How long do you hold your vapor hits for?

[spaceman462]

When I used to smoke, I'd only hold my hits for 3-5 seconds because I didn't want a lot of particulates accumulating in my lungs. With a vaporizer, that's no longer a concern, so I hold them 10-15 seconds. Has anyone else given this much thought? Any benefits/consequences for holding your vapor hits for longer? Unfortunately, this isn't the kind of thing that there have been any studies regarding.

 

[Survivalism]

To my understanding vapor is absorbed in your lungs slower then smoke, visual clouds are actually visual feedback of wasted vapor.


Hold those hits in as long as possible for maximum highness, always.

 

[Chubba]

I hold the full amount for 5 seconds after I finish inhaling, then exhale maybe 20%, inhale free air... rinse/repeat 3 or 4 times. Close to 15 - 20 seconds before my lungs are completely empty.

Still massive amounts of visible vapor on exhale.

 

[graywulf]

Generally as long as I can, further forced inhales after the hit sometimes helps me go longer.

 

[vtac]

To my understanding vapor is absorbed in your lungs slower then smoke

Any sources on this? I'd be interested to read them.

When I used to smoke, I'd only hold my hits for 3-5 seconds because I didn't want a lot of particulates accumulating in my lungs. With a vaporizer, that's no longer a concern, so I hold them 10-15 seconds. Has anyone else given this much thought? Any benefits/consequences for holding your vapor hits for longer? Unfortunately, this isn't the kind of thing that there have been any studies regarding.

Depending on your vaporizer setup there can still be some particulate matter in your hits. If this is big concern, water filtration is excellent for catching any significant particles. One outdated study suggests that water filtration is also efficient at filtering out actives but that's another can of worms.

I don't know any specifics on absorption rates but it's fairly widely accepted that the longer you hold your hit the more actives will be absorbed though your lungs. Smoke or vapor.

With vapor you're avoiding the combustion byproducts such as carbon monoxide, benzene, toluene, naphthalene, tars, etc. So if you want to ghost your hits, it should be a lot healthier. Does kinda make exhaled vapor seem a little more wasteful than with smoke, too. Breathing techniques like Chubba mentioned are worth trying as well.

Personally it usually comes down to mood / size of the sesh. As kids we used to ghost bong hits as long as physically possible and 'push it to your brain, man!'

You're right about more studies being needed. No shortage of volunteers.

 

[Chubba]

One outdated study suggests that water filtration is also efficient at filtering out actives but that's another can of worms.

Indeed, there needs to be a vapor specific study. THC is pretty much insoluble in water, so the hypothesis atm is the THC is lost/trapped in the water because it sticks to the other particle matter/ash that quite clearly stays in the water.

In theory, pure THC run through water should have very little potency loss.

 

[graywulf]

Well thinking about it now, with the Law of Diminishing Returns, the need for hit-holding may be exaggerated, past a handful of seconds that is. I just said what I did because I am precariously vaporizing the remnants of my only stash, and need maximum efficiency!1

 

[Qbit]

Well thinking about it now, with the Law of Diminishing Returns, the need for hit-holding may be exaggerated, past a handful of seconds that is. I just said what I did because I am precariously vaporizing the remnants of my only stash, and need maximum efficiency!1

Ah, rationing the crumbs - a challenging time for any committed stoner. :/

 

[graywulf]

Truly. Good thing my buddies who are already on summer break have herb back home. Just have to make it through these next few days of testing.

 

[Hennessy1414]

There's a point where you hold your hit for a respectable amount of time...and then there's the point where you start to cross the line into oxygen deprivation. Make sure how to decipher both


btw I have built up the amount of time I can hold in my breath thanks to vaporizing. Seems I can pull in more oxygen nowadays. Yup I pretty much proved it....you can workout while you vape This shit really is healthier for you

 

[Survivalism]

Unfortunatly i dont have a link, i beleive its something i read on the e-cigarette-forums.

 

[SometimesY]

Well thinking about it now, with the Law of Diminishing Returns, the need for hit-holding may be exaggerated, past a handful of seconds that is. I just said what I did because I am precariously vaporizing the remnants of my only stash, and need maximum efficiency!1

I've come to this conclusion, too. Though I'm sure that there are still active compounds in what I'm exhaling, I'm probably getting 80% of what my lungs can take in during the 5-8 seconds I hold it for.

How do I know this? Well, I don't. But from empirical study, I don't find myself feeling any different after 1 bag holding in for, say, 8 seconds, as opposed to 20. So I hold it in for 8.

I'm sure I could exhale the vapor back into the bag and re-use it, getting about double the amount of hits out of the bag before the CO2 concentrations became uncomfortable. Maybe that would be more "efficient", but I'm not going to do it.

 

[owin]

Personally, I notice a difference in highs when I hold hits longer. I usually can make one bowl of a DBV last all day just taking small hits and holding till I exhale nothing visible.

 

[Plasmah]

I heard you don't need to hold hits in at all. Some dude did a study on Holding as opposed to just quickly blowing out and the conclusion was holding in don't make you more stoned.

Dunno if that's true but that's what I read

 

[DeepFried]

LOL, I play the "stoner olympics", using my Extreme's countdown timer feature. I always find that the holding it in time is directly proportional to how high you will get from any given amount of herb. Longer you hold it in the higher you get.. within reason. I'll take a big hit and then watch the timer to see how many seconds I can hold it in for, trying to beat my time the hit before. After a few hits it is a challenge just to remember your new best time that you set just 5 seconds ago. Regardless I always hold for at least 20 seconds.

