It is no secret that smoking causes great harm to the whole body. Nicotine and the harmful substances included in tobacco smoke permeate into every organ, into every cell of the body, bringing about serious destruction and consequences.
It is therefore naive to believe that letting go of this bad habit will go unnoticed.
Smoking problems are handled by specialists - narcologists and psychotherapists (psychologists). This is explained by the fact that when quitting smoking, one should face the problem of physical and psychological dependence on cigarettes. If the patient is not a keen smoker, then the recovery process of the body is quite simple and simple (almost invisible). If the patient is an experienced smoker and at the same time his daily norm is one pack, or even two per day, then quitting smoking (and even quitting smoking) can lead to depressive conditions.
Let's 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 recovery and renewal process will take, depends entirely on the smoker himself, or more precisely:
- his smoking history;
- gender;
- age;
- presence of background and chronic disease;
- immune system condition;
- individual characteristics of the patient's body.
For some patients, the process is faster, while others are delayed, but on average it takes about a year to "recover".
Be prepared for: unpleasant aspects of quitting smoking
Quitting smoking can cause a number of unpleasant sensations, but they are all temporary and are a normal reaction of the body during the nicotine structuring and transition. In medicine, this period is called withdrawal syndrome (popular - fragile), and it does not threaten the body in any way. During body recovery, the following symptoms may appear (but this is not necessary, and therefore you may not hear and see these signs in yourself):
- desire to smoke;
- a little dizzy;
- irritable, lacks the strength to wait or tolerate
- depressed mood or depressed state;
- obsessive anxiety;
- tired quickly;
- slow heartbeat;
- skin rash (irritation, acne);
- inflammation of the oral mucosa;
- sore throat;
- runny nose;
- sleep disorders;
- constant hunger;
- abdominal cramps;
- persistent cough.
This is the most common disease during the recovery period of the body, but it is absolutely not necessary for all of the above symptoms (or even some of them) to appear within you.
The recovery period can also be accompanied by a decrease in immunity, and therefore, in the first few months, smokers are exposed to viruses and the flu. And this is quite understandable, as the body adapts to the conditions of new existence, and therefore immunity cannot provide a rapid rejection of the virus.
Over the years of smoking, your body has become accustomed to functioning in a continuous mode of nicotine supply, and in order for the body to adapt to new (long forgotten) working conditions, it takes time, and the longer you smoke, the longer you need towaiting.
What can facilitate the body's recovery process?
The body's recovery process can be somewhat simplified 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 - valerian, lemongrass and ginseng tincture, motherwort cocktails and chamomile decoctions. Sports (moderate physical activity - pushing the elevator and walking up the stairs, classes in the pool, walking and cycling in the pine or jungle, hiking, outdoor games) and hobbies (some prefer "going to work with the head"). And instead of cigarettes, take seeds or nuts - this is a useful alternative to nicotine, it contains minerals and substances needed for the body that help fight toxins.
For the fastest recovery of the respiratory system, try to limit contact with household and office equipment (they hinder the process of cleaning the lungs) or buy an air conditioner.
To maintain immunity, it is recommended to avoid bloating and walking in cold and humid weather; fill vitamin deficiencies with fruits or take vitamin and mineral complexes. It is useful to observe a diet to restore protein balance, as well as eat more foods that contain vitamin C (oranges, lemons, kiwis, grapefruit, pineapple, berries, herbs, rosehip broth, sauerkraut salad) and fiber (dried fruit, bran, vegetables-vegetables). Dairy products will inhibit the craving of tobacco, moreover, it will be very useful for the recovering organism (especially for the cardiovascular system).
But most importantly, quitting smoking must be accompanied by strong motivation.
What to expect: positive change
When quitting smoking, internal organs and systems respond first.
Do not be afraid of chest discomfort (this, as we have said, is a temporary phenomenon), only the respiratory and circulatory systems begin to recover: the heart muscle and blood vessels acquire their long elasticity and begin to work at full strength.
After quitting nicotine, some depression can be observed, but this is only due to the fact that the nervous system becomes firmer and restores its natural state - it withstands stress without the help of nicotine. The handshake syndrome disappeared a little later.
