It's no secret that smoking causes colossal damage to the entire body. Nicotine and the harmful substances that accompany it contained in tobacco smoke penetrate every organ, every cell of the body, bringing destruction and serious consequences.
Therefore, it would be naive to believe that giving up this bad habit will go unnoticed.
The problem of smoking is treated by doctors of special specialties: narcologist and psychotherapist (psychologist). This is explained by the fact that when quitting smoking, a person has to face the problems of physical and psychological dependence on cigarettes. If the patient is not an avid smoker, then the body rehabilitation process is quite easy and simple (almost imperceptible). If the patient is an experienced smoker, and at the same time the daily norm for him was one pack, or even two per day, then quitting (and even abruptly quitting) can lead to a stressful state.
Let's take a closer look at what happens to a smoker's body after quitting a bad habit.
What can influence the body's recovery process?
How difficult and how long the process of recovery and renewal of the body will last, depends entirely on the smoker himself, or rather on:
- your smoking history;
- gender;
- age;
- the presence of a history and chronic diseases;
- the state of the immune system;
- individual characteristics of the patient's body.
For some patients the process is faster, for others it is delayed, but on average it takes about a year to "cure".
Prepare for: The Unpleasant Aspects of Quitting
Quitting smoking can have a number of unpleasant sensations, but they are all temporary and are a normal reaction of the body during restructuring and transition to non-nicotine functioning. In medicine, this period is called withdrawal syndrome (popularly, fragile) and does not threaten the body in any way. During the rehabilitation of the body, the following symptoms may appear (but this is not necessary, and therefore you should not listen and look for these signs in yourself):
- burning desire to smoke;
- mild dizziness;
- irritability, lack of strength to expect or tolerate anything;
- depressed mood or depressed state;
- obsessive anxiety;
- rapid fatigue;
- slow heart rate;
- skin rashes (irritation, acne);
- inflammation of the oral mucosa;
- sore throat;
- runny nose;
- sleep disorders;
- constant hunger;
- stomach cramps;
- persistent cough.
These are the most common ailments during the body's recovery period, but it is not at all necessary that all of the above symptoms (or even some of them) appear on you.
The recovery period can also be accompanied by a decrease in immunity, and therefore, in the first few months, smokers are prone to colds and viruses. And this is quite understandable, because the body adapts to the new conditions of existence, and therefore immunity cannot give a dignified rejection of viruses.
Over the years of smoking, your body has gotten used to operating in a constant nicotine supply mode, and for the body to adapt to new (old and forgotten) working conditions, it takes time to smoke, the longer you will have to wait.
What can facilitate the body's recovery process?
The body's recovery process can be slightly facilitated by filling life with pleasant sensations and joyful events; This stimulates the production of the pleasure hormone (dopamine).
To calm the nervous system, you can take sedatives: tincture of valerian, lemongrass and ginseng, a cocktail of decoctions of motherwort and chamomile. Sports (moderate physical activity: turning down the elevator and taking the stairs, swimming classes, walking and biking in a pine forest or forest, hiking, outdoor games) and hobbies (some prefer to "go out to work with their heads"). And instead of cigarettes, take seeds or nuts: this is a useful alternative to nicotine, they contain minerals and substances necessary for the body that help fight toxins.
For faster recovery of the respiratory system, try limiting contacts with household and office equipment (they inhibit the lung cleaning process) or buy an air ionizer.
To maintain immunity, it is recommended to avoid drafts and walks in cold and muddy climates; replenish the lack of vitamins with fruits or take vitamin-mineral complexes. It will be useful to pay attention to the diet to restore the protein balance, as well as to eat more foods that contain vitamin C (oranges, lemons, kiwi, grapefruits, pineapples, red berries, herbs, rosehip broth, sauerkraut salad) and fiber. (nuts, bran, vegetables). Dairy products will discourage the craving for tobacco and will also be of great use to the recovering body (especially the cardiovascular system).
But above all, quitting smoking must be accompanied by strong motivation.
What to expect: positive changes
When you quit smoking, your internal organs and systems are the first to react.
Do not be afraid of some chest discomfort (this, as we already said, is a temporary phenomenon), only the respiratory and circulatory systems begin to recover: the heart muscle and blood vessels acquire their former elasticity and begin to work withall his strength.
After quitting nicotine, some depression can be observed, but these are just consequences of the fact that the nervous system is toned and restored to its natural state - it resists stress without the help of nicotine. The handshake syndrome goes away a little later.
