Need to get through a brutal workday? Some people are skipping the coffee run and reaching for something far more habit-forming.
Nolan Borgersen is one of them.
At his desk, the 29-year-old slips a tiny, white pillow beneath his upper lip, where saliva draws out the natural stimulant inside — a straight shot to the bloodstream. Ten times a day, he repeats the ritual, usually during meetings or long stretches of work.
“They’re very subtle, so I love that I can have them in during meetings or throughout the day,” the investment banker told The Post. “It just kind of gives me a little bit more energy and focus when I need it, and it’s definitely been a good tool.”
Zyn nicotine pouches have become Borgersen’s go-to productivity tool, a habit he picked up during his senior year of college. He reaches for them during the work week, but his routine follows him on weekends, too — sometimes doubling up with two pouches at once.
He says he would like to quit eventually. For now, though, he’s under no illusion about his relationship with nicotine.
“Oh, I am addicted,” he said.
Nicotine pouches — small, fiber sachets containing nicotine, flavorings, sweeteners and plant-based fibers — first emerged in Sweden in the early 2000s, before arriving on the US market in the late 2010s. As cigarette use has declined, the discreet, smoke-free products have carved out a growing niche in the tobacco industry.
Researchers estimate that 2.5% of American adults use nicotine pouches, with many users potentially turning to them as a way to cut back on or quit smoking. But the products have also found a new audience far removed from traditional tobacco users.
Wellness influencers and biohackers like neuroscientist and podcaster Andrew Huberman and entrepreneur Dave Asprey have increasingly promoted nicotine as a productivity supplement, touting its ability to sharpen focus, boost motivation and deliver a quick hit of energy without caffeine’s familiar jitters.
The pouches even featured prominently at Asprey’s Beyond Biohacking Conference in May, where the man himself told The Post that nicotine “is one of the most misunderstood compounds in the biohacking world.”
“Once you’re addicted, it’s pretty hard to to kick it. It becomes a critical part of your life, even when you’ve stopped.”
neuropharmacologist Frances Leslie
Meanwhile, other famous fans include Tucker Carlson (who called nicotine a “life-enhancing, God-given chemical”), Joe Rogan, “Biggest Loser” host Jillian Michaels and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
But the growing enthusiasm for nicotine as a cognitive enhancer has also brought renewed attention to its addictive properties and the longer-term health effects researchers have yet to fully understand.
Dr. Ryan Marino, an emergency physician, addiction medicine specialist and professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, told The Post that the short-term payoff of nicotine pouches may not be worth the unknowns that come with using it over time.
“At this point, we have evidence for the harms,” he said. “Because there’s no evidence of a long-term benefit, you’re only putting yourself at risk for the the long-term harms.”
Chasing peak performance
Borgersen had been documenting his marathon-training journey on TikTok when he filmed a “What I Eat in a Day” video, featuring a heavy lineup of Zyns and coffee while at work. That August 2025 post racked up 10.1 million views — and plenty of concerned comments.
“It gives me a little boost of energy, and definitely gives me a little bit of an extra ability to focus,” he explained.
A chemical compound found naturally in the tobacco plant, nicotine acts on acetycholine receptors in the brain, which play a role in attention, learning and memory. That interaction can produce a temporary feeling of alertness and focus, prompting users to reach for another pouch.
Frances Leslie, a neuropharmacologist and professor emeritus at the University of California, Irvine, confirmed that adults may experience improved cognition and focus from nicotine. Over time, though, nicotine use can lead to addiction, which is among the hardest conditions to overcome.
“Once you’re addicted, it’s pretty hard to to kick it,” Leslie told The Post. “It becomes a critical part of your life, even when you’ve stopped.”
When the focus fades
Max Rodman of Fort Lauderdale was looking for a “cleaner” way to get his nicotine fix.
The 23-year old started vaping in high school, then switched to nicotine pouches in college because he believed they were safer. A nationally ranked high-school sprinter, he experimented with pouches alongside pre-workout supplements and energy drinks.
“I would try and combine that with my caffeine to get that spike of energy and focus at the same time,” he said.
Over time, nicotine became part of what Rodman called his “focus ritual.” If he needed to study or research his business, he would use a pouch while taking KALOS, the caffeinated energy-and-focus mint he and his brother created.
But in 2024, Rodman stopped using the pouches regularly after hearing more criticism of the stimulant. That’s when he noticed how difficult it was to focus without them.
“I would have constant brain fog,” he recalled. “It would just feel like I would zone out a ton.”
Because Rodman has ADHD and does not take medication for it, he said he was unsure whether the symptoms were caused by nicotine withdrawal or whether nicotine had simply helped him focus — making a return to his baseline feel worse by comparison.
Rodman now occasionally pairs a KALOS mint with a nicotine pouch, using the combo about once a month before an important business meeting. He described the caffeine as producing a more intense, hyper-alert feeling, while nicotine gives him a calmer sensation.
Still, he cautioned people against taking his or anyone’s claims at face value. “You shouldn’t just listen to someone on the internet telling you, ‘Oh, nicotine is good for you,” he said. “Everyone is so different. There’s a very fine line with having a healthy relationship with it.”
Occasional use, Rodman believes, is a far cry from taking several pouches every day. “A lot of people use them because they’re addicted to them, and then they [say], ‘Oh it helps me focus,’ as almost like a crutch,” he said.
Is nicotine really making people more productive?
For some users, nicotine may provide a brief burst of alertness or help them feel calmer while working.
“Nicotine can make someone feel sharper, more alert and more focused in the short term. That effect is real,” said Dr. Fawad Mian, founder of Ascend Regenerative, who is board-certified in neurology, clinical neurophysiology and sleep medicine.
But repeated use can create a cycle in which the person needs it to feel normal and mistakes that relief for enhanced performance. Some people may continue using nicotine not because it makes them unusually focused, but because they feel distracted, irritable or foggy without it.
“The concern is that the same pathways that create that focus effect also drive dependence. Over time, the brain adapts, and the person may then need nicotine just to feel normal,” Mian explained.
Many influencers have been touting microdosing nicotine, or taking small, controlled amounts throughout the day, as a safer way to get its focus-boosting effects.
“In terms of a kind of risk benefit analysis, lower doses are going to be better,” said Marino. “But again, there is always a risk, and the risk probably outweighs any evidence of potential benefit in long-term use, at least.”
Like Rodman, Borgersen knows nicotine pouches aren’t without risks, a mindset that reflect’s today’s wellness consumer, who is more likely than ever to scrutinize ingredients, studies and protocols, according to a 2026 Pew Research survey.
“I know there’s some studies around blood flow restriction and cardiovascular restriction, so that’s something to watch out for,” Borgersen said. “I’m more worried about my gums and my teeth. There’s definitely some studies on recession happening on gums because you put it in the same spot over and over.”
Research published in Archives of Toxicology in 2023 suggested that nicotine may damage fibroblasts, the cells involved in maintaining and repairing gum tissue. Scientists still don’t have enough evidence to determine whether nicotine pouches directly cause oral cancer — though with absent or trace amounts of probable human carcinogens, the risk is expected to be low.
Nicotine use, meanwhile, has been linked to increased cardiovascular risk. However, a 2024 review published by the American Heart Association (AHA) found no data on the cardiovascular or health risks of nicotine pouches in particular.
Overall, little is known about the long-term safety of nicotine pouches or their pharmacological and metabolic effects in humans. Still, a lack of data does not mean they are safe, the AHA warned.
For Borgersen, his concerns have not yet outweighed the perceived benefits.
“I mean I would love to stop eventually,” he said. “I don’t know when, but I’m definitely going to try to stop at some point.”
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