Vape use significantly impacts the sleep quality and anxiety levels of young adults, suggests a new study from the University of Surrey. Mindfulness was also found to help reduce the risk of young people taking up vaping.

The use of vapes amongst young people has risen over the last decade, and not enough is known about its effects. To learn more, researchers surveyed 316 participants (263 did not vape, 49 did) about their habits and health.

University of Surrey researchers investigated the relationship between vaping, sleep quality and mental health of young adults aged 18-25 years. Researchers also investigated loneliness and mindfulness and how they relate to vaping, which is known to promote emotional regulation. They also studied rumination, which involves repetitive thinking or dwelling on negative feelings.

Researchers found that the sleep quality of vape users was significantly lower than that of their non-vaping peers, with more than three-quarters displaying symptoms of insomnia. Researchers believe the stimulative properties of nicotine could cause this poor sleep and suggest that sleep deprivation could increase vape use as a way to compensate for lethargy during the day.

Simon Evans, lecturer in neuroscience at the University of Surrey, said, “It is now common to see a young person vaping. The emergence of vape shops makes these products more readily available and increases the temptation to purchase them. What is worrying is that many are unaware of or simply downplay the dangers of such products, believing that something that tastes 'fruity' could not be harmful. This is not the case as the nicotine contained in the products is known to affect brain development negatively and may induce behaviours that increase the risk of developing substance abuse issues."

Interestingly, researchers found that 73.5 per cent of those who vaped were evening types ('night owls') compared to only 40 per cent of non-users. Vape users also reported higher levels of loneliness. This loneliness might be linked to their night owl tendencies, as previous studies have indicated that young adults who are active late at night often experience lower social support.

Anxiety levels were also found to be heightened in the vape-user group, with 95.9 per cent of users being categorised as having clinical levels of anxiety symptoms.

For the first time, researchers also examined levels of mindfulness and rumination. They found that vape users had significantly lower levels of mindfulness and higher levels of rumination than their non-user peers. This suggests that higher levels of mindfulness might help protect young people from taking up vaping, and those with higher levels of rumination could be vaping as a means to self-medicate against distress.

Simon added, "Vaping impacts all areas of physical and mental health. Poor sleep not only affects a young person's daily functioning but, over the longer term, increases the risk of developing heart disease and diabetes. In this study, we found a disturbing link between vape use and anxiety symptoms, and it can become a vicious cycle of using a vape to soothe anxiety but then being unable to sleep, making you feel worse in the long run.

"However, the data shows that interventions that focus on mindfulness and combating rumination could be useful to reduce vape use amongst young people."

This study was published in the journal Healthcare.

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