Most smokers sooner or later come to a conscious decision to say goodbye to addiction once and for all.
Quit smoking - health problems began - ex-smokers often face such a problem.
For people who have been taking nicotine for a long time, the road to recovery will not be easy.
Adjusting to life without artificial stimulants has its own side effects, medically known as nicotine withdrawal.
Living a life of kicking a bad habit has many consequences.
Problems after quitting
Quitting smoking leads to nicotine withdrawal symptoms. The reason is the release of toxic substances from the body 3 weeks after smoking the last cigarette.
Manifestations:
- Irresistible desire for nicotine;
- Limb tremor;
- Inconstancy in mood;
- The manifestation of malice;
- troubled sleep;
- Excessive consumption of sugary foods;
- Low performance.
There is cough with sputum - a symptom of the purification of the respiratory system from toxic substances. The bronchi are involved in the body's cleansing process. In cases of strong addiction, the smoker's body temperature rises and sweating occurs.
The side effects associated with quitting smoking affect the nervous system.
In the absence of the opportunity to smoke a cigarette, depressive states occur. The disease covers the entire body due to the cessation of the release of endorphins. Temporary depression is important to survive so as not to break the rejection of a bad habit.
There is a decrease in immunity, infections appear. For a long time, the mucous membranes were enveloped in smoke (called antiseptic), as a result of which conditions for the development of harmful microflora appeared.
A major problem is shortness of breath. It occurs due to lack of nicotine. It goes through a certain period of time.
The result of quitting smoking is a malfunction of the intestines. Motility is impaired. Consequences for the smoker:
- Troublesome emptying.
- Gas formation in large volume.
- Constant heartburn.
- Significant weight gain.
The increase in extra kilos is not directly related to the rejection of cigarettes. People simply start consuming an unusual amount of food to improve their mood and maintain vitality.
Sweet foods help deal with persistent stress. Together, all these circumstances lead to the appearance of excess weight. Control will play an important role in maintaining appearance and maintaining health.
Physical activity is not maintained at the same level after stopping the addiction. Weakness is felt in the body, mobility is reduced, tremor in the hands is observed, breathing can be confused with the breathing of a person suffering from asthma.
Those who quit smoking experience difficulties in the intimate part of life due to a low mood and a constant state of tension.
Before you give up a bad habit, you need to make a final decision.
How to get rid of pop-up problems
Recommendations for people suffering from nicotine addiction:
- Introduction to the usual form of sports exercises (they help improve mood and figure);
- Reception of vitamin complexes (to avoid cold infections);
- Proper care of the oral cavity and teeth;
- Eat light foods that contain vitamins and minerals;
- Introduce small amounts of caffeinated foods into the diet (no more than 2 cups of the drink per day);
- Frequent walks in the fresh air (will help to cope with shortness of breath).
Side effects are listed individually. For many people, the symptoms are mild.
Quit smoking - headache
It is difficult to give up the habit, because any change for the body is stress, even with a healing effect. When a person quits smoking, they begin to experience headaches, tinnitus, dizziness, pain in the abdomen and chest, and an urge to feel sick.
Headache is accompanied by general weakness in the body, loss of sleep and appetite. The entire vegetative system of the body suffers.
Specialists combine the listed symptoms into such a broad characteristic as the "withdrawal syndrome", the manifestations of which lead to mental disorders. Working capacity decreases, the smoker becomes irritable, aggression appears in his behavior.
At the very beginning of giving up nicotine addiction, the primary symptoms appear, which are associated with the process of cleansing the brain vessels of carcinogenic harmful compounds, the oxygen level rises rapidly, which causes unpleasant sensations. The state of the heart and blood vessels changes, which leads to increased blood pressure and pain in the temples and neck.
In addition to the physiological ones, there are also psychological causes of pain when quitting nicotine:
- The smoker is not morally ready to part with a cigarette, the body begins to fall into a stressful state;
- Renunciation of any addiction is accompanied by strong feelings;
- If a person calmed down only with the help of a cigarette, then after missing this opportunity, he begins to get angry, panic, from which pressure increases and pain sensations appear in the brain.
Headaches in a smoker who has decided to kick his habit can be accompanied by more serious symptoms: distraction, shortness of breath and, interestingly, cough. If a person has just thought about the fact that it is time for him to quit smoking, then at this stage he may begin to show health problems.
Nicotine is a drug, the refusal to use it will be accompanied by "withdrawal" with the consequent consequences.
The pain in the head of a nicotine addict who decided to overcome his addiction will be of a different nature: the pain is aching, cutting, throbbing, alternating with attacks, aggravated during physical activity. Some patients, in order to get rid of obsessive headaches, have to use painkillers, otherwise they will have to endure it for several days.
If you quit smoking and your chest hurts
Chest pain in people who have quit smoking is associated with many causes, some of which need treatment.
The main ones include:
- After quitting smoking, the lungs begin to function normally and a repair process appears in them.
- Lack of nicotine after an abrupt cessation of its intake in the body.
- With an alkaline balance in the blood, a process of hyperventilation begins in the lungs.
- Due to bronchitis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
- Pneumonia, angina.
- The initial process of oncology.
- Peptic ulcer, gastritis.
It is logical that the first reason belongs to the common reason, people who want to quit smoking have a long history. It will take a long time for the body to rid the lungs of tobacco tar, soot, and mucus accumulated over the years.
