speaking as someone who was heavily addicted to nicotine for 10+ years… I can tell you the so called “benefits” of nicotine fall in comparison to the negative effects of nicotine. Quitting nicotine is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my life. You literally feel like you’re losing your sanity in the process. It’s dangerous for clips to reinforce nicotine use in my opinion. Trust from someone that went the route of vapes. Supposedly “harmless”… yeah right. I went to consuming nicotine in much higher doses & my dependency increased simultaneously until I couldn’t go an hour without vaping. Trust someone who’s been on the path of addiction. Life is much better without nicotine in my life.

Started using the pouches been clean from cigarettes and vapes for 3 months now not only have i saved a good bit of money but i feel better overall , i ised to have to smoke at least 2 cigarettes before bed in order to fall asleep

Just quit!!! Again!!! Day 6... Coughing up all kinds of shit. It's really wild being hungry in the morning after not being hungry for years... The dopamine reward make sense.. Great video!!!!

My personal experience. I’ve been weaning off HY----e I started 4 days ago trying to zero in my zyn. IM GOING TO SAY IM IMPRESSED.

For me I'v had very very bad Adhd all my life and im 25 now. I quit for 5 months and My adhd came back extremely bad. I felt extremely depressed/ worried all the time. I started vaping again recently and iv felt my symptoms/worries Calm down and im able to think things through. I'm not sure what to do other than try taking medications if I wanna quit vaping.

Interestingly, some people are getting good results with using nicotine patches for long covid. The main theory (it's not the only one, and is just a theory) is that the spike protein attaches itself to the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, which have a higher affinity for nicotine. Slow and steady nicotine administration kicks the spike protein off the receptors and allows the immune system to deal with it. Of course this may not be why nicotine works at all. But, as is typical in people with long covid, or me/cfs, this works for some, but not others. However, for those that it has worked for (for whatever reason) have made full recoveries after sometimes years of illness. It's very interesting, and until you have been severe with this condition, I don't think many can appreciate just how debilitating it is. It affects how you do EVERYTHING. Some are so severe that they can't even tolerate light or sound, can't move, and spend months or years in a dark bedroom with an eye mask and noise blocking head phones. Awful condition with no recognised treatments.

Andrew here is a question that maybe you can respond to: There is no doubt that going under anesthetic has an impact on brain function, especially for seniors. Would using nicotine pouch or patch be a possible course of action it alleviate the brain fog? Asking for my old neighbor that has undergone way too many surgeries in the last year.

Cold plunges and wild swims are hard to beat it terms of making you feel fully alive.

Helps me with my ulcerative colitis. Horrible autoimmune disease.

How does Dr Huberman use nicotine? When I smoked it would help me be more social. I'm a introvert and have social anxiety but nicotine would help.

I am 42yo and have been reading about the positive effects of nicotine on the brain, in particular it's role in preventing Alzheimer's. I've been experimenting with vape and the one paradoxical effect I've been experiencing is it actually makes me hungrier.

Find what works for you and just cycle it. Caffeine, modafinil, nicotine, etc. I keep doses very low to get minimal effective dose. Cyclone will allow it to clear your system, and avoid dependence physically and psychologically with most things. I do 3mg pouches and if I start feeling that I need more, I'll cycle off a day or two. Same with caffeine and modafinil. Not all of.them at once.

I was smoking american spirit ciggarettes for a few months. I quit cold turkey and used zyn to help me get off it.

its been 3 years since I quit smoking for nicotine pouches. I want to quit but its too damn good

Are there neurological reasons why cigarrettes with coffee and cigarettes with booze are such a popular combination?

i've smoked everyday for 15 years. i should be feeling positive emotions, but i mostly feel the negative :(

I’ve never been into smoking or had any type of nicotine addiction. I smoke a cigar maybe once a month. I just had a zyn last week after hearing about it so much and its benefits. I’m not sure if I should potentially risk getting addicted even though there seems to be nothing wrong with getting addicted to it

I was born to smoking parents back in 1979... of course i started as well. I was hooked on Nicotine for 30 odd years. It ruined my life completely and it was a total nightmare to break free from after such a long time. I got hooked when i was 14. I remember when i went to college and uni, back in those days they would have "smokers huts or corners"... Where us with "nicotine addiction" go every break to get our fix. Its loco thinking back at that time now. Whatever you do... Do not start Nicotine. It is such a hard addiction to break free from. And it will reap your health until it eventually cripples and ends you. No matter what you do. Cigarettes, Vape, Snus, Patches, Gums, etc... Nicotine is Nicotine and it is a drug. But it is your quality of life to play with it. Good luck.