As you know, nicotine has a negative effect on the male and female reproductive systems. By reducing sperm count and sperm viability, nicotine can make a man infertile. Nicotine has a detrimental effect on the female body, disrupting the female reproductive cycle, as well as the possibility of normal fertilization of the egg and intrauterine development of the child. Smoking (especially in women) requires gene mutations, and therefore affects the ability to have a healthy offspring. Smokers, when compared to non-smokers, have a ten times higher risk of giving birth to an unhealthy child, as well as the fact that the risk of miscarriage is many times higher. After quitting smoking, the risk of premature birth is significantly reduced, as is the birth of a child with airway pathology, cardiovascular system and other disorders. For men, quitting smoking prevents the onset of premature impotence (for smokers aged 30-40 years).
Many women are concerned with weight gain when quitting smoking. During smoking, nicotine relieves hunger, speeds up metabolism, and at the same time helps fight stress. There is no reason to worry if, during the body restructuring period, attention should be paid to diet (giving up fatty foods, and also refusing or at least limiting the use of sweets and flour products). According to statistics, the average weight gain of those who quit smoking is around 3 kg per year, but the "horror story" about this is nothing more than the publicity of tobacco companies and cigarette companies. Those prone to obesity, in addition to a healthy diet, should pay attention to an active lifestyle (try walking more).
Quitting smoking will have a good effect on the whole body, and it will be evident in the following:
- increased work of all organs and systems (cardiovascular, respiratory, nervous, digestive, urogenital);
- improved circulatory and circulatory system (healthy skin and even blush);
- easy breathing and shortness of breath;
- increased odor and taste (possibly also improved vision and hearing, as nicotine no longer impairs hearing and optic nerve function);
- increased efficiency and the emergence of a desire to be more active;
- normalization of sleep (drowsiness during the day disappears) and general body tone;
- improves memory, reaction, concentration;
- increased thinking speed (quick wit);
- increased leisure time (by refusing to smoke)
- financial increase (commonly latent - 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 the smoker has left a bad habit, we will answer: his body recovers, and it happens about like this (the process can happen differently for everyone).
1 day:
- the concentration of carbon monoxide in the blood decreases and the level of oxygen in the tissues increases;
- decreased appetite;
- weakness is felt;
- may have nightmares.
Day 2:
- Increases lung epithelial function - the amount of mucus in it decreases;
- Renewable stomach and intestinal cells;
- cough, itchy skin;
- urinate frequently.
Day 3:
- bronchial mucosa is restored - oxygen flow to the heart and brain increases;
- improves blood vessel tone;
- appetite increases dramatically.
Day 4:
- blood flow to the brain normalizes - tinnitus and dizziness are observed;
- antidiuretic hormones are produced.
Day 5:
- mucus cough;
- tongue microtraumatic healing and appetite recovery.
Day 6:
- pancreatic and gallbladder work is restored;
- excessive sweating and nausea appear.
Day 7:
- psychological awareness of cigarette addiction;
- mucus cough;
- Dirty violation.
This is about how the first week of body recovery passed and, perhaps, these first days were not so noticeable. However, a month will pass, and not only will you be able to feel the qualitative change, but others will also notice.
For months, the recovery process went like this:
- 1 month - recovery occurs at the cellular level (epithelium is renewed, the process of absorption and absorption in the intestine is normalized, depression is possible).
- 2 months - skin is restored (yellowing of fingers and face disappears, dry skin disappears), lungs are restored at the cellular level (cough may persist), fatigue during physical exercise disappears.
- 3 months - blood vessels, nervous system (minimum susceptibility to stress), increased appetite, but healthy sleep can be fully restored.
- 4 months - normalization of facial skin (peeling pass), production of hydrochloric acid in the stomach is normalized and stool is normalized.
- 5 months - lung tissue continues to recover, liver cells are restored, the body's response to physical activity is normalized (however, with the "marathon" you have to wait for now).
- 6-8 months - the process of enriching the blood with oxygen is normalized, the liver continues to grow again, weight is stable, taste and odor are restored.
- 9 months - recovery almost the whole body, may be tempting to return to smoking.
- 1 year - unrestricted physical activity; the risk of disease 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 disease that causes smoking brings more problems and suffering to the body.
Good luck in fighting your bad habits - smoking! We believe that in this fight there is only one possible winner, and you will be him!
Get well!