After You Quit Smoking…

When smokers look at quitting, they often wonder how long it will take and how difficult the adjustment. After you quit smoking you can expect some unpleasant symptoms, however if you understand beforehand what to expect, it can make quitting that much easier.

The first symptoms many new non-smokers notice is nervousness and a strong craving for nicotine. “Nicotine addiction has historically been one of the hardest addictions to break,” according to The American Heart Association. The addictive nature of nicotine actually changes the pathways and processes of the brain after only a short period of time. When the nicotine is removed, the brain craves the reward it once received from the chemical. The good news is that these pathways can be retrained to accept new rewards and the strong nicotine cravings last only a few months. The benefits of quitting last a lifetime.

The next few things new non-smokers often experience is headache, cough and increased appetite. The headache is often caused by the flood of toxins that are suddenly able to be released into the bloodstream. In this detoxification process, body gets rid of the toxins that had built up while smoking. Because of this unpleasant side effect, some doctors suggest cutting back before quitting entirely, making the process easier.

The cough is caused by the healing of and the restored activity of the cilia that had been destroyed and paralyzed while smoking. The cilia inside the lungs are now able to remove destroyed tissues and restore proper function. Increased appetite results from a rebound effect from the appetite suppressive effects of nicotine. Most doctors say that a 20 percent weight gain is an acceptable health risk. Weight gain can be minimized by an increase in exercise.

These are some of the first things to expect when you stop smoking, but be sure to call your doctor if you have any of these symptoms, or others not listed. It is also best to partner with your doctor while developing your quit plan and ask them what to expect after you quit smoking for someone with your health conditions.

Resources:
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4753
http://whyquit.com/whyquit/A_Benefits_Time_Table.html
http://www.quitsmokingsupport.com/withdrawal1.htm
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