Frequently, heavy smokers are faced with a deterioration of health: they notice the appearance of coughing with phlegm, shortness of breath, interruptions in the functioning of the heart. Also, smoking has a negative effect on appearance: teeth turn yellow, complexion is dull and skin dry. Therefore, almost all smokers, at least once, have tried to quit the bad habit.
However, instead of feeling better right away, many people find they literally hurt everything after smoking the last cigarette. With that, the person goes back to smoking, choosing, it seems, the lesser evil.
Let's see why certain unpleasant symptoms can appear with a sudden refusal of cigarettes? What to do if a person stops smoking but has health problems?
Processes in the body after quitting smoking
Every smoker who decides to quit smoking must understand that their dependence on tobacco is not only psychological, but also physiological in nature. Nicotine, in the literal sense of the word, is included in the body's metabolism. Therefore, the reason why you don't feel good about quitting smoking is a condition similar to drug withdrawal. The fact that a person, once tied to an addiction, begins to fall ill suggests that the body is rebuilding itself to function without the participation of nicotine.
Also, it should be understood that these health problems are temporary and will no longer bother once the adjustment period has passed. In other words, someone who is determined to quit smoking must be patient and go through this period during which he will encounter unpleasant symptoms.
Important!For fairness purposes, it should be noted that not all yesterday's smokers face pronounced problems. Someone has a very strong withdrawal syndrome, while others simply and easily quit smoking.
gastrointestinal tract
Disruption of the gastrointestinal tract is seen in every two people who stop smoking. In most cases, in this case, people realize that they have stomach pain, because, in the context of refusing to smoke, there may be a decrease in intestinal tone. As a result, increased gas production and constipation are becoming a concern.
The situation is no less common when a person has stopped smoking and is ill. Heartburn usually appears after quitting smoking. The reason for these symptoms is the action of tobacco smoke, which, reaching the stomach, irritates its walls and causes the appearance of gastritis.
However, as long as a person continues to smoke, nicotine, to some extent, has an antispasmodic effect and reduces pain. When the body's ingestion of an alkaloid stops, gastric juice with a high level of acidity irritates the mucous membrane, which causes heartburn, nausea, and pain.
Also, if a person has stopped smoking and has noticed that their stomach has started to hurt, the reason for this could be a stomach or duodenal ulcer formed during the addiction. This is a serious illness that requires supervision by a gastroenterologist. Therefore, if the patient stopped smoking and found that he had heartburn, nausea and belching, constipation and abdominal pain, he should seek help from a specialist as soon as possible.
skin problems
Many of yesterday's smokers notice pimples on their face and back after quitting. There may be several reasons that explain 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 feed it are in a spasmodic state. When you stop smoking, you can see the reverse process - an increase in oily skin. The high level of sebum production, in turn, is an excellent backdrop for acne formation;
- If a person stops smoking and has acne, this could indicate a hormonal imbalance, which can also occur in the body in the context of quitting smoking. It must be remembered that quitting smoking is a stress on the body, which can affect all of its organs and systems;
- Pimples after smoking can form due to a trivial flare-up of acne for the same reason: a stressful situation the body finds itself in during restructuring to a new mode of operation;
- Finally, the appearance of skin problems can be explained by the fact that, when abandoning the bad habit, the person becomes so exhausted from the fight against the urge to smoke that they simply don't have the strength to take care of their skin. As a result, acne on the face is formed due to trivial violations of hygiene rules, especially if the skin is initially predisposed to 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 stops smoking and notices that her throat has started to hurt. If she was previously able to smother these symptoms with a cigarette, then, with a high degree of probability, the smoker will return to cigarettes. However, it must be understood that sore throat is also a temporary phenomenon, which is caused by the process of clearing the airways or exacerbation of a chronic infection in the context of nicotine refusal.
Another problem with yesterday's smokers is bleeding gums. Sometimes the process is so pronounced that after refusing a cigarette, teeth ache and become less durable.
The main reason a person who decides to stop smoking has bleeding gums, stomatitis, or loose teeth is because of decreased immunity in the context of nicotine refusal. It becomes difficult for a weakened body to resist the gingivitis and tooth decay that formed during the period of tobacco addiction.
Joint and back pain, varicose veins
Yesterday's smokers often feel stiff back and painful joints. There seems to be no connection between quitting smoking and, for example, having a backache. However, the appearance of such symptoms can have several explanations at the same time.
If a person stops smoking and their legs ache, this can indicate a manifestation of so-called drug withdrawal. It's no secret that nicotine has the effect of a weak drug, so when it stops entering the body, it's quite possible for phantom pains to appear throughout the body.
Attention!Another explanation for the fact that smokers feel joint pain after quitting a bad habit is the worsening of chronic diseases (arthritis, arthrosis) in a stressful situation for the body. In this regard, if your legs ache after heavy smoking and the pain in your joints does not go away in a few days, you should seek the help of a doctor.
Other Side Effects After Quitting Smoking
The symptoms listed are not a complete list of problems a person may face when deciding to kick a bad habit. Almost all ex-smokers during the first few days after stopping smoking notice weakness, weakness, general malaise.
Without cigarettes, addicts are nervous and irritable. It is not surprising that many of them do not withstand such a test and soon break down, lighting a cigarette again.
normalization period
However, those who were able to endure the difficult first period after quitting smoking soon notice an improvement in their well-being. The so-called withdrawal phenomena usually disappear by the end of the first week. Within a month, the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and blood vessels is restored. The skin is no longer dry and bad breath disappears.
Complete normalization of the state of most ex-smokers usually occurs within six months of quitting completely.
Conclusion
Despite the fact that it can be very difficult to quit a bad habit, usually none of the people who quit smoking regret the decision they made. Smoking actually causes significant damage to the body, so when you stop using nicotine, people become healthier, feel better, and look better.