It's no secret that smoking causes great damage to the whole body. The nicotine in tobacco smoke and the harmful substances that accompany it penetrate every organ, every cell of the body, destroying it and bringing serious consequences.
Therefore, it would be naive to believe that giving up this bad habit will go unnoticed.
The problem of smoking is dealt with by specialized doctors - narcologists and psychotherapists (psychologists). This is due to the fact that when quitting smoking, a person experiences problems with physical and psychological dependence on smoking. If the patient is not an avid smoker, the body's rehabilitation process is very easy and simple (almost imperceptible). If the patient smokes an experienced smoker, and at the same time the daily norm is one pack, even two people a day, quitting smoking (and even abrupt cessation of smoking) can lead to stress.
Let's take a closer look at what happens to a smoker's body after giving up a bad habit.
What can affect the body's recovery process?
How difficult and how long the process of recovery and renewal of the body will depend entirely on the smoker himself, or rather on him:
- smoking history;
- gender;
- age;
- background and presence of chronic diseases;
- 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, "improvement" takes about a year.
Be prepared: the disadvantages of quitting smoking
Quitting smoking can cause a number of unpleasant feelings, but all of them are temporary and are a normal reaction of the body during the reconstruction and transition to nicotine-free work. In medicine, this period is called withdrawal syndrome (popularly - fragile) and does not threaten the body in any way. The following symptoms may appear during recovery (but this is not necessary and therefore you should not listen to these symptoms and look for them in yourself):
- desire to smoke;
- slight dizziness;
- nervousness, lack of strength to wait or endure anything;
- depressed mood or depressed state;
- obsessive anxiety;
- rapid fatigue;
- slow heart rate;
- skin rashes (irritation, acne);
- inflammation of the oral mucosa;
- sore throat;
- nasal discharge;
- sleep disorders;
- constant hunger;
- stomach cramps;
- persistent cough.
These are the most common diseases during the recovery period, but it is not necessary for you to have all of the above symptoms (even some of them).
The recovery period can also be accompanied by a decrease in immunity, and therefore smokers in the first two months are prone to viral and colds. And this is quite understandable, because the body adapts to the conditions of the new being, and therefore immunity can not give a decent response to viruses.
Over the years of smoking, your body has become accustomed to a constant supply of nicotine, and it takes time for the body to adjust to new (well-forgotten old) working conditions, and the longer you smoke, the longer you have to wait.
What makes the body's recovery process easier?
The body's recovery process can be made a little easier by filling life with good feelings and joyful events - it stimulates the production of the pleasure hormone (dopamine).
You can take a cocktail of sedatives to calm the nervous system - valerian, lemon grass and ginseng tincture, motherwort and chamomile springs. Sports (moderate physical activity - rejection of the elevator and climbing stairs, lessons in the pool, walking and cycling in the pine or forest, hiking, outdoor games) and hobbies (some prefer to "leave to work"). Take seeds or nuts instead of cigarettes - this is a useful alternative to nicotine, which contains minerals and substances that help the body fight toxins.
For the fastest recovery of the respiratory system, try to limit contact with home and office equipment (they interfere with the process of clearing the lungs) or get an air ionizer.
To protect immunity, it is recommended to avoid drafts and walks in cold and wet weather; Fill vitamin deficiencies with fruits or take vitamin and mineral complexes. To restore protein balance, it is also useful to pay attention to the diet to eat foods containing vitamin C (oranges, lemons, kiwis, grapefruits, pineapples, berries, greens, green juice, sauerkraut salad) and fiber. (dried fruits, bran, vegetables). Dairy products will discourage the urge to smoke, and will be very useful for the regenerating organism (especially for the cardiovascular system).
But above all, quitting smoking should be accompanied by strong motivation.
What to expect: positive changes
When you quit smoking, your internal organs and systems react first.
Don't be afraid of some chest discomfort (this is a temporary phenomenon, as we said), only the respiratory and circulatory systems begin to recover: the heart muscle and blood vessels regain their previous elasticity and begin to work at full capacity.
