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Nicotine: Stimulant or Sedative?

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mso489

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,455
Is nicotine a stimulant or sedative? I know: both. Like some other chemicals and pharmaceuticals,

it can be either. In that sense, it is like some of the stimulants they give to hyperactive children to

calm them down (but let's not debate that here, the subject is nicotine). People sometimes smoke

a cigar when they're driving after lunch to keep from dozing off. However, some nicotine forward

blends like Nightcap are recommended as late evening smokes so you can go to sleep after your smoke.

Does anyone have pharmaceutical or biochemical knowledge of how nicotine acts in the body, and when

it is a stimulant and when it is a sedative? Nightcap doesn't wake me up, but it doesn't make me prone

to sleep (to the best of my knowledge). Any information or ideas would be welcome.

 
mso489

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,455
I trust the old tobacco men and women who name blends like Nightcap and other references to late

evening. They know it's going to make you want to sleep or go to sleep. It's not a mistake.

 
blendtobac

blendtobac

Lifer
Oct 16, 2009
1,237
213
The effect has something to do with the quantity and speed the nicotine gets into your system. When a cigarette smoker is agitated or nervous, (s)he will tend to smoke quickly and deeply, and that seems to have a calming effect. Slow puffing on a pipe tends to sharpen concentration and increase alertness. Of course, your mileage may vary.
Russ

 
tuold

tuold

Lifer
Oct 15, 2013
2,133
166
Beaverton,Oregon
Wikipedia has a good article on the effects of nicotine. It all depends on which parts of the nervous system that are being stimulated and nicotine hits several of them. There is the mood lifting aspect and the physical systems aspect. Personally, I can do without the quickened pulse and higher blood pressure!

 
mso489

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,455
This isn't going to help much, but it's information. One part of the brain where nicotine is active is the hippocampus,

which is between the base of the brain and under the temporal lobes (if I remember the anatomy correctly). I used

to work with scientists (among many others) who were working on its neuro effects. But at the time, they couldn't

tell exactly what nicotine did in the hippocampus, couldn't correlate its activity with any particular behavior or

sensory effects. This research is fascinating but slow to yield results.
blendtobac, I think you have an essence here, that it relates to dose, speed of dosing, and other variables like that,

which are not very well understood. Some things make me really groggy, but I can't say that tobacco, even high

nicotine tobacco, does that to me, so far as I know. Of course, sometimes you never no what hit you, like with

some "party drinks." I would say, on the stimulant side, that tobacco sometimes focuses my thoughts, though it

doesn't speed up my metabolism like strong coffee. When I get hungry, I get quiet and don't want to talk much.

After a substantial (but not over-stuffing meal) I become quite conversational. Caffeine also makes me much more

conversant, as long as I am not overtired. But I am still confused about nicotine, even for myself. It's hard to pin

down its effect, even just for me.

 
redbeard

redbeard

Part of the Furniture Now
Jan 2, 2013
841
4
This has been discussed here in the past, if I remember correctly it was determined that a high level of nicotine is a sedative and a low level is a stimulant. Or visa versa... I do not remember correctly often :lol:

 
irwinmetro

irwinmetro

Starting to Get Obsessed
May 31, 2013
205
0
I don't think the nicotine itself acts as a sedative, but the process certainly can. Apparently heavy smokers, shortly after quitting, experience very vivid dreams that disturb their sleep. Possibly smoking before bedtime lessens dreams and allows for a more peaceful slumber?

 
blendtobac

blendtobac

Lifer
Oct 16, 2009
1,237
213
I wrote this article last year that cover some of this:

http://pipesmagazine.com/blog/put-that-in-your-pipe/the-chameleon-named-nicotine/
Russ

 
S

shutterbugg

Lifer
Nov 18, 2013
1,451
21
I have heard it has a sedative effect but that could also be due to or enhanced by temporary dysoxia (which accounts for the dizziness some people experience). It definitely can have a stimulant effect on peristalsis, as for me, sorry for being gross, it can have a strong laxative effect.

 
latbomber

latbomber

Part of the Furniture Now
May 10, 2013
570
4
For me it is also both. With a pipe it usually relaxes me deeply, some very strong cigars/snus have made my heart race like I just drank a jug of espresso.

 
metarzan

metarzan

Part of the Furniture Now
Nov 14, 2012
608
117
For me it emphasizes my mood. If getting late, it helps me drift off. In the morning it could go either way, depending on how rested I am. I do prefer NC in the morning though...

 
4dotsasieni

4dotsasieni

Part of the Furniture Now
Jan 6, 2013
756
6
Read Russ's article (cited 5 posts above). It's the most clear and complete explanation of nicotine's effects I've ever seen.
http://pipesmagazine.com/blog/put-that-in-your-pipe/the-chameleon-named-nicotine/

 
loneredtree

loneredtree

Part of the Furniture Now
May 27, 2011
569
181
Sierra Foothills
I have checked my Blood Pressure and heart rate during and after smoking and do not see a stimulating effect. Never been a cig smoker so that may have some bearing on this.

 
anglesey

anglesey

Can't Leave
Jan 15, 2014
383
2
I believe both, equally, depending on your mood. I love getting up in the morning feeling refreshed and powering my way through a bowl of something nice and bright while I walk the dogs.
As I sit typing now though, I'm wrapped up with the aforementioned dogs on a freezing cold afternoon (day off before the bank holiday, yay), with a pipe of condor long cut, practically falling asleep. I've had some dinner, I've got father ted on, and I'm just relaxing and falling asleep. I really need to invest in a bent pipe for times like this...

 
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