Exclusive | Nicotine for wellness? Stimulant pouches are the hot productivity drug but fans admit: Oh, I am addicted

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,” he 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 told The Post.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 feat...