Some depression can be observed after the release of nicotine, but these are only the results of toning the nervous system and restoring its natural state - resistance to stress without the help of nicotine. Hand squeezing syndrome disappears after a while.
As you know, nicotine has a negative effect on the reproductive system of both men and women. Nicotine can make a man infertile by reducing sperm count and sperm viability. Nicotine has an equally harmful effect on the female body, disrupts a woman's reproductive cycle, as well as the possibility of normal ovulation and intrauterine development of the child. Smoking (especially in women) causes gene mutations and therefore affects the ability to have healthy offspring. Smokers are ten times more likely to give birth to an unhealthy child than non-smokers, and the risk of miscarriage is many times higher. The risk of premature birth after quitting smoking, the birth of a child with respiratory, cardiovascular and other diseases is also significantly reduced. For men, smoking cessation prevents premature impotence (for smokers, this age is 30-40 years).
Many women are worried about gaining weight while smoking. Smoking quenches nicotine hunger, speeds up metabolism and at the same time helps to cope with stress. There is no reason to worry if your diet is given the necessary attention during the rebuilding period (avoid fatty foods, as well as avoid or at least limit 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 it are nothing more than the promotion of tobacco companies and smoking companies. Those who are prone to obesity should pay attention not only to a healthy diet, but also to an active lifestyle (try to walk more).
Quitting smoking will have a beneficial effect on the whole body, and it will manifest itself as follows:
- Improving the functioning of all organs and systems (cardiovascular, respiratory, nervous, digestive, urogenital);
- Improving the circulatory system and blood circulation (healthy skin and even blush);
- easy breathing and absence of shortness of breath;
- improving smell and taste (perhaps improving vision and hearing, because nicotine no longer slows down the work of the auditory and optic nerves);
- increased efficiency and the desire to be more active;
- normalization of sleep (loss of daytime sleep) and general body tone;
- improve memory, reaction, concentration;
- increase in speed of thinking (fast thinking);
- increase in leisure time (by refusing to smoke);
- financial growth (previously blown up - in cigarette smoke).
What happens to the body during recovery by day and month?
For those who are interested in what happens in the body when a smoker gives up a bad habit, we will answer: the body recovers, and this is approximately the case (the process may be different 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 had a bad dream.
Day 2:
- Improving the function of the lung epithelium - the amount of mucus in it decreases;
- stomach and intestinal cells are renewed;
- cough, itchy skin;
- Do not urinate often.
Day 3:
- bronchial mucosa is restored - increased oxygen flow to the heart and brain;
- improves blood vessel tone;
- appetite increases sharply.
Day 4:
- blood flow to the brain is normalized - dizziness in the ears and dizziness;
- produces antidiuretic hormone.
Day 5:
- mucous cough;
- Healing of microtraumas of the tongue and restoration of taste buds.
Day 6:
- the function of the pancreas and gallbladder is restored;
- Excessive sweating and nausea appear.
Day 7:
- psychological consciousness of smoking addiction;
- mucous cough;
- Fecal incontinence.
Approximately how the first week of recovery of the body goes, and perhaps these first days will not be particularly noticeable. However, a month will pass and you will not only feel the quality changes, others will also notice.
For months, the recovery process has been as follows:
- 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 disappears during physical exertion.
- 3 months - blood vessels, nervous system (minimal sensitivity to stress), increased appetite, but healthy sleep is completely restored.
- 4 months - normalization of facial skin (peeling), normalization of hydrochloric acid production in the stomach and normalization of feces.
- 5 months - lung tissue continues to recover, liver cells are restored, the body's response to physical activity is normalized (however, "marathons" still have to wait).
- 6-8 months - the process of oxygenation of the blood is normalized, the liver continues to regenerate, weight is stabilized, taste buds and odor are restored.
- 9 months - recovery of almost the whole body 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 all the unpleasant feelings are only temporary, but the diseases that cause smoking bring more trouble and suffering to the body.
Good luck in the fight against your bad habit - smoking! We believe that there is only one possible winner in this fight and you will be his!
Be healthy!