There is a common myth among smokers that suddenly quitting smoking is harmful and has serious consequences for the body. Many people like to extend this process and gradually reduce the number of cigarettes they smoke every day. In fact, everything is not so scary. The doctor has a clear answer to the question of whether it is possible to quit smoking suddenly. Let us figure it out.
Nicotine as a medicine
Nicotine belongs to the category of "fast" drugs-addiction only appears after a few months of use, but it is quickly abandoned. At a physiological level, it takes an average of 3 to 7 days to overcome bad habits.
There are about 4000 chemical compounds in tobacco smoke, of which 250 are toxic. Organisms accustomed to nicotine need a new dose every hour and a half. After two hours of abstinence, blood pressure may rise and a person will feel nervous. However, if you overwhelm yourself and do not smoke for at least three consecutive days, then things will become much easier.
Practice shows that eliminating cigarettes is a dead end. Usually, smokers will still break down and return to the previous nicotine dose. But quitting smoking suddenly can work.
What happens in the body
If you quit the daily portion of nicotine, the following changes will occur in the human body:
- Increased blood flow. The blood begins to flow more actively to the brain and heart. After some time, blood pressure will stabilize and will begin to restore blood vessels damaged during the addiction.
- Standardization of bowel function. The gastrointestinal microflora is heavily influenced by the carcinogens of smoke inhaled by smokers. With the rapid rejection of nicotine, intestinal function is stabilized, and vitamins and nutrients begin to be better absorbed.
- Restore immunity. In people with nicotine addiction, the immune system is weakened and cannot fully perform its functions. You may have noticed that smokers are more likely to get sick than those without addicts.
- Oxygenation of the body. As the ventilation of the lungs is improved, more oxygen begins to enter the body. Fatigue disappeared, feeling of powerlessness during workdays decreased, and sleep improved.
Side effects
Recall that nicotine is a drug and smoking is an addiction. Like any other drug addiction, it will not disappear without a trace, and people will not feel very comfortable on the first day of life. When you quit smoking suddenly, the following side effects may occur:
- Anxiety and irritability. The first effect for quitters will be. Abstinence may occur after two to three hours.
- Slight dizziness. It is caused by hypoxia-blood vessel tension returns to normal, which takes time. It happens once a day on average.
- An episode of difficulty breathing. Another consequence of hypoxia, but the reason here is the recovery of the lungs. After at most one month, usually one to two weeks later, it will disappear completely.
- Loss of appetite. It is most obvious during the first few days of abstinence. Appetite was restored within a week. Moreover, one begins to feel the fullness of the food, which he didn't even know before.
- Coughing. Toxic substances accumulated in the lungs of the smoker are removed from the body, so a cough occurs. Cough is often accompanied by sputum and mucus. It decreased after one month and disappeared completely after six months.
- Insomnia. Lack of nicotine can cause depression and make it difficult to fall asleep. In some cases, insomnia may occur. It will go away on its own after three to four days, but you can use medication to suppress anxiety and improve sleep.
As we have seen, there are no serious side effects that can seriously harm the human body. Of course, quitting smoking drastically will require a lot of willpower, especially in the early stages, but nothing can threaten your health. On the contrary, after only one week of abstinence, a person begins to feel much better than the entire period of nicotine consumption.
Psychological factors
For many smokers, it is much easier to overcome physical side effects than to deal with psychological addictions. Smoking is a habit, and everyone has their own habits. Some people smoke before breakfast, some people can't imagine how you can wait for public transportation without smoking, and coffee with cigarettes is usually sacred. It can be extremely difficult to give up such a small habit and completely rebuild your life.
If you do not have enough willpower to quit smoking, you can turn to family and friends for help. Let them distract bad thoughts and provide maximum support. Another option is to seek help from a psychologist, which is nothing shameful.
Smoking and women
Another myth in this category relates to women-how harmful is it to suddenly quit smoking? For example, it is believed that pregnant women should not give up nicotine suddenly. They say this can cause stress and negatively affect the baby. In fact, doctors strongly recommend that you give up drug addiction immediately in this case. Every cigarette affects the development of the fetus.
The situation is the same as the myth that you cannot quit smoking during this period. Actually it can. At the physiological level, it will not have any negative effects on the body, and difficulties will appear only at the psychological level. Another misunderstanding is that suddenly quitting smoking will affect the effects of the medications you take. However, there is no scientifically proven situation that drugs have changed their pharmacological properties due to the drastic decrease in nicotine intake in the body.
Gain
The positive changes in the body have been described above, now we will describe the more obvious effects on former smokers:
- The skin looks fresher. As more minerals, vitamins and oxygen begin to enter the blood, the yellowish color of the epidermis disappears. About six months after quitting smoking, a healthy complexion will return.
- Increased sensitivity to taste and smell. Smokers' sense of smell and taste buds cannot fully function, and the longer they smoke, the more boring they become. If you give up the addiction, you will feel the fullness of taste and smell.
- Improve the tone. Vitality, increased activity, fatigue. All this is felt by former smokers. You can forget the feeling of illness and indifference.
In summary, we can say-you can quit smoking suddenly! It is even necessary. Will not cause serious negative effects on the body.