Everyone knows about the harmful effects of cigarettes, but not everyone is about the mechanisms for recovery and return to life without a bad habit. Understanding all the processes going on in the body can serve as an additional motivation as we fight nicotine addiction. Think about how it happens and what it means to quit smoking and what to do to get rid of the addiction as comfortably as possible.
What happens to the body when you quit smoking?
By stopping smoking before the onset of irreversible pathological processes, a person can, albeit for a long time, restore his own health. Complete recovery of the body even after a short but regular use of tobacco products takes 5 to 10 years. However, the first signs of improvement in his work can be seen in a few days.
To do this, it is worth trying to write down on paper all the sensations that occur during smoking cessation. By keeping a smoking cessation diary every day, you can see all the changes that happen on a daily basis. It is also a way to create good motivation for yourself by celebrating every local success in this difficult endeavor.
We will then tell you in particular how all organs and systems are restored.
How does the condition of the internal organs change?
Complete smoking cessation has a beneficial effect on the human body, but not all changes can be seen with the naked eye. Let's see some of them:
- Blood pressure decreases, the risk of myocardial infarction decreases several times.
- The walls of blood vessels are strengthened, the organs are enriched with oxygen.
- The bronchi heal, the lungs clear of viscous sputum - it becomes easier to breathe, shortness of breath and annoying cough pass.
- The chances of developing cancer, including the most common type of cancer, lung cancer, are reduced.
- The sense of smell and taste receptors are restored.
- The liver is cleansed after prolonged exposure to toxic substances.
- The risk of sudden death is reduced 10 times.
This is only the main part of what happens after quitting smoking, as almost all smoker's organs recover from the effects of toxins and carcinogens contained in tobacco smoke.
External changes in the body after quitting smoking
Women are most interested in what happens when you quit smoking with your appearance. We hasten to answer that life without cigarettes will bring only positive changes in your appearance. Visual improvements can be seen within 4-6 weeks. First of all, the complexion becomes healthier, the grayish hue disappears due to the fact that toxins no longer enter the body and the blood is saturated with oxygen.
Teeth become noticeably whiter without being affected by the tar contained in tobacco products. The yellowish tinge that accompanies every smoker disappears from the fingers.
After 6 months, women notice the strengthening of hair follicles and as a result reduce hair loss, improve their appearance. Without exposure to tar and toxins, the body's skin improves thanks to the natural production of collagen, which is no longer blocked by smoking.
Smoking cessation: what happens in the body of a man and a woman
Human reproductive function suffers from smoking no less than the cardiovascular system or lungs. But timely cessation of toxic substances contained in cigarettes will preserve the health of women and men. So, women, in addition to the general improvements, can observe the following changes in the body after quitting smoking:
- Normalization of hormone levels, as toxins contained in tobacco smoke, adversely affecting the balance of hormones in the female body, will no longer be delivered.
- Improving the condition of facial skin and reducing the risk of premature aging due to normalization of collagen production.
- You are more likely to get pregnant and have a healthy baby.
For men, separation from a bad habit will improve their sexual function. This applies not only to increase potency, increase the duration of sexual intercourse, but also the ability to reproduce healthy offspring.
The most common negative consequences of quitting smoking
Most people who have tried to overcome their own nicotine addiction, above all, notice not positive but rather negative changes. This is not surprising, as stopping nicotine intake in humans results in a withdrawal syndrome - a type of withdrawal. To know what to prepare for, think about what happens after you quit smoking:
- From the nervous system: increased irritability, decreased concentration, depression, anxiety, poor sleep or insomnia, general weakness and rapid fatigue.
- From the digestive tract: nausea, a sharp increase in appetite, stomach pain.
- On the part of the respiratory system: increased cough with dark sputum.
- On the part of the ENT organs: sweating or a feeling of a "lump" in the throat, nasal congestion, minor runny nose.
All of these symptoms can be minimized by helping the body.
How to maintain immunity in the body?
The immune system reacts immediately to changes associated with stopping nicotine intake, and most often in the initial stages this reaction is the opposite of what is expected. So often there are arguments that I haven't smoked for a month and that I get sick much more often than when I smoke. Ex-smokers become more susceptible to various viruses and easily catch some of them, this is associated with the restructuring of the body. Therefore, measures must be taken to strengthen the immune system. So, in the process of quitting tobacco products, doctors advise taking multivitamin complexes in which all the necessary vitamins and minerals are balanced.
In addition, the prescriptions of traditional medicine in this case will not be superfluous. Tincture of echinacea, ginseng, green tea with honey and lemon will be a useful helper.
