Does Nicotine Make Your Muscles Relax? Unpacking the Science

November 28, 2025 •

4 min read

Many people use cigarettes to manage stress, believing the nicotine will calm their nerves, but this perceived relaxation is often a deceptive effect caused by a release of dopamine and the temporary relief of withdrawal symptoms. While nicotine has a biphasic effect, acting as both a stimulant and a depressant depending on the dose, its overall impact on the body's musculature and cardiovascular system is far from relaxing.

Quick Summary

This article explores the truth about nicotine's effect on muscles, distinguishing the psychological perception of relaxation from the physiological reality and long-term consequences.

Key Points

Perceived vs. Physiological Relaxation: Nicotine's relaxing effect is largely a psychological perception, stemming from dopamine release and the relief of withdrawal symptoms, rather than a true physiological response.
Stimulant Action: Physiologically, nicotine is a stimulant that increases heart rate, blood pressure, and adrenaline levels, contributing to overall physical tension.
Biphasic Effects: Nicotine has a dose-dependent, biphasic effect, acting as a stimulant at low doses and potentially as a depressant at higher doses, a phenomenon known as 'Nesbitt's paradox'.
Long-Term Muscle Damage: Chronic nicotine use causes long-term muscle damage by impairing oxygen delivery, interfering with protein synthesis, and promoting muscle inflammation.
Withdrawal Symptoms: Quitting nicotine can cause muscle aches and tension as part of the withdrawal process, as the body adjusts and the previously masked effects of underlying damage become apparent.
No Comparison to Relaxants: Unlike true muscle relaxants, which are designed to reduce muscle tone and spasms, nicotine's action promotes tension and has chronic detrimental effects on muscular health.

The Perceived Calming Effect vs. Physiological Reality

When a person consumes nicotine, the drug travels quickly to the brain, triggering a release of dopamine—a neurotransmitter associated with feelings of pleasure and reward. This rapid 'reward' creates a temporary sensation of well-being that can be interpreted as relaxation. For long-term users, a large part of this 'calming' sensation is simply the relief of nicotine withdrawal symptoms, such as irritability and anxiety, that have developed between doses. The cycle of craving and relief reinforces the belief that nicotine is a stress-reliever when, in reality, it is creating the very stress it temporarily relieves.

Nicotine's Biphasic Effects

Nicotine is a unique substance with biphasic effects, meaning its impact can change based on the dose and the user's state. At lower doses, nicotine acts as a stimulant, activating the central nervous system. At higher, more toxic doses, it can act as a depressant. The initial 'hit' from smoking triggers the release of adrenaline, which raises blood pressure, heart rate, and respiration, increasing tension throughout the body. The sedative-like effect that some users experience is complex and may involve the release of endogenous opioids in the brain. However, this subjective feeling does not reflect the drug's overall impact on muscle physiology.

Long-Term Detrimental Effects on Muscle Health

While the immediate effects might feel complex, long-term nicotine use has clear negative consequences for muscle health and function. Over time, the damage can become significant and even irreversible.

Nicotine impairs the body's ability to deliver oxygen to muscle tissue, which is crucial for repair and function. This reduced oxygen flow can lead to a buildup of lactic acid, contributing to muscle fatigue and stiffness. Chronic inflammation caused by smoking also plays a role in damaging muscle fibers and connective tissue. A 2020 review highlighted that cigarette smoke itself causes skeletal muscle dysfunction through inflammation and impaired oxygen delivery.

How Nicotine Affects Muscles and Exercise

Nicotine negatively affects muscle growth by interfering with protein synthesis, a key process for repairing and building muscle fibers after exercise. This interference, along with increased cortisol levels (a stress hormone that promotes muscle breakdown) and reduced testosterone, impairs muscle recovery and growth. The vasoconstricting effects of nicotine also narrow blood vessels, further restricting the delivery of nutrients and oxygen to muscles. As a result, long-term smokers may experience:

Higher muscle fatiguability compared to non-smokers.
Increased risk of muscle and joint pain.
Delayed recovery times after physical activity.
Reduced muscle mass and strength over time.

