Feel Better After You’ve Quit Smoking

Once you quit smoking or stop using quit smoking aids like nicotine patches, while you will experience certain withdrawal symptoms, you will also start feeling better in various ways.

The First Couple of Days:

For starters, there is an immediate drop in your pulse rate and blood pressure, and this is accompanied by the rising of the body temperature. In less than ten hours the blood’s oxygen levels are increased considerably and there is a significant drop in the levels of carbon monoxide. In twenty four hours your chances of getting a heart attack begin to fall. In a couple of days you should be able to taste and smell better, and your nerve endings should also begin to re-grow.

The First Couple of Months:

Know that the withdrawal symptoms associated with nicotine addiction are at their worst in the first four to five weeks. As you continue to refrain from smoking you will see that there is an increase in your energy levels, and your lungs’ functioning becomes better. Your blood circulation will also improve during this period.

The First Year:

After you get through the initial withdrawals, you will continue to see improvement each month for close to a year. Conditions linked to the lung’s functioning will improve and these include your experiencing shortness of breath, exhaustion, chronic cough, etc.

Beyond the First Year:

After you’ve remained smoke free for around five years, your risk of getting a stroke stands at par with non-smokers.

— In ten years, there is a drop in the risk of your contracting various forms of cancers such as cancer of the lungs, throat, mouth, pancreas, and kidney.
— In fifteen years, your risk of contracting coronary heart disease stands at par with non-smokers; and you should be as fit as people who’ve never smoked.

The Help at Hand:

When it comes to quitting smoking, help in available in various forms, and some of these include Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT), help through Hypnosis, as well as different medication programs. It’s important to bear in mind though that what might work for someone might not work for someone else. So when it comes to choosing a program to help quit smoking, you should know what to look for.

Lifestyle Changes:

Once you’ve quit smoking, making certain lifestyle changes can help increase the possibility of your remaining smoke free to a great extent. For instance, if you’re used to smoking each time you drink, it might be a good idea to refrain from drinking for the first couple of months. And in case everybody you hang out with during your breaks smokes, it might serve you well to look for new company. In addition, ensuring that you eat healthy and incorporate some form of physical activity in your day to day life can help you deal with the stress that is associated with efforts to quit smoking.