The history of tobacco smoking dates back several millennia. It also exists in our country, where tobacco is very popular. Most of the population suffers from nicotine addiction, although everyone knows that this habit is harmful to the body. Tobacco use continues, but many are trying to break the habit of killing. Only a small percentage are successful. Information about what happens to the body when you quit smoking will become an additional motivation and facilitate the path to achieving your goal.
Effects of smoking on health
When you constantly inhale tobacco smoke, the following happens to your body:
- heart rate increases;
- blood pressure rises;
- the mucous membrane of the stomach is irritated;
- the brain suffers from oxygen starvation;
- immunity decreases;
- shortness of breath develops, chronic cough appears;
- Teeth turn yellow.
This is just a small list, but actually smoking affects almost all organs and systems in the human body. The result is a huge risk of lung cancer, heart attack or stroke. And this without counting the most common diseases: tracheitis, bronchitis, hypertension, gastritis and others.
It should be clear that the human psyche also suffers from tobacco. Addiction to cigarettes, which, to a greater or lesser extent, develops in every smoker is a peculiar form of drug addiction.
Damage to tobacco combustion products
To understand what happens to the body when you stop smoking, you need to know what tobacco smoke is. When a cigarette is lit, about 4000 different chemical compounds are exuded. Among them are:
- acetone;
- carbon monoxide;
- hydrogen cyanide;
- lead;
- arsenic;
- antimony.
There is a very toxic substance that belongs to the first hazard class: benzopyrene. And carcinogens have a detrimental effect on the body. It is they who provoke the appearance of tumors. To a small extent, nicotine is included in the tobacco structure, but it is one of the most dangerous enemies. Thanks to this substance, an unhealthy addiction to smoking appears.
What will happen to the person?
Realizing that smoking is harmful, people try to get rid of this weakness. However, it is necessary to assume in advance that both positive and negative sides will appear. If you stop smoking, there will be the following positive changes:
- will breathe easier;
- new powers will appear;
- the food will taste bright;
- will sharpen your sense of smell;
- the face will acquire a healthy complexion.
But when you stop smoking, there are negative manifestations:
- blood pressure decreases;
- weakness and apathy dominate;
- emotional instability (everything is annoying, impossible to sleep, depression);
- weight gain;
- dizziness, headache.
Of course, not all people will have certain symptoms. The body is so individual that it is impossible to predict its reaction. But in general, they all follow roughly the same processes.
If a woman quits smoking, the consequences for her are no different, except perhaps in a more labile psycho-emotional state, since the fair sex is naturally more short-tempered than men. How to quit smoking during pregnancy?
What happens to the body?
When smoking is stopped, recovery is observed in almost all organs and tissues. After all, harmful substances begin to be gradually eliminated. But what exactly are the consequences and benefits of quitting smoking? The main changes that occur in the body of a woman or a man after quitting smoking:
- the blood is oxygenated;
- vasoconstriction is eliminated;
- the inspiratory volume becomes larger;
- improves the oxygen supply to the brain, improves concentration, thought processes and memory.
Such processes have positive consequences for the body:
- the risk of thrombosis is minimized;
- boosts immunity;
- After one year, the risk of heart attack or stroke will begin to decrease.
Of course, positive changes don't happen in a few days, time has to pass. But the main thing is to quit smoking, at least to start this process. And you won't have to wait long for positive changes. Although it is necessary to tune in to overcome difficulties, especially if tobacco has been abused for a long time.
When nicotine and other harmful substances contained in tobacco smoke cease to enter the body, the results appear literally in an hour. On the one hand, they are positive: the dose of nicotine in the blood decreases by 50%. On the other hand, not very pleasant: there is a desire to smoke again. This phase must be endured and then, after ten hours, the blood will be even more purified. And after thirteen hours the vessels will react and the pressure will normalize.
For days
Now let's see what happens to the body every day when you stop smoking.
- When the day is over, there will be virtually no carbon monoxide in the blood, as nicotine is completely metabolized in the body. The psycho-emotional state will be moderately anxious.
- On the second day, a person often has disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, constipation; the taste buds become more sensitive. The mood will be unstable, insomnia will appear.
- After the third day, the brain and heart will be better supplied with blood. Dopamine levels will gradually increase as they decrease by 15-20% while smoking
- When four days have passed, the state of the body will stabilize. But intestinal peristalsis reacts negatively to the absence of nicotine. Psychoemotionally, there is a real "withdrawal", the irritability increases. To reduce it, appropriate drugs are used.
- By the end of the fifth day, the cough becomes easier. Recovery begins in the mucous membrane of the mouth, which is reflected in the improvement of the taste of food.
- After the sixth day, the functions of the digestive system are normalized. The nervous system is still excited, thirst is constantly felt.
- Seven days - on this day the emptiness is strongly felt inside. On a physiological level, intestinal activity normalizes, although stool disorders can sometimes recur. Appetite increases dramatically and heartburn may appear.
Monthly
When I stop smoking, the consequences for the body for months are as follows.
- First. There is a regeneration of the bronchial mucosa, immunity increases. The skin completely loses the characteristic yellow color of smokers. Appetite increases, which contributes to weight gain. Cough and shortness of breath occur, especially in the morning. In addition, periodically there are pains in the head, dizziness, sudden changes in pressure. The affection is still strong. This is expressed in a depressed mood. Friendly support is needed.
- The second is the fourth. The brain works better and the appetite stabilizes.
- Fifth - eighth. The recovery process continues in the respiratory system. The cough almost stops.
- Ninth. This is a game changer when you want to get back to a bad habit. It is necessary to avoid provocative situations and communicate more with nature.
- Tenth - twelfth. Health is getting stronger, you can give your body serious physical activity. The emotional background is quite stable. The risk of serious illness is reduced.
Is it safe to quit smoking after 40 years?
There is such an idea: if you stop smoking after 40 years, the consequences for the body will be unpredictable. But what happens to a person when they stop smoking after the age of 40? The absence of tobacco has a strong effect on the psychoemotional state: apathy occurs, efficiency decreases. If you stop smoking after a prolonged addiction, the temporary negative consequences are more pronounced: cough, shortness of breath, obstruction of the airways with bronchial mucus, weakness and even fainting - all this can cause considerable inconvenience.
To reduce unpleasant symptoms, you should consult a doctor for medication. Despite all the negative symptoms, the benefits of quitting smoking are much greater.
Conclusion
- When you stop smoking, there are various consequences for the body. They are expressed both in positive aspects (improvement of brain function, reduction of the risk of stroke and heart attack) and negative (lowering of blood pressure, weakness, cough, shortness of breath, nervousness, stool disorders).
- The main thing is that giving up this bad habit reduces the risk of contracting or developing serious diseases in the future.