As you know, nicotine has a negative effect on the reproductive system of men and women. By lowering the sperm count and vitality, nicotine can make a man infertile. Nicotine has an equally detrimental effect on the female body, interrupting the reproductive cycle of the woman, as well as the possibility of normal fertilization of the ovum and the intrauterine development of the child. Smoking (especially in women) carries genetic mutations and therefore affects the ability to have healthy offspring. Smokers, compared to non-smokers, have a ten times higher risk of giving birth to a sick child, as well as the fact that the risk of miscarriage is many times higher. After quitting smoking, the risk of premature delivery is significantly reduced, as well as the birth of a child with pathology of the respiratory tract, cardiovascular system and other disorders. For men, quitting smoking prevents premature impotence (for smokers, this age is 30 to 40 years).
Many women are concerned about weight gain when they quit smoking. While you smoke, nicotine quenches hunger, speeds up metabolism, and at the same time helps fight stress. There is no reason to worry if, during the period of restructuring the body, due attention is paid to the diet (give up fatty foods, and also refuse or at least limit the consumption of sweets and flour products). According to statistics, the average weight gain of those who quit smoking is about 3 kg per year, but the "horror stories" about this are nothing more than a publicity stunt by the tobacco and tobacco companies. Those who are prone to obesity, in addition to a healthy diet, should pay attention to an active lifestyle (try to walk more).
Quitting smoking will have a beneficial effect on the whole body and will manifest itself as follows:
- improvement of the work of all organs and systems (cardiovascular, respiratory, nervous, digestive, urogenital);
- improvement of the circulatory system and blood circulation (healthy complexion and even redness);
- easy breathing and disappearance of shortness of breath;
- smell and taste improvement (perhaps even vision and hearing improvement, because nicotine no longer interferes with the function of the auditory and optic nerves)
- increased efficiency and a desire to be more active;
- normalization of sleep (daytime sleepiness disappears) and general tone of the body;
- improve memory, reaction, concentration;
- increased speed of thought (quick wit);
- increased free time (by refusing to smoke breaks);
- increased finances (which used to be destroyed by cigarette smoke).
What happens during recovery with the body by day and month?
For those who are interested in what happens to the body when a smoker has given up a bad habit, we will answer: the body is recovering, and it happens approximately like this (the process may be different for everyone).
1 day:
- the concentration of carbon monoxide in the blood decreases and the oxygen level in the tissues increases;
- decreased appetite;
- feels weak;
- may have a nightmare.
Day 2:
- Improvement of the functioning of the epithelium of the lungs: the amount of mucus in them decreases;
- the cells of the stomach and intestines are renewed;
- cough, itchy skin;
- frequent urination.
Day 3:
- the bronchial mucosa is restored - increases the flow of oxygen to the heart and brain;
- improves blood vessel tone;
- appetite increases dramatically.
Day 4:
- Blood flow to the brain normalizes: tinnitus and dizziness are observed;
- Antidiuretic hormone is produced.
Day 5:
- coughing up mucus;
- healing of microtraumas of the tongue and restoration of the taste buds.
Day 6:
- the work of the pancreas and gallbladder is restored;
- excessive sweating and nausea appear.
Day 7:
- psychological awareness of cigarette addiction;
- coughing up mucus;
- Violation of stool.
This is roughly how the body's first week of recovery passes, and perhaps these first few days will not be particularly noticeable. However, a month will pass, and not only will you be able to feel the qualitative changes, but others will also notice it.
For months, the recovery process looks something like this:
- 1 month: recovery takes place at the cell level (the epithelium is renewed, the absorption and absorption process in the intestine is normalized, depression is possible).
- 2 months: the skin is restored (yellowing of the fingers and face disappears, dry skin disappears), the lungs are restored at the cellular level (coughing can continue), fatigue during physical exertion disappears.
- 3 months: blood vessels, nervous system (minimal susceptibility to stress), increased appetite, but healthy sleep is fully restored.
- 4 months: normalization of the facial skin (peeling passes), the production of hydrochloric acid in the stomach is normalized and the stool is normalized.
- 5 months - lung tissues continue to recover, liver cells are restored, the body's response to physical activity is normalized (however, with "marathons" you have to wait for now).
- 6-8 months - the process of enriching the blood with oxygen is normalized, the liver continues to regenerate, weight stabilizes, taste buds and smell are restored.
- 9 months - almost full body recovery, it can be tempting to go back to smoking.
- 1 year - unrestricted physical activity; the risk of diseases caused by smoking is reduced by 90%.
Be patient, because you have to pay for everything in life, and all the unpleasant sensations are only temporary, but the diseases caused by smoking bring much more problems and suffering to the body.
Good luck fighting your bad habit: smoking! We believe that in this fight there is only one possible winner, and you will become him!
Stay healthy!