Most smokers sooner or later come to a conscious decision to say goodbye to addiction once and for all.
Quit smoking - health problems began - such a problem is often faced by ex-smokers.
For people who have been taking nicotine for a long period, the path to recovery will not be easy.
Adapting to life without artificial stimulants has its own side effects, medically referred to as nicotine withdrawal.
Living a life of quitting a bad habit has many consequences.
Problems after quitting cigarettes
Quitting cigarettes leads to nicotine withdrawal symptoms. The reason is the release of toxic substances from the body 3 weeks after smoking the last cigarette.
Manifestations:
- Irresistible craving for nicotine;
- Trembling of limbs;
- Inconstancy in mood;
- The manifestation of malice;
- Problematic sleep;
- Excessive consumption of sugary foods;
- Low performance.
There is a cough with sputum - a symptom of the purification of the respiratory system from toxic substances. The bronchi are involved in the process of cleansing the body. In cases of strong addiction, the smoker's body temperature rises, sweating occurs.
The side effects that are associated with quitting smoking affect the nervous system.
In the absence of the opportunity to smoke a cigarette, depressive states occur. The disease covers the entire body due to the cessation of the release of endorphins. Temporary depression is important to survive so as not to break the rejection of a bad habit.
There is a decrease in immunity, infections appear. For a long time, the mucous membranes were shrouded in smoke (called an antiseptic), as a result of which the conditions for the development of harmful microflora appeared.
An important problem is shortness of breath. It occurs due to the lack of nicotine. Passes through a certain time period.
The result of quitting smoking is a malfunction in the intestines. Motility is impaired. Consequences for the smoker:
- Problematic emptying.
- Formation of gases in a large volume.
- Constant heartburn.
- Significant weight gain.
The increase in extra pounds is not directly related to the rejection of cigarettes. People simply begin to consume an unusual amount of food to improve their mood, maintain vitality.
Sweet foods help to cope with lingering stress. Together, all these circumstances lead to the appearance of excess weight. Control will play a big role in maintaining appearance and maintaining health.
Physical activity does not remain at the same level after giving up addiction. Weakness in the body is felt, mobility is reduced, hand trembling is observed, breathing can be confused with the breathing of a person suffering from asthma.
Those who quit smoking experience difficulties in the intimate part of life due to a decrease in mood and a constant state of tension.
Before you quit a bad habit, you need to make a final decision.
How to get rid of emerging problems
Recommendations for people suffering from nicotine addiction:
- Introduction to the usual way of sports exercises (help improve mood and figure);
- Reception of vitamin complexes (to avoid cold infections);
- Proper care of the oral cavity and teeth;
- Eating light food containing vitamins and minerals;
- Introducing small amounts of caffeinated foods into the diet (no more than 2 cups of the drink per day);
- Frequent walks in the fresh air (will help to cope with shortness of breath).
Side effects appear individually. For many people, the symptoms are mild.
Quit smoking - headache
It is difficult to give up the habit, because any changes for the body are stress, even with a healing effect. When a person stops smoking, he began to suffer from headache, tinnitus, dizziness, pain in the abdomen and chest, and the urge to feel sick.
Headache is accompanied by general weakness in the body, loss of sleep and appetite. The entire vegetative system of the body suffers.
The listed symptoms are combined by specialists into such a capacious characteristic as "withdrawal syndrome", the manifestations of which lead to mental disorders. Working capacity decreases, the smoker becomes irritable, aggression appears in his behavior.
At the very beginning of giving up nicotine addiction, primary symptoms appear, which are associated with the process of cleansing the brain vessels from harmful compounds of carcinogens, the oxygen level rapidly rises, which leads to unpleasant sensations. The state of the heart and blood vessels changes, which leads to an increase in blood pressure and, to pain in the temples and neck.
In addition to physiological, there are also psychological causes of pain when quitting nicotine:
- The smoker is not mentally ready to part with a cigarette, the body begins to fall into a stressful state;
- Renunciation of any addiction is accompanied by strong feelings;
- If a person calmed down only with the help of a cigarette, then, having lost this opportunity, he begins to get angry, panic, from which the pressure rises and pain sensations appear in the brain.
Headaches in a smoker who has decided to quit his habit can be accompanied by more serious symptoms: absent-mindedness, shortness of breath and, oddly enough, cough. If a person just thought about the fact that it is time for him to give up cigarettes, then at this stage he may begin to show health problems.
Nicotine is a drug, the refusal to use it will be accompanied by "withdrawal" with the ensuing consequences.
Pain in the head of a nicotine addict who decided to overcome his addiction will be different in nature: the pain is aching, cutting, throbbing, alternate with attacks, aggravated during physical activity. Some patients, in order to get rid of obsessive headaches, have to use analgesics, otherwise they will have to endure it for several days.
If you quit smoking and your chest hurts
Chest pain in people who have quit smoking is associated with many causes, some need treatment.
The main ones include:
- After stopping smoking, the lungs begin to function normally, and a reparative process appears in them.
- Lack of nicotine after an abrupt cessation of its intake into the body.
- With an alkaline balance in the blood, a hyperventilation process begins in the lungs.
- Due to bronchitis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
- Pneumonia, angina.
- The initial process of oncology.
- Peptic ulcer, gastritis.
It is logical that the first reason is common, people who want to quit smoking have a long history. It will take the body a long time to remove tobacco tar, soot and mucus accumulated over the years from the lungs.
