Everyone is aware of the harmful effects of cigarettes, but not all are about the mechanisms of recovery and return to life without a bad habit. It is the understanding of all the processes that take place in the body that can serve as additional motivation in combating nicotine addiction. Let's consider how it happens and what it means to quit smoking and what to do to make it as comfortable as possible to end the addiction.
What happens to the body when you stop smoking?
To quit smoking before irreversible pathological processes start, a person can, even for a long time, restore their own health. Total 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 your performance can be seen after a few days.
For this, it is worth trying to record on paper all the sensations that occur when you stop smoking. By keeping a diary on how to quit smoking every day, you can be sure of all the changes that occur daily. It is also a way to create a good motivation for yourself, celebrating every local success in this difficult endeavor.
Next, we will tell you more specifically how all organs and systems are restored.
How does the state of the internal organs change?
Total 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 blood vessel walls are strengthened, the organs are enriched with oxygen.
- The bronchi are healed, the lungs are free of viscous sputum - it is easier to breathe, shortness of breath and an irritating cough.
- The chances of developing cancer, including the most common disease of this type, lung cancer, are reduced.
- Smell and taste buds are restored.
- The liver is cleaned after prolonged exposure to toxic substances.
- The risk of sudden death is reduced by 10 times.
This is just the main part of what happens after quitting, because almost all the smoker's organs recover from the influence of toxins and carcinogens contained in tobacco smoke.
External changes in the body after quitting smoking
Women are more interested in what happens when you stop smoking with your appearance. We rush to answer that life without cigarettes will only bring positive changes in your appearance. Visual improvements can be seen within 4-6 weeks. First, the complexion is healthier, the grayish tone 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 influenced by the tar contained in tobacco products. The yellowish color that accompanies every smoker disappears from the fingers.
After 6 months, women notice the strengthening of hair follicles and, as a result, a decrease in hair loss, an improvement in their appearance. Without the effects of tar and toxins, the body's skin improves thanks to the natural production of collagen, which is no longer blocked by smoking.
Stop smoking: what happens in the body of a man and a woman
Human reproductive function is affected by smoking no less than the cardiovascular system or the lungs. But the timely interruption of the intake of toxic substances contained in cigarettes will preserve the health of women and men. Thus, women, in addition to general improvements, can observe the following changes in the body after quitting smoking:
- Normalization of hormone levels, since the toxins contained in tobacco smoke, which negatively affect the balance of hormones in the female body, will no longer be provided.
- Improving the condition of the facial skin and reducing the risk of premature aging due to the normalization of collagen production.
- There is a high probability of getting pregnant and having a healthy baby.
For men, giving up a bad habit will improve their sexual function. This applies not only to increased potency, increasing the duration of sexual intercourse, but also to the ability to reproduce healthy offspring.
The most common negative consequences of smoking cessation
Most people who tried to overcome their own nicotine addiction, in the first place, notice changes not positive but negative. This is not surprising, because from the interruption of nicotine intake in a person, an abstinence syndrome occurs - a kind of abstinence. To know what to prepare, consider what happens after you stop smoking
- From the nervous system: increased irritability, decreased concentration of attention, depression, anxiety, poor sleep quality or insomnia, general weakness and fatigue.
- From the digestive tract: nausea, marked increase in appetite, pain in the stomach.
- In the part of the respiratory system: increased cough with secretion of dark sputum.
- On the side of Organs ENT organs: sweating or "lump" sensation in the throat, nasal congestion, slight runny nose.
All of these symptoms can be minimized by supporting the body.
How to maintain immunity in the body?
The immune system responds immediately to changes associated with interrupting nicotine intake, and in most cases, in the early stages, this reaction is the opposite of what is expected. It is often argued that I have not smoked in a month and that I get sick much more often than during smoking. Ex-smokers become more susceptible to various viruses and easily contract any one of them, which is associated with the restructuring of the body. Therefore, measures must be taken to strengthen the immune system. Thus, in the process of giving up tobacco products, doctors advise taking multivitamin complexes, in which all the necessary vitamins and trace elements are balanced.
Furthermore, recipes from traditional medicine will not be superfluous in this case. Echinacea tincture, ginseng, green tea with honey and lemon will be a useful helper.
Please note that it is not recommended to use medications when giving up a bad habit.
How to help the lungs?
