Often heavy smokers are faced with a deterioration in their health: they note the appearance of a cough with phlegm, shortness of breath, interruptions in the work of the heart. In addition, smoking has a negative effect on the appearance: the teeth turn yellow, the complexion becomes dull, and the skin becomes dry. As a result, almost all smokers have tried to quit the bad habit at least once.
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 begins to smoke again, choosing, as it seems to him, the lesser of the evils.
Let's see why some unpleasant symptoms can appear with a sudden refusal of cigarettes? What if a person quits smoking but has health problems?
Processes in the body after quitting smoking
Each of the smokers who decide to quit smoking must understand that their addiction to tobacco is not only psychological, but also physiological. Nicotine in the literal sense of the word is part of the body's metabolism. Therefore, the reason for the discomfort when quitting smoking is a condition similar to withdrawal from the drug. The fact that a person, linked to an addiction, began to fall ill, suggests that the body is rebuilding itself to function without the participation of nicotine.
In addition, it should be understood that these health problems are temporary and will stop bothering once the adjustment period has passed. In other words, someone who is determined to quit smoking needs to be patient and just go through this period when they will experience unpleasant symptoms.
Important!For the sake of fairness, 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 give up smoking.
Digestive tract
A disturbance of the gastrointestinal tract is seen by one in two people who quit smoking. Most often, in this case, people notice that they have a stomach ache, because against the background of refusing to smoke, a decrease in intestinal tone may appear. As a result, increased gas production and constipation begin to cause concern.
The situation is no less common when a person has quit smoking and is ill. Heartburn often appears after you quit smoking. The reason for these symptoms is the action of tobacco smoke, which, getting into the stomach, irritates its walls and causes the appearance of gastritis.
However, while a person continues to smoke, nicotine has an antispasmodic effect to some extent and reduces pain. When the supply of an alkaloid in the body stops, gastric juice with an increased level of acidity irritates the mucous membrane, resulting in heartburn, nausea and pain.
Also, if a person quits smoking and notices that their stomach is starting to hurt, it may be due to a stomach or duodenal ulcer formed during addiction. This is a serious illness that requires the monitoring of a gastroenterologist. Therefore, if a patient has quit smoking and noticed that he has heartburn, nausea and belching, constipation, and abdominal pain, he should seek specialist help as soon as possible. .
Skin problems
Many yesterday's smokers notice pimples on their face and back after quitting. Several reasons can 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 quitting smoking, the reverse process can be observed - an increase in oily skin. The high level of sebum production, in turn, 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 stopping nicotine. It should be remembered that quitting smoking is stressful on the body, which can affect all of its organs and systems;
- Pimples after smoking can form due to a common acne exacerbation for the same reason: a stressful situation in which the body finds itself restructuring to a new way of functioning;
- Finally, the appearance of skin problems can be explained by the fact that, giving up a bad habit, a person is so exhausted from the fight against the urge to smoke that he simply does not have the strength to takecare of her skin. As a result, acne on the face is formed due to banal violations of the rules of hygiene, especially if the skin is initially predisposed to the appearance of such problems.
Throat and oral cavity
Common complaints from those who decide to quit smoking are also sore throats and "scratching" 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 smother such symptoms with a cigarette, then with a high degree of probability the smoker will return to smoking. In the meantime, it should be understood that a sore throat is also a temporary phenomenon, caused by the process of cleaning the respiratory tract or the exacerbation of a chronic infection against the background of the refusal of nicotine.
Another problem of yesterday's smokers is bleeding gums. Sometimes the process is so pronounced that after refusing a cigarette, the teeth hurt and become less durable.
The main reason that a person who decides to quit smoking has bleeding gums, stomatitis or loose teeth is a decrease in immunity against the background of the refusal of nicotine. It becomes difficult for a weakened body to resist gingivitis and tooth decay, which formed during the time of tobacco addiction.
Joint and back pain, varicose veins
Often, yesterday's smokers have a feeling of stiffness in the back and joint pain. It seems that there can be no link between stopping smoking and having, for example, back pain. However, the appearance of such symptoms can have several explanations at once.
If a person quits smoking and their legs hurt, this may indicate a manifestation of the so-called drug withdrawal. It is no secret that nicotine has the effect of a weak drug, therefore, when it stops entering the body, phantom pains may appear throughout the body.
Warning!Another explanation for the fact that a smoker has joint pain after giving up a bad habit is the exacerbation of chronic diseases (arthritis, osteoarthritis) in a stressful situation for the body. In this regard, if your legs hurt after heavy 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 the problems a person may face when deciding to get rid of a bad habit. Almost all former smokers in the first days of quitting smoking notice weakness, weakness, general discomfort.
Without cigarettes, addicts become nervous and irritable. It is not surprising that many of them do not withstand such an ordeal and quickly break down, again lighting a cigarette.
Normalization period
However, those who were able to endure the first difficult period after quitting smoking quickly see an improvement in their well-being. The so-called withdrawal phenomena generally disappear at 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 the bad breath disappears.
Complete normalization of the condition of most former smokers usually occurs no later than six months after quitting smoking 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 really does serious damage to the body, so when you stop using nicotine people actually get healthier, feel better, and look better.