Nicotine and Sports Performance

A common question I get asked is the effect nicotine has on the body, particularly in regards to sports performance. I always found this topic to be interesting, because it is so multi-faceted. Today, we’re going to dive into this intriguing topic and talk all about it! When you look at nicotine, there’s a few ways we can get into this. One, is the effect nicotine has when you use it. Another, is the effect nicotine has in regard to sports performance. But another important and often overlooked topic is the differences between smoking and smokeless products such as snus and nicotine pouches, particularly with an eye to your health as a smoker, and your health as a smokeless user.

To do a little background, I am an ex-smoker. I picked up smoking as a teenager, and smoked well into my 20’s. I saw the negative effects of smoking first hand. A major one is the smell. When you smoke, you stink. I don’t want to sugar coat it, but it’s not a pretty smell. But the other one is your health. I used to not be able to walk up a flight of stairs without getting winded! I knew the risks of smoking, and wanted to quit. I tried everything, but it wasn’t until I discovered snus in 2009 that I was able to quit smoking. Now, I’ve been smoke free ever since. A lot of people are making this switch. It’s also a big part of the “Swedish Experience”, where most people use snus, and they have the lowest smoking rates in the world despite a high tobacco usage rate in their country. This experience is expanding across the world with snus, but also new products like nicotine pouches.

I want to cover a few facets of this, but first we really need to get into what nicotine is, and what it does. Then, we can fully expound into the topic of nicotine and sports performance!

NOTE: Before we go into this, I do want to mention that snus and nicotine pouches, contain nicotine and are generally regarded to be addictive. I don’t want this article to be considered as pro-nicotine, or saying “go start using snus if you want to be better at sports”. I will discuss some negative effects of nicotine, as well as some positive ones. But I wanted to make sure to cover my bases and be clear before we get into the article.

Nicotine is a chemical commonly found in tobacco, but also in small doses in plants such as tomatoes. Nicotine pouches often use tobacco derived nicotine, but now labs are able to make synthetic nicotine that doesn’t come from tobacco. You’ll find this in a few nicotine pouch products, here and there. But really, both types of nicotine hit the same way. Nicotine is a stimulant, that stimulates the adrenal glands. It causes a release in glucose, and increases respiration, heart rate, and blood pressure. Nicotine can also be used as to increase your alertness, help with concentration and memory, and to reduce anxiety. Nicotine can also speed up your reaction time.

To be thorough, I should also mention negative effects, as documented. The NIH notes that nicotine can cause “nausea, abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea”.  Though some often equate nicotine and smoking as the same thing, they are not. Smoking, and combusting tobacco, is what causes things such as lung cancer. So when you look at effects of nicotine, it’s important to note that smoking effects are different versus using smokeless tobacco.

You have probably seen this photo before. This is a photo of Jamie Vardy. He is an English football player. Or, for Americans, soccer. He currently plays for Leicester City F.C. Years back he was photographed with a can of Thunder Chew Bags, which you can still find available for sale here on SnusExpress. It brought up a whole discussion about snus and chew bag usage across athletics and sports. He noted that “initially, it was a thing people used to do to calm their nerves, especially players who get really anxious or nervous before games”. There has been some buzz about that the PFA is looking at banning this, however, so we will see what happens there.

The Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition looked at this in 2021, doing a study of archery players before and after usage. They noted, as mentioned above, an increase in attention. They noted that nicotine “enhances the performance of archery athletes by increasing cognitive function”. One of the biggest parts of this discussion is that smoking majorly effects the lungs, and those in sports that are using snus instead of smoking are not damaging their lungs. But, to go into this further, I wanted to go item by item on this list above, and talk about how they relate to sports.

PRO: Adrenal Gland Stimulation

An increase in adrenaline can lead to a lot of things, including more pain resistance, an increase in strength, and an increase in energy. These are all things that can come from nicotine and could provide a benefit in sports, especially in high stakes matchups. Or, if you're like me and enjoy running, an increase in these things could help with your morning run.

PRO: Increasing Alertness

Sports require a lot of attention. But, also being alert to your surroundings, what the other players are doing, and the field and weather conditions depending on the sport you’re playing. Being alert and “in the zone” when playing sports is absolutely crucial. This is where an increase in alertness could help.

PRO: Help With Concentration and Focus

In sports, there is a lot of concentration and focus involved. The phrase, “keep your eye on the ball” comes to mind. An increase in being able to focus on the task at hand is something that could be a positive benefit in sports, especially those that are fast moving and require a lot of concentration.

PRO: Help With Memory

I didn’t play football in my younger years, but I did play baseball. i’d often hang out with the football guys because we ran in some of the same circles. They often told me that their coach would make them memorize whole playbooks, so they could quickly call plays during the game. This is a lot to remember. As well as facts about the other team, shortcomings, weaker players, things like that. An aid to memory is definitely a nice effect.

PRO: Reduced Anxiety

You definitely get anxious in sports. I remember I would throw up before big games from time to time. But, something to reduce anxiety would be a major benefit because you wouldn’t be going into a game super nervous or super anxious.

PRO: Increased Reaction Time

Fast paced sports is all about reaction. When you have a ball coming at you, you have to figure out where it’s going, how you want to get it, and where it’s going next. You have to have a quick reaction time. An increase in reaction time is definitely something I see as a major plus.

CON: Nausea

I can’t cover all the benefits without discussing the cons as well. I don’t want to be seen as only pushing the pros, so let’s discuss the negatives as well. Nausea is no fun. Going into a game with it you can’t get anything done. If you’re a runner, you don’t want to go run if you feel sick. So this is something you’d want to keep an eye on with nicotine consumption. I’ve noticed I can get this when using really strong nicotine products, which is why I stick to regular strength stuff myself.

CON: Abdominal Pain

I personally have never had this one, but we’ll discuss it anyway. Abdominal pain will keep you from playing any sport, running, swimming, or anything like that. So this is something to consider if you’re using nicotine.

CON: Vomiting

I can get nauseous with really strong products, and if I used them long I could probably vomit, though it’s never happened to me. This isn’t something you want to be dealing with in sports, so this is definitely a con. It’s often why I advise people to not use really strong products.

CON: Diarrhea

This will happen with nicotine consumption. It speeds up a lot of your processes, particularly bathroom related things. With really strong products, you’ll have more of this involved. But, you won’t see it as much with regular strength products. Again, this is why I advise not rushing out to really strong stuff.

The Bottom Line

The main thing I want to mention on, in closing, is the difference I noticed from being a smoker to being a snus user. When I smoked, I would lose my breath just doing basic exercise. I couldn't walk up a flight of stairs without needing a break. My physical fitness was greatly effected. When I switched to snus, over the years, this became less of an issue. Now, I’m back to being as fit as I used to be. I run, swim, and go to the gym regularly. I don’t get winded as easily and feel a lot better. The main point I want to make with that is that smoking is something that hurts you if you are an active person. Snus and nicotine pouches don’t hurt you as much. I don’t want this to be seen as an article that says “use nicotine to be better at sports”. But, using smokeless products are definitely better for you than smoking if you’re an active person.