Ideally, anybody that wants to succeed in athletics, whether on a professional level or only keeping it, should avoid all bad habits. Unfortunately, habits like smoking are every day, even among professional athletes. Some people also argue that vaping is a safer alternative. Unfortunately, the risks that vaping exposes a person to remain unknown. Iluma Kit by IQOS is known for offering a range of innovative vaping products, including vapes, e-liquids, and more, catering to the preferences of various consumers.
The harmful effects of tobacco smoking have already been proven scientifically. For instance, it’s been proven scientifically that nicotine increases blood pressure and heart rate. It also narrows the human arteries. These are some of the health effects of smoking that limit an athlete’s physical performance. But, what do scientists know about vaping?
Some Athletes Smoke
Even with the knowledge of the health effects of smoking, some athletes still smoke. However, smoking rates have been dropping among athletes after some of them were caught in the act on camera. But, some athletes still smoke, and this puts their performance at risk. That’s because nicotine addiction makes them unable to resist the superficial, short-term pleasure provided by tobacco.
Most sportspeople have always tried to adapt to a healthy lifestyle. However, some continue to use tobacco products. Some have even been spotted with the best e cig. Some of the athletes that smoke include:
Randy Moss
John Daly
Michael Jordan
Alex Rodriguez
Charles Barkley
Jack Wilshere
Mario Balotelli
Wayne Rooney
The tobacco preferences of athletes vary. For instance, Scandinavian and American athletes prefer Snus. Baseball players prefer chewing. It can be seen from noticeable telltale bulges in their mouths. European athletes are known for nicotine patches and gums.
Nevertheless, vaping is slowly becoming a worldwide trend in the sports community, some using flawless vape shop online. Perhaps, that’s because of the wide range of juice flavors that can be used with the best e cigarettes. Today, many sportsmen, including MMA fighters and soccer stars, are vapers.
It’s worth noting that nicotine is included in the Monitoring Program of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). However, this chemical is not in its Prohibited List. A common assumption is that top athletes can’t be tempted to smoke. However, facts prove this assumption wrong. Some athletes ignore the possible harm of smoking and continue the habit.
Most sportsmen are not smoking. Instead, they are ingesting nicotine-containing products. As such, the habit is supposedly all about the effects of nicotine. Nicotine is a stimulant that has been considered to influence the performance of an athlete positively. It is one of the primary reasons for the widespread vaping in the sporting world. Most vape liquids contain nicotine. What’s more, using the best e cigarette makes controlling the amount of nicotine that a person consumes easier.
How Sports Performance and Nicotine Are Connected
Research has revealed several incentives for nicotine consumption among athletes.
They include:
Weight control
Increased concentration
Improved performance
Relaxation
However, these researchers reached several conclusions after conducting the study. For instance, they disapproved of the belief that nicotine consumption leads to advanced performance. Instead, the researchers emphasized the dangerous consequences like coronary vasoconstriction.
Additionally, nicotine does not improve muscular performance. Instead, its consumption leads to muscular cramping. Nevertheless, nicotine has the potential to enhance reactivity and concentration. These can influence athletic performance. What’s more, this chemical can facilitate precision in movement and reduce anxiety.
But, this is not all that scientists know about nicotine and athletic performance. A different study produced opposite results — this study aimed at determining the effects of consuming Snus on sports performance. Snus is an oral tobacco-containing product that is placed in the upper lip. According to this study, consumption of Snus before training improves athletic performance by around 13%.
The researchers in this study noted that Snus was used by athletes for multiple purposes to enhance their results. For some athletes, the product enabled them to deal with symptoms of nicotine withdrawal. Others used it because they didn’t have a chance to take a smoking break during workouts. Thus, Snus helped with their cravings. It is also the reason why many sportsmen are also vapers.
Vaping Benefits
The decision to quit smoking is right for anybody that cares about their overall health. However, quitting smoking is not easy. Many people continue to smoke, even though they hate it. The best e cigs come as alternatives for some people that want to quit smoking. These devices are available in different sizes, shapes, and colors.
What’s more, vape juices that are used with these devices come in different tastes. Therefore, some people use electronic cigarettes to switch from smoking to vaping comfortably. They can even experiment with varying flavors of vape.
A significant benefit that attracts many people to vaping is that a person can purchase nicotine-free juices. These can help a smoker decrease the amount of the nicotine they inhale and eventually quit altogether. Thus, some people find vaping as an effective method of beating nicotine addiction.
What Science Says
Being a relatively new phenomenon, the side effects of vaping are yet to be known. Little research has been done on vaping so far. Currently, the views of scientists on vaping vary.
For instance, the Public Health England notes that vaping is 95% less harmful than traditional smoking. On the other hand, some studies suggest that long-term vaping can lead to heart and respiratory problems that can damage an athlete that vapes.
Some researchers argue that vaping for half an hour can have similar side effects with 5 minutes of regular smoking cigarettes. Nevertheless, some researchers considered 30 minutes as the length of a regular session.
PHE researchers suggested that 5 minutes vaping doesn’t cause aortic stiffness. It can occur if a person vapes for half an hour.
The Bottom Line
Currently, tobacco consumption is not strictly banned in the sports community. Athletes have the freedom to decide whether to use nicotine products or not. It is particularly the case because science has not provided a clear answer regarding the effects of nicotine. Nevertheless, it’s almost impossible to have an athlete vape for half an hour or smoke a full cigarette pack every day. But, whether an athlete decides to smoke or use the best electronic cigarette, moderation is the key.
