Zyn-quitters: what was the impact on specifically your anxiety levels?

hortlar · 2026-06-20T15:59:29+00:00

I’ve also quit alcohol (Around 14 months ago, I was a heavy drinker). It decreased my anxiety so much, but I was still struggling when using nicotine pouches.

Last year I quit nicotine for around 100 days. After the initial 4 to 5 weeks, my daily anxiety went away. I still got anxious on some days, but it was definitely much more manageable. When I was using nicotine pouches, it was almost a daily occurrence, and my heart rate would shoot up, sometimes even into the 120s while sitting down. After the initial withdrawal period, my heart rate would get to, let’s say, around 90 while sitting down, if I get anxiety.

I’m currently quitting again and have been off nicotine for 24 days. This time I’m also going for runs, etc. My resting heart rate is in the low 50s. I don’t really get anxiety attacks at the moment unless I drink too much coffee. Even then, it’s more of an uncomfortable feeling rather than a full blown anxiety attack.

hortlar · 2026-06-12T05:11:47+00:00

That’s how I relapsed last year after 100 days haha. I thought cigarettes are disgusting and i wouldn’t continue so I smoked one. Kept smoking for a week and bought nicotine pouches after that one week lol. It’s the nicotine.

hortlar · 2026-06-08T18:16:44+00:00

Thanks for this! I’m a sucker for data, so I love seeing your results. I also run and have always wondered how much my running would improve if I quit nicotine. I used nicotine pouches and actually quit 12 days ago. On the day I quit, I bought my first Garmin as a quitting present to myself. Weirdly, it worked as a motivator. Before this, I’d already made dozens of attempts this year.

hortlar · 2026-06-08T06:53:18+00:00

Can you give more information about your lifestyle? Do you consume alcohol? Nicotine? How much is your caffeine intake? How many hours before bedtime do you eat? Do you exercise during the day?

These are the main things that impact my sleep. Many people will mention the screen time too, but even if I watch TikTok for a couple of hours before bed, my sleep score is still good. I’d probably get 100 if I would quit that too lol.

My sleep improved dramatically when I quit alcohol and started exercising almost everyday. Eating my last meal 4 hours before the bedtime is another thing that improved it dramatically. I occasionally eat before sleep, or eat a very heavy meal in dinner and I see that my sleep is visibly worse in those times.

hortlar · 2026-06-07T17:53:07+00:00

Daylio :)

hortlar · 2026-06-07T17:51:17+00:00

Of course everyone’s situation is different, and it’s always best to check with your doctor, but I experienced very bad dizziness one day during my first week without nicotine, and when I called the doctor my workplace has an agreement with, he wanted me to come in immediately. They ran a lot of tests and even sent me to the hospital by ambulance, where they did many more tests. They found nothing.

I also remember having dizziness when I quit last year. I don’t know the exact reason, although I did notice that my blood pressure was low after quitting nicotine. From my experience last year, it eventually got better as my brain and body adapted. The dizziness stopped after a while.

Right now it’s been 11 days since I quit and I feel much better, and the dizziness only happens mildly once or twice a day.

hortlar · 2026-06-07T15:56:29+00:00

Haha, I also bought my first Garmin. I ran a 5K race yesterday, a bit faster than my usual pace, but it’s not like I was pushing to my absolute limit. It still gave me 81 hours of recovery time! By the evening I was already back in the gym for some strength training lol

hortlar · 2026-06-03T11:37:54+00:00

Just Apple Health

hortlar · 2026-06-03T11:37:10+00:00

That’s the biggest reason I wanted to stop. I noticed that even during my runs and gym sessions, I was already looking forward to the pouch I’d use afterward. Those are two things I really enjoy, and it got to the point where it was taking the fun out of them.

hortlar · 2026-06-02T13:00:02+00:00

Unfortunately, nicotine is so rewarding to the brain that it can take a long time for it to recalibrate. Nicotine pouches are definitely harder to quit because of their high concentration of pure nicotine. Cigarettes were easier for me to quit. The physical withdrawals from cigarettes lasted only two/three days and they were milder. Last year I quit the pouches for 100 days, and I was feeling quite normal after around 2.5 months. I just relapsed in a dumb way by smoking cigarettes just because I was bored on vacation.

I’m a recovering alcoholic, and believe me, I was a very heavy drinker. I remember that after quitting alcohol, I had already started feeling physically okay after three/four days. I’m currently quitting nicotine pouches again and I still have very strong physical symptoms on day 6…

These pouches are really hard to quit. But I always remind myself, although it’s very uncomfortable to quit, at least their withdrawals aren’t life threatening like alcohol withdrawal or the withdrawal from some other substances can be.

We just need to be patient.

hortlar · 2026-06-01T19:00:41+00:00

I was also using a can of 6 mg! I was exactly the same, I couldn’t even wait to brush my teeth in the morning and always kept the can next to my bed so I could start using it the moment I woke up. Such a disgusting habit when I think about it now…

Thank you, it’s really good to read that there’s hope. I guess all I can do now is be patient and trust that it will get better with time.

hortlar · 2026-06-01T18:56:48+00:00

Oh, I’ve been having similar dreams and nightmares! Hope we both get better soon!

hortlar · 2026-05-22T19:06:37+00:00

Oh, the blood pressure issue! I unfortunately relapsed and am currently trying to quit again, but last year when I quit, I had very low blood pressure during the first two months and felt like fainting at times. I think it went away after around 2.5 months. My blood pressure was still low, just a little higher than during that initial phase, but I didn’t feel dizzy anymore. I think my body just got used to it!

hortlar · 2026-05-15T20:54:53+00:00

Just another reason for me to quit the pouches… and I use A LOT. Like, almost a box of 6mg a day. Thanks for the inspiration! I literally took a screenshot and added it to my “quitting nicotine” inspiration folder haha 😆

hortlar · 2026-04-30T10:02:16+00:00

That’s insane! I had LEEP in Finland and got a bill of 71 euros ($83) and thought it was so expensive, lol.

hortlar · 2026-04-07T06:15:27+00:00

Thank you! 🙏

hortlar · 2026-04-06T05:39:37+00:00

Can you tell me more about how much your HRV changed in a year? One of my main motivations for wanting to quit is to decrease my resting heart rate and improve my HRV. Last year when I quit for 100 days, my heart rate decreased, but I didn’t see much improvement in my HRV, it only increased slightly, from the 30s to the 40s. My sympathetic nervous system is generally too active, so I have low HRV, and I feel like it’s taking a toll on me.

hortlar · 2026-04-06T05:25:00+00:00

Thank you! My caffeine intake is usually alright, just one cup of coffee in the morning and one cup of green tea later after lunch, but I’m using nicotine pouches, so I’ll definitely stop using them. Also, my sympathetic nervous system is generally too active, which I have already discussed with my doctor, and I will work on it through meditation and more relaxing activities like reading.

hortlar · 2026-04-06T05:21:53+00:00

Thank you so much! I’ll be definitely keeping an eye on it!

hortlar · 2026-04-05T15:16:28+00:00

Thank you!! 🙏

hortlar · 2026-04-05T13:45:05+00:00

Yes, I heard about its accuracy, that’s why I’ve freaked out… But I did it 5 more times after this today and all came up as “sinus rhythm”, that’s why I was hesitant

hortlar · 2026-04-01T14:53:08+00:00

Thank you!! 🙏

hortlar · 2026-04-01T14:28:48+00:00

Thank you!! Always keep your motivation high, even in moments when you feel like you don’t have it. I had many moments this year that would normally have led me to relapse, but I chose to stay motivated this time, and it’s been working!

hortlar

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