The Side Effects of Quitting Smoking, And How to Overcome Them

Many people are interested in knowing what happens when you stop smoking. Smokers who quit may notice positive effects of quitting right away. There may also be some side effects as well. These normally subside in a short amount of time, leaving the former smoker feeling and looking better than ever before.

Breathing

One of the more immediate effects of quitting smoking involves better breathing. This is because the tiny hair-like follicles inside the bronchial tubes begin to move more freely in just a few hours after the last cigarette.

These follicles continue to move freer as more time goes on, making it easier and easier to inhale deeply. Another thing that contributes to better breathing is the fact that phlegm and mucous begin to be extracted from the lungs within a few days after smoking ceases.

Stamina and Endurance

Increased stamina and endurance are one of the next effects of quitting smoking that many people notice. This comes in part from an enhanced capacity to breathe. Since the lungs do not need to work as hard to bring in oxygen, they are more efficient and require less energy to do so. On a side effects of a quit smoking timeline, an increase in energy level and endurance usually happens around five to seven days after a smoker quits. Energy levels may continue to improve for up to six months after a person stops smoking.

Increased Appetite

Smokers may notice an increase in their appetite at about the same time they notice an increase in energy. This is because nicotine actually acts as an appetite suppressant. Since this substance is no longer entering the body, extreme hunger can therefore become one of the effects of quitting smoking. A few days after they quit, people may also notice their food smells and tastes better. This in turn works to increase the appetite because these two senses also signal the body to feel hunger. Hunger is not usually one of the long-term effects of kicking the habit of smoking, but may be noticed anywhere from one to three months afterward.

Improved Heart Function

One of the long-term effects when you stop smoking is better heart health. The effects of quitting smoking timeline shows that at about six months after giving up nicotine, the heart begins to heal itself of any damage caused by smoking. An individual's heart continues to make improvement each year they remain tobacco free. Once a person has been without cigarettes for 15 years, this organ can be expected to perform as though that individual had never smoked in the first place.

Although the side effects are different for each individual, almost everyone experiences the same ones. The exact effects of stopping smoking may vary in intensity and can depend on many different factors.

These include the amount smoked daily, length of time a person has been smoking, medications, and genetics among other things. No matter what side effects are felt, the benefits of smoking cessation far outweight them.

Smokers who quit may notice positive effects of quitting right away. There may also be some side effects of quitting smoking as well. Click Here to learn more about effects of quitting smoking. Providing quality quit smoking writings, articles and reviews online.