Often, heavy smokers face a deterioration in health: they notice the appearance of a cough with phlegm, shortness of breath, interruption in the work of the heart. In addition, smoking has a negative effect on appearance: teeth turn yellow, complexion becomes dull and skin dries out. Therefore, almost every smoker at least once tried to give up the bad habit.
However, instead of feeling better right away, many people find that they literally hurt everything after smoking their last cigarette. As a result, a person turns to smoking, choosing, as it seems to him, the lesser evil.
Let’s see why some unpleasant symptoms can appear with a sharp rejection of cigarettes? What to do if a person quits smoking but has health problems?
Processes in the body after quitting smoking
Every smoker who decides to quit smoking should understand that his addiction to tobacco is not only psychological but also physiological. Nicotine in the true sense of the word is involved in the body's metabolism. Therefore, the reason for feeling bad when you quit smoking is a condition similar to drug withdrawal. The fact that a person, after being linked to an addiction, began to get sick, suggests that the body is rebuilding to work without the participation of nicotine.
In addition, it should be understood that these health problems are temporary and will cease to be a concern once the adjustment period has passed. In other words, someone who is determined to quit smoking should be patient and simply spend this time during which he will encounter unpleasant symptoms.
Important!In fairness, it should be noted that not all smokers of yesterday face significant problems. Someone has a very strong withdrawal syndrome, while others simply and easily quit smoking.
Gastrointestinal tract
Disruption of the gastrointestinal tract is noticed by every second person who quits smoking. Most often, in this case, people notice that they have stomach pain, as against the background of cigarette rejection, a decrease in intestinal tone may appear. As a result, increased gas production and constipation begin to worry.
The situation is no less common when a person has quit smoking and is ill. Heartburn often occurs after quitting smoking. The reason for such symptoms is the action of tobacco smoke, which, entering the stomach, irritates its walls and provokes the appearance of gastritis.
However, as a person continues to smoke, nicotine to some extent has an antispasmodic effect and reduces pain. When taking an alkaloid in the body stops, gastric juice with an increased level of acidity irritates the mucosa, which leads to heartburn, nausea and pain.
In addition, if a person quits smoking and notices that his stomach started to ache, the reason for this may be a stomach or duodenal ulcer formed during addiction. This is a serious disease that requires the supervision of a gastroenterologist. Therefore, if a patient quits smoking and notices heartburn, nausea and swelling, constipation and abdominal pain, he should seek help from a specialist as soon as possible.
Skin problems
Many smokers yesterday notice acne on the face and back after quitting smoking. There may be several reasons for this phenomenon:
- Changes in vascular tone. During the active effect of nicotine on the body, the smoker's skin becomes dry and the small vessels that nourish it are in a spasmodic state. When you quit smoking, the opposite process can be observed - an increase in oily skin. The high level of sebum production, on the other hand, is an excellent background for acne formation;
- If a person quits smoking and has acne, this may indicate a hormonal imbalance, which can also occur in the body against the background of nicotine withdrawal. It should be remembered that quitting smoking is stressful for the body, which can affect all its organs and systems;
- Acne after smoking can be formed due to a banal worsening of acne for the same reason: a stressful situation in which the body finds itself during restructuring in a new way of functioning;
- Finally, the appearance of skin problems can be explained by the fact that, by leaving a bad habit, a person is so exhausted from the fight with the desire to smoke that he simply does not have the strength to care for the skin. As a result, acne forms due to banal violations of hygiene rules, especially if the skin is initially predisposed to the appearance of such problems.
Throat and oral cavity
Common complaints of those who decide to quit smoking are also sore throats and "itching" in the throat. As an example, consider a situation: a woman quits smoking and notices that her throat has started to hurt. If before that she could suffocate such symptoms with a cigarette, then with a high degree of probability the smoker will turn to cigarettes. Meanwhile, it should be understood that sore throat is also a temporary phenomenon, which is caused by the process of clearing the airways or worsening of a chronic infection against the background of nicotine rejection.
Another problem of yesterday smokers is bleeding gums. Sometimes the process is so pronounced that after refusing a cigarette, the teeth hurt and become less stable.
The main reason why a person who decides to quit has bleeding gums, stomatitis or loose teeth is a drop in immunity against the background of nicotine rejection. It becomes difficult for a weakened body to resist gingivitis and tooth decay, which are formed during the time of tobacco addiction.
Pain in the joints and spine, varicose veins
Often, yesterday's smokers have a feeling of stiffness in the back and joint pain. There seems to be no connection between quitting smoking and the fact that, for example, back pain. However, the appearance of such symptoms may have several explanations at once.
If a person quits smoking and his feet hurt, this may indicate a manifestation of so-called drug withdrawal. It is no secret that nicotine has the effect of a weak drug, therefore, when it stops entering the body, it is quite possible for ghost pain to appear throughout the body.
Careful!Another explanation for the fact that a smoker has joint pain after quitting a bad habit is the worsening of chronic diseases (arthritis, osteoarthritis) in a stressful situation for the body. In this regard, if the feet hurt badly after smoking and the joint pain does not go away within a few days, you should seek help from a doctor.
Other side effects after quitting smoking
The symptoms listed are not a complete list of problems that a person may face when deciding to get rid of a bad habit. Almost all ex-smokers during the first days of quitting smoking notice weakness, weakness, general maltreatment.
Without cigarettes, addicts become irritable and nervous. It is not surprising that many of them do not resist such a test and soon break down, lighting a cigarette again.
Normalization period
However, those who were able to endure the first difficult period after quitting smoking soon notice an improvement in their well-being. The phenomena of so-called withdrawal usually disappear by the end of the first week. Within a month, the work of the gastrointestinal tract and blood vessels is restored. The skin ceases to be dry and bad breath disappears.
Complete normalization of the condition of most former smokers usually occurs no later than six months after complete cessation of smoking.
cONcluSiON
Despite the fact that it can be very difficult to give up a bad habit, usually none of the people who quit smoking regret the decision they made. Smoking really does cause significant damage to the body, so when you stop consuming nicotine, people actually become healthier, feel better and look better.