To Quit Smoking
It’s the first three days that people find the most difficult to quit smokng regardless of the method they’ve chosen. This is due to the fact that it is in those 72 hours when the nicotine leaving your body is felt the greatest. This can lead to feelings of irritability, fatigue, and a persistent headache – all perfectly normal symptoms of withdrawal.
The best to quit smoking trick is to make preparations prior to your stop smoking day so that these feelings will not make you feel that you have to alienate yourself from the rest of the world. One good step to take would be to let the people in your household in on your efforts (only if you feel they will help you, not hinder you). You might get a bonus and end up with the house all to yourself, just in case you get a little uptight.
Keep in mind, that by making plans in advance on how you are going to handle these symptoms, it can really help if they present themselves. What are you going to feel? What are the symptoms of withdrawal? You may want to include these things on your list:
Angry or agitated: I will find a task to take my mind off the fact that I can’t smoke.
Feeling overly emotional or sensitive: Find yourself some solitude and let the feelings out.
Feeling tired: I will allow myself to be able to rest and heal from my addiction.
Feeling nauseated: I will go outside and get some fresh air.
After I eat I will: Find something to do so I don’t crave the ‘after-dinner’ cigarette.
Drinking lots and lots of fluids, especially water, is a great way to clear the nicotine from your system as the fluids will metabolize your body’s chemical stores. Side effects, at worse, are more frequent bathroom breaks and a water-logged stomach. The upside is that the faster the nicotine leaves your system, the sooner the physical symptoms will subside and your to quit smoking regime can be ended.
Some theorize that drinking beverages with caffeine in them can cause your withdrawal symptoms to worsen your to quit smoking plans. Others find that it makes absolutely no difference whatsoever. Each individual’s situation is unique. If you find that caffeinated drinks are causing you to crave cigarettes, then it would be best to cut back or stop completely.
Just be careful not to overload your willpower by giving up too many things at once. Perhaps just cut back slowly on the caffeine in the beginning and replace those types of drinks with things that will help rid your body of the nicotine, like fruit juices and water.
Sleep, or the lack of it, is another common side effect of stopping smoking. It doesn’t seem to matter how tired you are during the day, a good sound sleep can be elusive as your mind doesn’t seem to want to shut down, nor can you find a comfortable position in which to rest.
To help alleviate this, I recommend a hot shower before heading off to bed to help you relax. Usually the sleep deprivation only lasts for a night or two. However if it persists, I would suggest a visit to the pharmacy to pick up a sleeping aid until the restlessness passes. It won’t last forever
To quit smoking
Tuesday, 1 December 2009
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