The epithelial cells begin to renew themselves, the protective functions of the cilia are restored, and the activity in the respiratory system is normalized. This leads to discomfort in the body. Tobacco has a negative effect on the condition of all organs.
During smoke ingestion, the respiratory and digestive organs are affected by toxins. Because of this, the mucous membrane is irritated, which leads to the formation of an ulcer.
With the active removal of toxins from the body, the intensity of the heart increases. This leads to high blood pressure, wear and tear on the heart valves and muscles. The lack of oxygen, the increase in the levels of toxins, the high stress on the heart help the appearance of coronary diseases and angina pectoris.
Proper medical diagnosis
To determine the origin of chest pain, the therapist will examine the patient, listen to the heartbeat and respiratory rate, measure blood pressure and pulse. Based on all this, she will appoint an appropriate medical examination. You will need to undergo a CT scan, ECG, X-ray, FGDS.
If the doctor has suggestions about heart problems, he will refer the patient for an ECG. With the help of it, the presence of angina pectoris, abnormal cardiac activity, myocardial infarction is determined. For problems in the lungs and ribs, a chest x-ray is prescribed.
It will refute or confirm a broken rib or pneumonia. If the X-ray does not give a specific answer, you will need to undergo an ultrasound and CT scan.
Problems in the gastrointestinal tract will help determine FEGDS. A mandatory measure in the diagnosis of chest pain is a complete blood count. It will indicate possible inflammation in the body.
What is forbidden to do
For people who have quit smoking, the onset of pain is an unpleasant consequence, especially for those who have not experienced it in the past. This leads to thinking about going back to smoking.
The disappearance of unpleasant sensations will not be final, they will return, and treatment cannot be avoided, tobacco smoke will have a harmful effect on the body. This will lead to the progression of the old disease, to the appearance of a new one.
There is no need to neglect going to the hospital and having an examination. With the help of an X-ray of the lungs, one can learn at an early stage about the occurrence of malignant neoplasms, and various tests will give a complete picture of the state of health.
You cannot refuse the treatment offered by the doctor. This will lead to disastrous consequences.
How smoking affects a person's weight
Nicotine, which causes cigarette addiction, is a central nervous system stimulant. A powerful drug that speeds up metabolism, constricts blood vessels and makes the heart beat faster.
The consequences of smoking include weight gain, the absence of nicotine slows down metabolism.
This means that by eating the same amount of food as before, you can get better. For each person, these processes occur individually.
Implications for metabolism
Nicotine directly increases metabolism, increases calories burned by the body, at rest, with direct exposure.
Most people have a heart rate of up to 20 beats per minute immediately after smoking a cigarette.
The body gets a stimulating effect, which leads to heart disease, high blood pressure, heart attacks.
When you stop smoking, the processes return to normal activity quickly. This problem occurs when smokers continue to eat a lot of food, as they used to, while smoking.
The metabolism returns to normal, it can not cope with the number of calories - kilograms appear. The risk of gaining weight is nothing compared to losing a bad habit. On average, a person gains 3-4 kg.
Some may take more. Most return to normal weight after a year.
It is impossible to say how many kilograms each smoker will eventually gain. It depends on gender, age, activity level, nutrition and genetic predisposition.
Most people will lose excess weight as the body adjusts to life without nicotine. For others, it will require effort. For some, weight gain is permanent.
Is it possible to gain weight and why is it increasing?
When a person quits smoking, the taste buds change, it seems that the food has become tastier. The desire to eat arises more often.
Smoking, smoking a pack of cigarettes a day, consumed 200 calories, which is equivalent to a sandwich or a glass of soda.
Many get better because they are used to smoking cigarettes after eating. Now the cigarette is replaced by an increase in the volume of food.
You need to maintain the weight, not try to lose weight. There is a "withdrawal syndrome". Previously, under stress, a cigarette was smoked, now the brain asks to replace the cigarette with something else - food.
Nicotine hunger is similar to natural hunger, a person, without realizing it, eats everything that comes to mind. Candy will be a substitute for cigarettes.
Anger, frustration, depression, and stress are other withdrawal symptoms. This causes people to eat more than usual.
How to replace smoking
For seven out of 10 people who gain weight, the reason is eating more calories. The sensation of hunger increases as the appetite grows and the taste buds recover. This will pass after the first 3-4 weeks.
Eating unhealthy snacks full of sugar and fat will be accompanied by an increase in inches in the waist. Having decided to quit smoking, it is important to make a plan for snacking during the day.
When you're hungry, choose one of the following low-fat, low-calorie options:
- fresh fruit/dried fruit;
- natural popcorn;
- low-fat yogurt;
- chopped carrots/peppers/celery;
- Diluted with water, natural fruit juice;
- oatmeal cookies/crackers;
- Bakery products made with wholemeal flour.
Remember that 100 extra calories a day will add 0. 5 kg of fat per month.
Some ideas on how to reduce meals by 100 calories at a time:
- Choose tuna canned in brine or fresh water instead of oil;
- Instead of mayonnaise, add tomato slices, lettuce, pepper to the sandwich;
- Switch from whole milk to skim or skim milk;
- If you can't give up sweets, eat a third of your usual serving after breakfast;
- Prepare low-fat salads;
- Make homemade smoothies with fruit and skim milk;
- Replace sugar with sweeteners;
- It is better to eat more fruit than chocolate or ice cream;
- Another way to cut 100 calories is to exercise more.