It's no secret that smoking causes colossal damage to the whole body. Nicotine and its accompanying harmful substances, contained in tobacco smoke, enter all organs, all cells of the body, leading to 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 specialized doctors - narcologist and psychotherapist (psychologist). This is because by quitting smoking a person has to deal with the problems of physical and psychological dependence on cigarettes. If the patient is not an avid smoker, the process of bodily rehabilitation is quite easy and straightforward (almost imperceptible). If the patient is an experienced smoker, and at the same time his daily norm was one pack, or even two per day, then quitting (and even quitting suddenly) can lead to a state of stress.
Let's take a closer look at what happens to a smoker's body after giving up a bad habit?
What can influence the body's recovery process?
The difficulty and duration of the process of recovery and renewal of the body depends entirely on the smoker himself, or rather:
- his history of smoking;
- sex;
- age;
- the presence of basic 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 "heal".
Prepare for: the unpleasant aspects of quitting smoking
Quitting smoking can have a number of unpleasant sensations, but they are all temporary and are a normal reaction of the body as it restructures and transitions to nicotine-free 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;
- slight dizziness;
- irritability, lack of strength to expect or tolerate anything;
- depressed mood or depressed state;
- obsessive anxiety;
- quick fatigability;
- slow heart rate;
- skin rashes (irritation, acne);
- inflammation of the oral mucosa;
- sore throat;
- runny nose;
- sleep disturbances;
- constant hunger;
- stomach cramps;
- persistent cough.
These are the most common ailments during the recovery period of the body, but not all of the above symptoms (or even some of them) need to appear in you at all.
The recovery period may also be accompanied by a decrease in immunity, and therefore in the first two months smokers are prone to viruses and colds. And this is quite understandable, because the body adapts to new conditions of existence, and therefore immunity cannot give viruses a worthy rebuff.
Over the years of smoking, your body has become accustomed to functioning in a constant supply mode of nicotine, and for the body to adapt to new (well-forgotten old) working conditions it takestime, and the longer you have smoked, the longer you have to wait.
What can aid the body's recovery process?
The body's recovery process can be made slightly easier by filling life with pleasurable 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 - refuse the lift and climb the stairs, classes in the swimming pool, walking and cycling in a pine forest or a forest, hiking, outdoor games) and leisure (some prefer to “go 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 needed by the body that help fight toxins.
For faster recovery of the respiratory system, try limiting contact with household and office equipment (they inhibit the lung cleansing process) or purchase an air ionizer.
To maintain immunity, it is recommended to avoid drafts and walks in cold and muddy weather; Fill vitamin deficiency with fruit or take vitamin and mineral complexes. It will be useful to pay attention to the diet in order to restore the protein balance, as well as to eat more foods containing vitamin C (oranges, lemons, kiwi, grapefruit, pineapple, berries, herbs, rosehip broth, saladsauerkraut) and fiber (dried fruits, bran, vegetables). Dairy products will discourage the craving for tobacco, moreover, they will be very useful for the recovering organism (especially for the cardiovascular system).
But above all, stopping 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 respond.
Do not be afraid of discomfort in the chest (this, as we have already said, is a temporary phenomenon), only the respiratory and circulatory systems begin to recover: the heart muscle and blood vessels acquiretheir previous elasticity and begin to work at full capacity.
After stopping the nicotine, some depression can be observed, but these are only consequences of the fact that the nervous system is toned and returns to its natural state - it resists stress without the help of nicotine. The handshake syndrome disappears a little later.
As you know, nicotine has a negative effect on the reproductive system of both men and women. By decreasing sperm count and sperm vitality, nicotine can make a man infertile. Nicotine has an equally harmful effect on the female body, disrupting the reproductive cycle of a woman, as well as the possibility of normal fertilization of the egg and intrauterine development of the child. Smoking (especially in women) causes 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 an unhealthy child, as well as the risk of miscarriage is several times higher. After quitting smoking, the risk of premature birth is significantly reduced, as well as the birth of a child with pathology of the respiratory tract, cardiovascular system and other disorders. For men, stopping smoking prevents the onset of premature impotence (for smokers this age is 30 to 40 years).
Many women worry about weight gain when they quit smoking. While smoking, nicotine alleviates hunger, speeds up the metabolism and at the same time helps to combat stress. There is no need to worry if during the period of restructuring of the body, special attention is paid to diet (abandon fatty foods, and also refuse or at least limit the consumption of sweets and productsflour-based). According to statistics, the average weight gain of those who quit smoking is around 3 kg per year, but the "horror stories" about it are nothing more than a publicity stunt from the tobacco companies. and cigarettes. 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 be manifested by the following:
- 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 blushing);
- easy breathing and disappearance of shortness of breath;
- improved smell and taste (possibly even improved vision and hearing, as nicotine no longer dulls the functioning of the auditory and optic nerves);
- increased efficiency and the emergence of a desire to be more active;
- normalization of sleep (daytime sleepiness disappears) and general tone of the body;
- improving memory, reaction, concentration;
- increased thinking speed (sharp mind);
- increase in free time (by refusing to smoke breaks);
- increased finances (which were once blown away - on cigarette smoke).
What happens during recovery with the body per day and per month?
For those interested in what happens to the body when a smoker gives up a bad habit, we will answer: the body recovers, and it goes roughly like this (the process may be differentfor 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 a bad dream.
Day 2:
- Improved 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 - the flow of oxygen to the heart and the brain increases;
- improves the tone of blood vessels;
- the appetite increases considerably.
Day 4:
- blood flow to the brain normalizes - tinnitus and dizziness are observed; Antidiuretic hormone
- is produced.
Day 5:
- coughing up mucus;
- healing of tongue strain and restoration of taste buds.
Day 6:
- the work of the pancreas and gall bladder is restored;
- excessive sweating and nausea appear.
Day 7:
- psychological awareness of cigarette addiction;
- coughing up mucus;
- Stool violation.
This is pretty much how the body's first week of recovery goes and maybe those first few days won't 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 goes like this:
- 1 month - recovery takes place at the level of the cells (the epithelium is renewed, the process of absorption and absorption 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 (cough can continue), fatigue during physical exertion disappears.
- 3 months - blood vessels, nervous system (minimal sensitivity to stress), increased appetite, but healthy sleep is fully restored.
- 4 months - normalization of the skin of the face (peeling passes), the production of hydrochloric acid in the stomach is normalized, and the 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 “marathons” you have to wait now).
- 6-8 months - the process of enriching the blood with oxygen is normalized, the liver continues to regenerate, the weight is stabilized, the taste buds and smell are restored.
- 9 months - almost complete full body recovery, it may be tempting to start smoking again.
- 1 year - physical activity without restrictions; the risk of diseases caused by smoking is reduced by 90%.
Please 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 cause much more trouble and suffering to the body.
Good luck in fighting your bad habit - smoking! We believe that in this fight there is only one possible winner, and you will become it!
Be healthy!