Nicotine Withdrawal and Muscle Aches

When a person quits nicotine, the body goes through a withdrawal period that often includes significant muscle aches and pains. This experience is sometimes called the 'quitter's flu' and involves a complex physiological response, including an inflammatory reaction. Quitting exposes underlying pain that was previously masked by nicotine's temporary analgesic (pain-relieving) properties. Withdrawal symptoms are a sign that the body is beginning to heal, but the discomfort can be challenging. Some common muscular withdrawal symptoms include:

General body aches and pains: Inflammation from the body's healing process can cause widespread muscle discomfort.
Muscle tension and tightness: Anxiety and stress are common withdrawal symptoms that lead to increased muscle tightness, particularly in the neck and shoulders.
Flu-like symptoms: Some people experience a mild fever, malaise, and body aches as their immune system adjusts.

Nicotine vs. Muscle Relaxants

To better understand why nicotine is not a true muscle relaxant, consider the fundamental differences between it and pharmacological muscle relaxants.


Feature	Nicotine	Pharmacological Muscle Relaxants (e.g., Cyclobenzaprine)
Mechanism of Action	Primarily acts as a stimulant on the central and peripheral nervous systems, releasing dopamine and adrenaline. It can have depressant effects at high doses.	Specifically formulated to act on the central nervous system or at the neuromuscular junction to reduce muscle tone and spasms.
Physiological Effect	Increases heart rate, blood pressure, and adrenaline, leading to overall cardiovascular and muscular tension.	Decreases nerve impulses to muscles, directly promoting relaxation and easing spasms.
Sensation of Relief	Psychological feeling of calm is often due to dopamine release and the relief of addiction-driven withdrawal symptoms.	Direct, therapeutic effect designed to treat muscle spasms or stiffness.
Long-Term Impact	Associated with chronic muscle damage, inflammation, and reduced oxygen delivery, leading to increased stiffness and pain.	Intended for short-term use to treat acute muscular conditions; not associated with long-term muscle degradation.

Conclusion: The Deceptive Calm

The notion that nicotine relaxes your muscles is a misconception based on a short-lived psychological effect and the relief of addictive withdrawal symptoms. While users may feel calmer after a dose, this is often the body's temporary reward response, masking the underlying stress and tension that nicotine creates. Physiologically, nicotine is a stimulant that increases heart rate and blood pressure, and long-term use is associated with chronic muscle damage, impaired recovery, and increased pain. For those seeking genuine muscle relaxation and improved overall health, quitting nicotine is the most effective path forward. The initial period of withdrawal, though challenging with potential muscle aches, marks the beginning of the body's recovery and the reversal of many negative effects on the musculoskeletal system. For more information on the effects of nicotine and support for quitting, visit the National Cancer Institute's guide to coping with withdrawal.

Frequently Asked Questions

Muscle aches during nicotine withdrawal, sometimes called 'quitter's flu', are caused by the body's inflammatory response as it begins to heal after quitting. Nicotine had a mild analgesic (pain-relieving) effect, which masked underlying muscle pain that becomes apparent during withdrawal.

Yes, chronic smoking and nicotine use are linked to decreased muscle mass and strength over time. This is due to impaired muscle protein synthesis, reduced oxygen delivery, and increased levels of cortisol, a hormone that breaks down muscle tissue.

Nicotine can't reliably reduce muscle cramps and is more likely to worsen circulation problems that contribute to cramps. For example, smoking reduces blood flow to the limbs, which can lead to cramping and pain in conditions like peripheral artery disease.

The feeling of relaxation from smoking is often psychological, tied to the rewarding release of dopamine and the relief of withdrawal-induced stress. Physiologically, nicotine is a stimulant that increases heart rate and blood pressure, causing tension rather than true relaxation.

Nicotine withdrawal commonly causes increased anxiety and stress, which in turn leads to greater muscle tension and tightness, especially in the neck and shoulders. This typically peaks within the first few days and gradually subsides.

Long-term nicotine exposure leads to various negative impacts, including chronic inflammation, atrophy of muscle fibers, reduced oxygen supply to muscles, and hindered protein synthesis, all of which compromise overall muscle function and recovery.

While some evidence is mixed and short-term stimulant effects may exist, chronic nicotine use is generally detrimental to athletic performance due to increased fatigue, reduced endurance, and impaired muscle recovery.