Welcome, Guest: Register On Nairaland / LOGIN! / Trending / Recent / New
Stats: 3,158,924 members, 7,838,294 topics. Date: Thursday, 23 May 2024 at 06:43 PM

Weird Bodily Changes To Expect When You Quit Smoking - Health - Nairaland

Nairaland Forum / Nairaland / General / Health / Weird Bodily Changes To Expect When You Quit Smoking (1023 Views)

5 Things You Should Expect When Visiting A Public Hospital / Expect More Ebola Virus Cases In Nigeria – FG / 10 Reasons Why You Shouldn't Quit Smoking! (2) (3) (4)

(1) (Reply)

Weird Bodily Changes To Expect When You Quit Smoking by Giftedgreen: 11:37am On Apr 01, 2013
When you finally decide to quit smoking because you just realized that nicotine is more lethal than diamond black rattle snake venom or that you just found out that nicotine addiction is a mental illness or you just decided to quit because cigarette smoking is pretty much dangerous to your health. Whatever your reason for quitting smoking, we assure you that it is not going to be easy
For most people, smoking isn't really a choice- it's an addiction where the brain screams for nicotine to thrive. Really. The brain literally makes the body believe that without nicotine, the body will die. Just as without food, the body will starve.
Really- quitting is no simple thing. But when you do manage to quit, be prepared for the weird things that will happen to your body
Your body is addicted to nicotine, and nicotine completely clears the body within 72 hours. This means, the first 72 hours are a real beast.

1. Starving feeling
You will notice first of all the insane starving feeling you get in your throat- that is your brain saying it needs a nicotine fix- pronto. You'll actually drool for it, and begin eating other things to satisfy a craving that can't be satiated. You'll find yourself dizzy and unfocused, and this is partly due to stress (which makes the nicotine leave your body even faster- why do you think you always smoke when you're stressed out? Nicotine leaves your body faster, so your body/mind "needs" a fix), and partly due to the physical response to not smoking.

2. Dizzy and unfocused
You're dizzy and unfocused- why does quitting smoking do this? Simply because now all of a sudden you are getting normal amounts of oxygen in your body, lending to the weird dizzy and lightheaded feeling you have (it's the same feeling you get when you hold your breath for a long time and then let it out). Your body isn't used to getting normal amounts of oxygen, so you get dizzy in response.

3. Tingling finger
Another fun side effect of being able to suddenly get normal oxygen (and blood) flow? Blood circulation in the hands and feet make them warmer and tingle like they are almost falling asleep. In fact, you may feel tingly all over, and like you just might pass out...

4. Low blood sugar
Well, lack of nicotine causes this as well. Welcome to low blood sugar. When you smoke (or chew, whatever), it's normal to not feel hungry and miss a meal. You don't notice your blood sugar plummeting because you have nicotine to pick you up. When your nicotine levels are depleted and natural hunger strikes, your blood sugar drops to the point of pure fatigue. Now that you no longer smoke, you really feel the effects of not eating. Sip some juice or grab an apple or fruit to pick you back up and keep you from passing out.

5. You can’t poop
another fun side effect of quitting smoking- you can't poop!
Why can't you poop? Sheesh! You're dizzy, hungry, tired, and now constipated? Well, nicotine is both a natural laxative and a boost to the whole body, speeding everything up beyond normal. Your heart rate, digestion, etc responds to nicotine by going into overdrive, so when you quit smoking, well, your digestion slows down as well. For a few weeks, you'll notice lots of gas and constipation while your body adjusts to functioning without stimulation...drink tons of water and get your fiber to help your bowels out.

6. Bloated
But you're so bloated that you can't even think about water! You feel like a balloon everywhere- your pants don't fit! You feel like you've gained about a million pounds in like 4 days, and in fact, you've actually gained around 5 pounds of water weight. Your body reacts to nicotine withdrawal by retaining as much water as possible, and it's actually the main culprit behind that nasty connection between quitting smoking and weight gain. Keep that water coming, drink some green tea, and in a few weeks, you'll go back to your healthy size.

7. Change in smell and taste
Everything smells and tastes different- well, this is because your sensory organs have started to wake up in response to lacking nicotine. You find yourself with a sweet tooth you've never had before, another lovely withdrawal symptom of nicotine. Relax, and enjoy that spoonful of sugar in your coffee (when you normally like your coffee black). Your body is adjusting to its healthier new ways, and you should let it.

8. Lastly
Within a few weeks, your body should adjust to the lack of nicotine in your system, and learn to function normally. The dizziness, hunger, bloating, tingling, and sweet cravings will fade, as will the constipation and gas. The brain and body are remarkable things- it only takes a little under a month for the brain to "rewire" itself to almost forget what nicotine is, and the body doesn't take long to begin functioning as it should. Don't be afraid to quit smoking, just be aware of the goofy things that happen to your body when you do.

http://www.giftedgreen.com/content/?q=weird-bodily-changes-to-expect-when-you-quit-smoking
Re: Weird Bodily Changes To Expect When You Quit Smoking by grandstar(m): 9:44am On Apr 04, 2020
I'm shocked this article had no response.

(1) (Reply)

Ebola: Using Salty warm water to bath as Preventive Measure How Real Is It? / Ebola Breakthrough: Thai Scientists Discover Antibody That Could Cure Virus / Man Forcibly Removed From Hospital After Resfusing To Leave For 3 Years(pics)

(Go Up)

Sections: politics (1) business autos (1) jobs (1) career education (1) romance computers phones travel sports fashion health
religion celebs tv-movies music-radio literature webmasters programming techmarket

Links: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10)

Nairaland - Copyright © 2005 - 2024 Oluwaseun Osewa. All rights reserved. See How To Advertise. 15
Disclaimer: Every Nairaland member is solely responsible for anything that he/she posts or uploads on Nairaland.