I never smoked and have brainfog and am tired almost every day even if I sleep 10 hours a day. I'm eating healthy, low body fat, I supplement with 20 different things. Is nicotine gum safe to take and will the benefits last if I quit?

Any thoughts on Anxiety leading to dementia. If Im not mistaken smoking is a major cause of anxiety. Vascular disease also seems to be an indicator for dementia as well as a side effect of smoking. Dementia is not something you want to strive for.

1 liter of pure Nic otine costs a little over $200. Make your own lozenges or use a couple of drops in inhaler. It's clean compared to what is sold in stores

Hi doc, can you talk about nicotine pouches?

this video convinced me to vape with nicotine, cause i need to happiness in this depressing cruel world, not gonna lie, i use it as anti depressant and motivation to keep going in life, vape safe than smoking like 95%.

Current circumstances are such that I'm obligated to pass a U.A. test every week. ZYN gives me a surprisingly strong buzz and doesn't influence the tests. Not that I would recommend it.....

What is your opinion on Snus? Particularly tabacco free Snus. Thank you.

zyn really messed up my day to day operations. I used to think pouches were cleaner than dip because they only contained nicotine and flavoring. used to do 3-4 pouches a day. At this point im going through about 25 pouches a day, as embarrassing as it is. Please if youre reading this (as a parent or an addict) trying to replace vaping with zyn is the worst idea I ever had

Huberman Lab Ciips on Nictotine, thankyou for this brief but brilliant video on Nicotine and its effects on the brain and nervous system

Where does cigars come into play? And might it be more of a better option when taking nicotine?

I quit nicotine use 3 years ago. My ADD is off the charts and it's making it hard to do my job. I saw a thing where you talked about focus, I might need to start again

How would you categorize smoking cigars, is there positive effects in your experience? I think it helps with a mental reset to some degree, from my perspective it seems that smoking a cigar is no worse than inhaling smoke from a barbecue or sitting by a campfire.

I vaped and went from 115 lbs to 90 lbs in one month...I'm. 5'4.

People rarely mention the huge increase in erectile dysfunction from nicotine alone.

"Harvard conducted an animal study in 2015 to determine addictiveness of nicotine. To their surprise they couldn’t get any animals to be addicted to nicotine in water. So researchers requested documents of the tobacco companies, and in the documents they learned that tobacco product manufacturers figured out in the 70's that nobody would repurchase 'light cigarettes', so they had to figure out how to make the tobacco products addictive. Harvard learned in 2015 what the tobacco giants did to make tobacco products and NICOTINE addictive. They added a chemical named Pyrazine that is highly addictive, and they have been doing it ever since. Nicotine is not the addictive substance in tobacco, pyrazine chemical makes tobacco addictive. Pyrazines are just one of 600 approved chemicals that the FDA allow manufacturers to add to their products in the USA." Bryan Ardis.

Do u know anything about facial aging and nicotine? I mean zin packs not smoking or vaping. If yes, would methylene blue counter the effects? Thanks for your time, I really enjoy your youtube videos!

Smoking never really made me feel good lol I've been smoking for 10 years and if anything when I smoke a cigarette it makes me feel less good for a few minutes.

can anybody tell me why the increase of metabolism leads to decreased hunger? or there is no connection between hunger and metabolism

Wish you would’ve mentioned the cons as well. Maybe next time

The glycerol in vapes is converted to lactic acid in your body, it would seem that this could be the reason my muscles feel like they ache for a longer period of time after my workouts throughout the week as opposed to not using a vape at all.

This is absolute perfection. I recently enjoyed a similar book, and it was absolute perfection. "Unlocking the Brain's Full Potential" by Alexander Sterling

What are the negative effects on sleep if any?

i use "rhape" or "Rape" powder that has clean Nicotine from the plant called Nicotina Rustica .. I learned that during an ayahuasca ceremony .. my fav is the one that mixed with mint .. it not only give a nice buzz , but clears the sinuses ..i think it works well for heavy nicotine users .. you only have to do 2-3 times a day

So what is the safest way to take nicotine? Sounds like it has benefits

I wonder what the connection between the nicotine in blunts mixed with weed is ?

I stopped smoking in 1990, I am 52 now