 

[Evil1]

The Science of Marajuana by Leslie Everson (my spelling may not be correct) claims that its not nescesary to hold it in. After reading the book I stopped holding while smoking and noticed no difference at all. I havn't experimented with vaping but assume the result would be the same.
Its interesting that everyones experiences are different.

I heard you don't need to hold hits in at all. Some dude did a study on Holding as opposed to just quickly blowing out and the conclusion was holding in don't make you more stoned.

Dunno if that's true but that's what I read

 

[DevoTheStrange]

my understanding of the above ^^^ is that the study only applies too combustion of the MJ.... vaping takes longer too absorb than smoking... that and one would think the longer you hold it in it would cause a cooling effect on some of the vape causing it too adhere too the lining of the lungs as an essential oil which in turn would be absorbed by the body in conjunction with what was initially absorbed from the hit (using the same principle as coating your mucus membranes in your nose with an exhale)

 

[Hippie Dickie]

i prefer to take a long, slow hit ... more like a long sigh ... for maybe 20 seconds. No more than two (or three) per minute.

i had found that a hit could reduce the temperature of the heater (at least at the spot where i measure it) by 50F (or so), so a slower hit allows the heater more time to compensate.

 

[Hennessy1414]

I fill my air sacks for 40-50 seconds and I hold my hits for another 20-40 seconds. Mucho dome blasts that way


If you see vapor in the exhale...its wasted. Short of you going into the realms of oxygen deprivation...its ALWAYS a good idea to hold vapor hits.

Now holding smoke in is a whole new ball game. That will just let more tar build up. nasty!

 

[DevoTheStrange]

the only time I have a problem holding it in is if I take a monster hit, then its a challenge too even hold it in and I look like an idiot trying too fight the urge too suddenly exhale. but other than that, holding it in has done wonders for my ability too hold my breath. Before I was only able too hold my breath for a hand full of seconds now I can easily hit the mark I want and barely exhale any visible vape. A friend of mine asked why do I vape if I am always out of breath I always reply "well you would be out of breath too if you just spent five minutes holding your breath for 30 seconds every other 30 seconds..)
but holding it is way worth it if you can afford too do it... that and if I am filling like I am heading down the road of 02 deprevation I just exhale a little and inhale a tiny bit too counteract this.
(and too be honest, I'll admit, I've only passed out twice from holding it in way too long, so I know totally when i'm holding it too long)

 

[owin]

(and too be honest, I'll admit, I've only passed out twice from holding it in way too long, so I know totally when i'm holding it too long)

Seriously?

 

[DeepFried]

but holding it is way worth it if you can afford too do it... that and if I am filling like I am heading down the road of 02 deprevation I just exhale a little and inhale a tiny bit too counteract this.
(and too be honest, I'll admit, I've only passed out twice from holding it in way too long, so I know totally when i'm holding it too long)

Devo you rock!, totally agree that holding it in really makes a difference.

 

[DevoTheStrange]

(and too be honest, I'll admit, I've only passed out twice from holding it in way too long, so I know totally when i'm holding it too long)

Seriously?

actually yes... hehe. Both bowls were pure kief (sp?) and I totally overjudge the hit thinking I got less then I actually got. (first time was actually also the first time I packed the elbow in my Extreme) Was way overwhelming and barely made it five seconds before I went out like a light... just taught me not to get greedy with the goodstuff. I've also seen my friends almost go down on big hits that were done wrong and slightly combusted on both the Vaperstar and the VG.

and these days I barely take in more than I can handle. I have too be retard high to even attempt taking more than I can hold in safely.

 

[vap999]

From what I recall from pharmacology and physiology texts, by the time any aerosol particles (including liquid vapors) small enough in size reach the small sacs (alveoli) in the lungs, deposition on the alveoli membrane and diffusion through it and into the blood stream happens rather quickly and efficiently in a matter of a few seconds. I recall a general rules-of-thumb being that about 90% of particles less than a few microns in diameter are rapidly, in seconds, absorbed when drawn deeply into the lungs and held for at most a few seconds. After that, you may get at best a few percentage points more by holding ones breath. This is advantageous for prescription drug delivery, since most everyone, no matter how sick or inexperienced at consuming drugs by inhalation, can be presumed to be able to inhale something deeply and then exhale.

Keep in mind that a fair amount of inhaled actives not sufficiently deeply inhaled or the vapor particles are too large get deposited on the surface throughout the upper respiratory system. Between the natural upflow of mucus washing out the lungs and swallowing of saliva, essentially all of this ends up in the stomach, where it is less efficiently and slowly absorbed. This is perhaps a reason why some people say they feel stoned from the night before after eating something in the morning (with their digestion system kicking in).

Rather than holding it long, try rebreathing -- exhale the useless (never to be absorbed) vapor in your throat and upper respiratory system, a good portion of your lung capacity, and suck down some fresh air which will end up mixing with the leading stream of vapor you inhaled. And if efficiency of consumption is important, take shorter hits and then suck each down deeply by inhaling regular air.

 

[DevoTheStrange]

you know I have actually been contemplating rebreathing instead of holding it as of late.