It's no secret that smoking causes huge damage to the whole body. The nicotine in tobacco smoke and the harmful substances that accompany it penetrate all the organs, all the cells of the body, bringing with it destruction and serious consequences.
Therefore, it would be naive to think that giving up this bad habit goes unnoticed.
The problem of smoking is dealt with by doctors in specialties - narcologists and psychotherapists (psychologists). This is explained by the fact that when quitting smoking, one has to face the problems of physical and psychological dependence on cigarettes. If the patient is not an avid smoker, then the process of body rehabilitation is quite simple and straightforward (almost imperceptible). If the patient is an experienced smoker and at the same time the daily norm was one pack or even two a day, quitting smoking (or even abruptly smoking cessation) can lead to a stressful state.
Take a closer look at what happens to a smoker's body after quitting a bad habit?
What can affect the body's recovery process?
How difficult and how long the process of body recovery and renewal will take depends on the smoker himself, or rather:
- smoking history;
- no;
- kor;
- background and presence of chronic diseases;
- state of the immune system;
- are 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 "heal. "
Prepare: for the unpleasant aspects of quitting smoking
Quitting smoking can have a number of unpleasant feelings, but all of them are temporary and the body's normal reaction to restructuring and switching to nicotine-free functioning. In medicine, this period is called withdrawal syndrome (commonly - fragile) and does not threaten the body in any way. During the rehabilitation of the body, the following symptoms may occur (but this is not necessary, so you should not listen and look for these signs):
- burning desire to smoke;
- mild dizziness;
- irritability, lack of strength to wait 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 illnesses during the body’s recovery, but it is not at all necessary for all (or even some) of the above symptoms to appear in you.
The recovery period can also lead to a decrease in immunity, so in the first few months, smokers are prone to viruses and colds. And this is quite understandable because the body adapts to the new conditions of existence, and therefore immunity cannot give a worthy rejection to viruses.
Over the years of smoking, your body has become accustomed to operating in a constant nicotine supply mode, and in order for your body to adapt to new (well-forgotten, old) working conditions, it takes time, and the more you smoke, the longer you have to wait.
What can make the body recovery process easier?
The body's recovery process can be made a little easier by filling life with pleasant feelings and joyful events - it stimulates the production of the pleasure hormone (dopamine).
To calm the nervous system, you can take sedatives - valerian, lemongrass and ginseng tinctures, cocktails from the womb and chamomile decoctions. Sports (moderate physical activity - refusing the lift and climbing stairs, classes in the pool, walking and cycling in the pine or forest, hiking, outdoor games) and hobbies (some prefer to “let their heads work”). And instead of a cigarette, buy seeds or nuts - this is a useful alternative to nicotine, they contain the minerals and substances needed by the body to help fight toxins.
For the quickest recovery of the respiratory system, try to limit contact with household and office equipment (these interfere with the process of cleaning your lungs) or buy an air ionizer.
To maintain immunity, it is recommended to avoid drafts and gait in cold and slushy weather; make up for vitamin deficiencies with fruits or take vitamin and mineral complexes. It will be helpful to pay attention to your diet to restore protein balance, as well as eating foods high in vitamin C (orange, lemon, kiwi, grapefruit, pineapple, berries, herbs, rosehip broth, sauerkraut salad) and fiber. (dried fruits, bran, vegetables). Dairy products discourage tobacco cravings and will be very helpful for the healing 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 respond first.
Don’t be afraid of some chest discomfort (this, as we’ve said, is a temporary phenomenon), only the respiratory and circulatory systems begin to recover: the heart muscle and blood vessels gain their former flexibility and begin to work at full strength.
Some depression can be observed after stopping nicotine, but these are just a consequence of the nervous system toning and restoring its natural state - resisting stress without the help of nicotine. Trembling hand syndrome disappears a little later.
As you know, nicotine has a negative effect on the reproductive system of both men and women. By reducing the number of sperm and the vitality of sperm, nicotine can make a person infertile. Nicotine has the same detrimental effect on the female body, disrupting a woman’s reproductive cycle and the possibility of normal fertilization of the egg and development of the child within the womb. Smoking (especially in women) involves gene mutations and therefore affects the ability to give birth to healthy offspring. Smokers are ten times more likely to have an unhealthy child than non-smokers, and the fact that the risk of miscarriage is many times higher. After quitting smoking, the risk of preterm birth and the birth of a child with respiratory, cardiovascular and other disorders is significantly reduced. In men, quitting smoking prevents the onset of early impotence (in smokers, this age is 30-40 years).
