A simulation has revealed what may happen to your body if you vape everyday for a month.
Vaping has now overtook smoking in popularity, with a recent ONS survey revealing 5.4 million adults use vapes while 4.9 million prefer the traditional cigarette.
Our understanding around how safe vapes are to use is still developing, however current consensus suggests that while vaping is not completely harmless it is a safer alternative to smoking.
So what changes can you expect to see in your body after picking up an e-cigarette?
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According to one simulation, there are a lot of changes and you can notice them after as little as 30 days puffing on a blue raspberry stick.
Changes to brain chemistry and nicotine dependence
According to the simulation, shared by Untold Healing, a person's brain chemistry changes as soon as they put the e-cigarette to their mouth and take a puff.
"Nicotine floods your brain receptors within seven seconds, triggering dopamine release," the simulation claims. After five days, addiction sets in. "You're brain is rewiring itself to need that hit."
According to research shared by Science Direct, dependence on vapes mirrors cigarettes in the fact that addiction is primarily associated with nicotine concentration.
Nicotine can reach the brain in as little as 10 seconds, meaning that you're essentially rewiring your body's reward system.
Lung damage and respiratory symptoms
Although less damaging than smoking, vaping is still not entirely safe, with the simulation claiming that lung damage can begin in as little as three days while coughing, wheezing and breathing difficulties begin to appear after three weeks.
"People need to understand that e-cigarettes are potentially dangerous to your health," Michael Blaha explained to John Hopkins Medicine.
"Emerging data suggests links to chronic lung disease and asthma, as well as associations between dual use of e-cigarettes and smoking with cardiovascular disease. You’re exposing yourself to all kinds of chemicals that we don’t yet understand and that are probably not safe."
Changes to heart and blood circulation
Cardiovascular changes begin to materialise after two weeks, with a vaper's heart increasing by an average of four beats per minute while blood pressure spikes, according to research from Heart.org.
Arterial stiffness also develops after e-cigarette usage, with the European Respiratory Society linking this to nicotine use.
The risk of heart attack also increases by 50 percent compared to non-vapers.
After 30 days of vaping
Vape everyday for a month and your body is likely to go through withdrawal symptoms if you decide to stop. These include feeling irritable, difficulty sleeping and experiencing strong cravings for vaping.
The simulation also claims that nicotine is as addictive as cocaine and heroin, something which University of California San Francisco backs.
What does the NHS say about vape usage?
According to NHS, current research around vaping suggests it is not as harmful to the body as smoking is, with UK health experts finding that 'vaping poses a small fraction of the risks of smoking' in the short and medium term.
This is because vaping removes the toxic chemicals found in cigarettes - such as tar, carbon monoxide and arsenic - which have been linked to a number of health conditions, including cancer.
However it's still recommended that young people who've never smoked should not take up vaping.
If you've been affected by any of the issues in this article, you can contact The National Stalking Helpline on 0808 802 0300, available 9.30am to 8pm Monday and Wednesday, and 9.30am to 4pm Tuesday, Thursday and Friday
Brenna Cooper