It is the lungs and bronchi that are most affected by tobacco smoke, so you should help them eliminate thick phlegm as soon as possible. To do this, you must consume a lot of liquid. Pure, still water is ideal. In addition, attention should be paid to humidity in the house. Dry air is known to inhibit productive coughing, thus delaying the cleaning process.
Herbs and syrups based on them are a good alternative to synthetic mucolytics. An economical and effective option is licorice root syrup. You can also use herbal mixtures of lungwort, mackerel, banana, elecampane and elderberry in the form of tea. Thus, when you stop smoking, changes in the body, namely in the organs of the respiratory system, will occur with the minimum of discomfort.
How to overcome nervous system disorders associated with breaking a bad habit in the first month?
The greatest number of negative reactions that an ex-smoker feels in himself falls on the nervous system. Thus, almost all people experience a depressed state and, in some cases, even a depressed state. If you consider what happens when you stop smoking every day, then it is the nervous system that suffers more than others in the initial stage.
As noted above, taking medication to quit smoking is highly undesirable, but this rule does not apply to sedatives, which can effectively deal with increased psychic stress. However, medication should only be used as directed by a doctor.
Herbal aficionados should prepare calming herbs, such as fennel, peppermint and valerian, as tea or in tablets.
What can be done to prevent smoking cessation from gaining weight?
Special attention should be paid to the diet so that changes after quitting do not affect body weight. Weight gain is a consequence of increased appetite and, if you don't take this problem seriously, you can gain a lot of weight. It is often this fact that scares women who smoke, forcing them to abandon the idea of giving up a bad habit.
A diet with lots of vegetables and fruits should be included in the diet during the grace period. Fiber is excellent for suppressing 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 sweets. The same can be said about lollipops and seeds, which are becoming a cigarette substitute for many. They should prefer apples, carrots or a glass of clean water.
What happens when you stop smoking every day?
A person can feel the first results of fighting addiction in the early days. Furthermore, it is in this period that the most pronounced are the negative reactions, which, like the positive ones, must be recorded in the smoker's diary (if any), in order to obtain a general picture, strengthen the spirit and understand whatit has been passed and not broken. So, what is the risk of quitting during the day:
- Day 1: appetite is disturbed, apathy occurs.
- Day 2: nervousness appears, insomnia may appear.
- Day 3: the urge to smoke becomes especially strong.
- Day 4: coughing intensifies with sputum secretion.
- Day 5: there is a constant feeling of hunger.
- Day 6: you may develop a depressive state.
- Day 7: Withdrawal syndrome gradually decreases.
At the same time, the pulse and pressure stabilize, the risk of heart attack decreases, the sense of smell improves and the organs are saturated with oxygen.
Changes in the body after quitting, occurring in one month, one year
For a person who quits smoking, the effects on the body every day are just the beginning of a long road of recovery, which lasts several years. However, it is the first year that is most productive, as it is in this period that the maximum changes occur, which are reflected not only in the appearance, but also in the general condition of the ex-smoker:
- The volume of the lungs increases, increased fatigue and shortness of breath during physical exertion disappear.
- The physical and psychological dependence on cigarettes disappears.
- The risk of developing cardiovascular disease is significantly reduced.
- The skin is more attractive, its premature aging is avoided.
- The hair is brighter, the nails stronger.
- The affected liver cells are restored.
- Coughing and hoarseness disappear.
At this stage, we can safely say that the addiction is over.
What is the best way to shoot hard or gradually?
This is the most frequently asked question among smokers with various experiences. There is an opinion that addiction is worth fighting for based on the duration of your own addiction. However, most doctors are of the opinion that the progressive elimination of smoking will not bring a positive result. The smoking habit, therefore, does not go away, and the body continues to demand nicotine. Therefore, the best solution would be a complete and decisive rejection of tobacco products. Although the smoker along the way faces the difficulties that we described above, in the end result he will preserve what is most valuable - health.
But there are some cases in which it doesn't work abruptly to quit. This applies to heavy smokers who consume an average of 1, 5-2 packs a day. In this case, it is worth trying to methodically reduce the amount smoked until it stops completely in a month.
As you can see, there will be many obstacles on the way to a healthy and nicotine-free life. The main thing is to understand that they are all temporary, and to prepare yourself for the fact that these temporary difficulties will not allow you to retreat from the main objective - to become independent of nicotine.