Approximately 120,000 people die of smoking-related illnesses each year in the UK alone. It is estimated that one out of every smokers will die from a smoking related disease, causing a loss of 5-8 years of their lives. It seems that many people are unaware of the dangers associated with smoking after all the tobacco companies efforts to make people understand. If you are a smoker and you were to decide right now to stop this is what would happen:
After 20 minutes Your blood pressure and pulse rate fall. This is important because high blood pressure increases your chance of having a heart attack or stroke.
After 8 hours The level of carbon monoxide in your blood drops. Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas that gets into your bloodstream when you smoke and makes it more difficult for your body to get all the oxygen it needs.
After 48 hours There is no more nicotine left in your body. Your taste and smell starts to improve and blood flows round your body more easily, reducing the risk of a coronary thrombosis (a blockage of the arteries or vessels leading to the heart).
After 72 hours Your breathing becomes easier and energy levels increase. After two weeks Your circulation improves and you begin to feel fitter.
So it would just take three days and you would have no cravings and no need to smoke. Getting past the first couple of hours is hard, and I know because I struggled through it many times, until finally I found a crazy claim that I could quit within one hour? One hour?! At first, I was thinking ''I spent two hours suffering without cigarettes and now this website claims I could stop within the hour''. After discussing with my wife we agreed to buy the audio program because I was tired of spending cash on cigarettes everyday and apparently, for $50 I could be a non-smoker in less than an hour. I tested the program out and I must admit it was amazing. I listened to the audios a number of times and I am now a non-smoker. In part two of the article find out more about the product and how you could be a non-smoker within the next hour!
http://www.quit--today.blogspot.com
Regardless of which option you choose that you feel will assist you in quitting smoking, the first three days are the hardest. This is when the physical symptoms of nicotine leaving your body is felt the most. Common symptoms such as irritability, feeling sleepy or fatigued, and that slight headache that never seems to go away, are all common symptoms of withdrawal.
The trick is to make preparations prior to your quit day so that these feelings will not make you feel that you have to alienate yourself from the rest of the world. One good step to take would be to let the people in your household in on your efforts (only if you feel they will help you, not hinder you). You might get a bonus and end up with the house all to yourself, just in case you get a little uptight.
What are the symptoms of withdrawal? What are you going to feel? By planning beforehand, you can alleviate a lot of these problems before they arise. Here are a few things you may want to include on your list:
Agitated or angry: Find something to do to take your mind off things. In solitude is probably best.
Feeling overly emotional or sensitive: Find yourself some solitude and let the feelings out.
Feeling tired: Rest and healing are needed to allow myself to heal from my addiction.
Feeling nauseated: I will drink a glass of water (helps with nausea, as do apples and ginger).
After eating, I will: Read to keep my mind occupied so I don't crave the 'after-dinner' smoke.
Drinking lots and lots of fluids, especially water, is a great way to clear the nicotine from your system as the fluids will metabolize your body's chemical stores. Side effects, at worse, are more frequent bathroom breaks and a water-logged stomach. The upside is that the faster the nicotine leaves your system, the sooner the physical symptoms will subside.
A few things can make the withdrawal symptoms stronger rather than weaker. Caffeine may be one of those. But not for all people. Every situation is unique. Best to judge for yourself. If you are finding that caffeinated drinks are causing you cravings, you should cut down drastically or quit altogether.
Just be careful not to overload your willpower by giving up too many things at once. Perhaps just cut back slowly on the caffeine in the beginning and replace those types of drinks with things that will help rid your body of the nicotine, like fruit juices and water.
Sleep, or the lack of it, is another common side effect of stopping smoking. It doesn't seem to matter how tired you are during the day, a good sound sleep can be elusive as your mind doesn't seem to want to shut down, nor can you find a comfortable position in which to rest.
To help alleviate this, I recommend a hot shower before heading off to bed to help you relax. Usually the sleep deprivation only lasts for a night or two. However if it persists, I would suggest a visit to the pharmacy to pick up a sleeping aid until the restlessness passes. It won't last forever.
Both Roger Les Rabbit & Darren Warmuth are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.