Epithelial cells begin to renew themselves, the protective functions of cilia are restored, and activity in the respiratory system is normalized. This leads to discomfort in the body. Tobacco has a bad effect on the condition of all organs.
During the ingestion of smoke, the respiratory and digestive organs are affected by toxins. Because of this, the mucous membrane is irritated, which leads to the formation of an ulcer.
With the active removal of toxins from the body, the intensity of the heart increases. This leads to arterial hypertension, wear of the heart valves and muscles. Lack of oxygen, increased levels of toxins, high stress on the heart helps the appearance of coronary disease and angina pectoris.
Proper medical diagnosis
To determine the origin of pain in the chest, the therapist will examine the patient, listen to the heartbeat and respiratory rate, measure blood pressure and pulse. Based on all this, he will appoint a suitable medical examination. You will need to undergo computed tomography, ECG, X-ray, FGDS.
If the doctor has suggestions about heart problems, he will refer the patient to undergo an ECG. With its help, the presence of angina pectoris, abnormal cardiac activity, myocardial infarction is determined. For problems in the lungs and ribs, a chest x-ray is prescribed.
He will refute or confirm a broken rib or pneumonia. If the x-ray does not give a specific answer, you will need to undergo an ultrasound and computed tomography.
Problems in the gastrointestinal tract will help determine FEGDS. A mandatory measure in the diagnosis of chest pain is a complete blood count. It will indicate possible inflammation in the body.
What is forbidden to do
For people who have quit smoking, the appearance of pain is an unpleasant consequence, especially for those who have not experienced this in the past. This leads to thoughts of returning to smoking.
The disappearance of unpleasant sensations will not be final, they will return, and treatment cannot be avoided, tobacco smoke will have a harmful effect on the body. This will lead to the progression of the old disease, to the emergence of a new one.
No need to neglect going to the hospital and conducting an examination. With the help of an X-ray of the lungs, one can learn at an early stage about the appearance of malignant neoplasms, and various tests will give a complete picture of the state of health.
You can not refuse the treatment offered by the doctor. This will lead to disastrous consequences.
How cigarette smoking affects a person's weight
Nicotine, which causes addiction to cigarettes, is a stimulant of the central nervous system. A powerful drug that speeds up metabolism, constricts blood vessels and makes the heart beat faster.
The consequences of the habit of smoking include weight gain, the absence of nicotine slows down the metabolism.
This means that by eating the same amount of food as before, you can get better. For each person, these processes occur individually.
Implications for metabolism
Nicotine directly increases metabolism, increases calories burned by the body - at rest, with direct exposure.
Most people have a heart rate of up to 20 beats per minute immediately after a cigarette.
The body gets a stimulating effect, which leads to heart disease, high blood pressure, heart attacks.
By quitting smoking, processes return to normal activity quickly. This problem occurs when smokers continue to eat a lot of food, as they used to, while smoking.
Metabolism returns to normal, can not cope with the number of calories - kilograms appear. The risk of weight gain is nothing compared to losing a bad habit. On average, a person gains 3-4 kg.
Some may take more. Most return to normal weight after a year.
It is impossible to say how much each smoker will eventually gain kilograms. It depends on gender, age, activity level, nutrition and genetic predisposition.
Most people will lose excess weight as the body adjusts to a life without nicotine. For others, it will take effort. For some, weight gain is a permanent occurrence.
Is it possible to gain weight and why it is gaining
When a person quits smoking, taste buds change, it seems that food has become tastier. The desire to eat arises more often.
Smoking, smoking a pack of cigarettes a day, it took 200 calories, which is equivalent to a sandwich or a glass of soda.
Many get better because they are used to smoking cigarettes after eating. Now the cigarette is replaced by an increase in the volume of food.
You need to maintain weight, not try to lose weight. There is a "withdrawal syndrome". Previously, under stress, a cigarette was smoked, now the brain asks to replace the cigarette with something else - food.
Nicotine hunger is similar to natural hunger, a person, without realizing it, eats everything that comes to their mind. Treats will be a substitute for cigarettes.
Anger, frustration, depression and stress are other withdrawal symptoms. This causes people to eat more than usual.
How to replace the habit of smoking
For seven out of 10 people who gain weight, the reason is eating more calories. Feelings of hunger increase as appetite grows and taste buds recover. This will pass after the first 3-4 weeks.
Eating unhealthy snacks filled with sugar and fat will be accompanied by an increase in centimeters at the waist. Having decided to quit smoking, it is important to make a plan for snacking throughout the day.
When you feel hungry, choose one of the following low-fat, low-calorie options:
- Fresh fruits/dried fruits;
- natural popcorn;
- Low-fat yogurt;
- Chopped carrots/peppers/celery;
- Diluted with water, natural fruit juice;
- Oatmeal cookies/crackers;
- Bakery products made from whole grain flour.
Remember that an extra 100 extra calories per day will add 0. 5 kg of fat per month.
A few ideas on how to reduce meals by 100 calories at a time:
- Choose tuna canned in brine or fresh water rather than oil;
- Instead of mayonnaise, add slices of tomato, lettuce, pepper to the sandwich;
- Switch from full-fat milk to less-fat or skim milk;
- If you can’t give up sweets, eat a third of the usual portion after breakfast;
- Prepare salads with low fat content;
- Make homemade smoothies with fruit and skim milk;
- Replace sugar with sweeteners;
- It is better to eat more fruit than some chocolate or ice cream;
- Another way to cut 100 calories is to do more exercise.