Please note that it is not recommended to resort to medication when parting with a bad habit.
How to help the lungs?
The lungs and bronchi are particularly affected by tobacco smoke, so you should help them clear the thick sputum as soon as possible. To do this, you need to consume a large amount of fluid. Plain still water is ideal. You also need to pay attention to the humidity in the house. Dry air is known to inhibit productive coughing, thus slowing down the cleansing process.
Herbs and syrups based on them are a good alternative to synthetic mucolytics. A budget and effective option is licorice root syrup. You can also use herbal mixtures of lungs, horsetail, plantain, elecampane and elderberry in the form of tea. Thus, during the cessation of smoking, the changes in the body, namely the organs of the respiratory system, will occur with minimal discomfort.
How to overcome the disorders of the nervous system associated with breaking a bad habit in the first month?
The largest number of negative reactions that the ex-smoker experiences on himself falls on the nervous system. So, almost everyone has a depressed, and in some cases even depressed state. If we take into account what happens when you quit smoking every day, then the nervous system suffers more than others in the initial stage.
As noted above, taking medication while quitting smoking is highly undesirable, but this rule does not apply to sedatives that can effectively deal with increased mental stress. However, medicines should only be used as directed by a doctor.
Herbal lovers should prepare soothing herbs such as motherwort, mint, valerian as tea or take in tablet form.
What can be done to prevent the accumulation of smoking cessation?
Particular attention should be paid to diet so that changes after smoking cessation do not affect body weight. Weight gain is a consequence of increased appetite and if you do not take this problem seriously, you can gain a lot of weight. This fact often frightens women who smoke, forcing them to abandon the idea of giving up the bad habit.
During the withdrawal period, a diet with lots of vegetables and fruits should be included in the diet. Fiber perfectly suppresses hunger and will allow you to feel full for a long time. You should also exclude the use of spicy and fatty foods, and also be careful with desserts and pastries. The same can be said for lollipops and seeds, which are becoming a substitute for cigarettes for many. They should prefer apples, carrots or a glass of clean water.
What happens when you quit smoking every day?
The first results of the fight against addiction can be felt by a person in the first days. Moreover, it is during this period that the negative reactions are most pronounced, which, like the positive ones, must be entered in the smoker's diary (if any) in order to get a general picture, to strengthen the spirit and to understandwhat has already been passed and not violated. So, what is the risk of quitting smoking during the day:
- Day 1: appetite is disturbed, apathy occurs.
- Day 2: nervousness occurs, insomnia may occur.
- Day 3: The urge to smoke becomes particularly strong.
- Day 4: Cough intensifies with sputum production.
- Day 5: There is a constant feeling of hunger. Day 6: A depressed state may develop.
- Day 7: Withdrawal syndrome gradually subsides.
At the same time, the pulse and pressure are stabilized, the risk of heart attack is reduced, the sense of smell is improved and the organs are saturated with oxygen.
Changes in the body after quitting smoking that occur after a month, a year
For a person who quits smoking, the impact on the body every day is just the beginning of a long recovery journey lasting several years. However, the first year is the most productive, as during this period the maximum number of changes occurs, which affect not only the appearance but also the general condition of the former smoker:
- The volume of the lungs increases, increased fatigue and shortness of breath during exercise disappear.
- Both physical and psychological dependence on cigarettes disappears.
- The risk of developing cardiovascular disease is significantly reduced.
- The skin looks more attractive, it prevents premature aging.
- Hair becomes more shiny, nails stronger.
- Affected liver cells recover.
- Cough and hoarseness disappear.
At this point we can safely say that the addiction is gone.
What is the best way to throw hard or gradually?
This is the question that most often arises among smokers with different experiences. There is an opinion that it is worth fighting addiction based on the duration of your own addiction. However, most doctors are of the opinion that quitting smoking will not lead to a positive result. In this way, the smoker's habit does not disappear and the body continues to require nicotine. Therefore, the best solution would be to completely and decisively reject tobacco products. Despite the fact that the smoker on the road will face the difficulties we described above, in the end he will keep the most valuable thing - health.
But there are some cases when we can't get rid of the dependency abruptly. This applies to heavy smokers who consume an average of 1, 5-2 packets per day. In this it is worth trying to methodically reduce the amount of smoking until it stops completely within a month.
As you can see, there will be many obstacles on the way to a healthy nicotine-free life. The main thing is to understand that they are all temporary and to adjust to the fact that these temporary difficulties will not allow you to withdraw before the main goal - to become independent of nicotine.