Many women are worried about gaining weight when they quit smoking. While smoking, nicotine quenches hunger, speeds up metabolism and at the same time helps fight stress. There is no cause for concern if due attention is paid to diet during the period of body restructuring (giving up fatty foods and also rejecting or at least restricting the consumption of sweets and flour products). According to statistics, the average weight gain of smokers is about 3 kg per year, but the “horror stories” about this are none other than the advertising tricks of tobacco companies and cigarette companies. Those who are prone to obesity, along with a healthy diet, should pay attention to an active lifestyle (try walking more).
Quitting smoking will have a beneficial effect on the whole body and will be manifested as follows:
- improving the work of all organs and systems (cardiovascular, respiratory, nervous, digestive, urogenital);
- improve the circulatory system and blood circulation (healthy complexion and even blush);
- easy breathing and disappearance of shortness of breath;
- improving smell and taste (perhaps even improving vision and hearing because nicotine no longer dampens hearing and optic nerve function);
- increase in efficiency and the emergence of a more active desire;
- normalization of sleep (daytime drowsiness ceases) and general body tone;
- improve memory, reaction, concentration;
- increase the speed of thinking (quick reason);
- increase in leisure time (refusing to smoke);
- an increase in finances (which was previously blown away - by cigarette smoke).
What happens day by month during healing with the body?
For those who are interested in what happens to the body when a smoker has given up a bad habit, the answer is: the body recovers and that’s about it happens (the process can be different for everyone).
1 day:
- decreases the concentration of carbon monoxide in the blood and increases the level of oxygen in the tissues;
- decreased appetite;
- weakness is felt;
- may dream badly.
Day 2:
- Improving lung epithelial function - reducing the amount of mucus in them; Stomach and intestinal
- cells regenerate;
- cough, itchy skin;
- Frequent urination.
Day 3:
- restores bronchial mucosa - increases the flow of oxygen to the heart and brain; the
- improves vascular tone;
- appetite increases dramatically.
Day 4:
- normalizes brain blood flow - tinnitus and dizziness are observed;
- antidiuretic hormone is produced.
Day 5:
- mucus cough;
- Healing of microtraumas of the tongue and restoration of the taste buds.
Day 6:
- restores the work of the pancreas and gallbladder;
- Excessive sweating and nausea appear.
Day 7:
- psychological awareness of cigarette addiction;
- mucus cough;
- Stool violation.
This is roughly how the first week of the body heals, and perhaps these first days will not be particularly noticeable. However, it takes a month and not only can you feel the quality changes, but others will notice.
For months, the recovery process is as follows:
- 1 month - healing takes place at the cellular level (epithelium regenerates, the process of absorption and absorption in the intestine normalizes, depression is possible).
- 2 months - skin recovers (jaundice of fingers and face disappears, dry skin disappears), lungs recover at cellular level (cough may continue), fatigue disappears during physical exertion.
- 3 months - blood vessels, nervous system (minimal sensitivity to stress), increased appetite, but healthy sleep is fully restored.
- 4 months - normalization of facial skin (exfoliation goes away), production of hydrochloric acid in the stomach normalizes and stools normalize.
- 5 months - lung tissue continues to heal, liver cells recover, body response normalizes (however, with "marathons" you have to wait for the time being).
- 6-8 months - the process of enriching the blood with oxygen is normalized, the liver is further regenerated, the weight is stabilized, the taste buds and the smell are restored.
- 9 months - the whole body recovers almost completely, it can be tempting to return to smoking.
- 1 year - physical activity without restrictions; the risk of diseases caused by smoking is reduced by 90%.
Be patient, because you have to pay for everything in life, and any discomfort is only temporary, but the diseases caused by smoking cause a lot more trouble and suffering to the body.
Good luck with your bad habit - smoking! We believe that there is only one possible winner in this fight and you will be him!
Be healthy!