Withdrawal symptoms
If you have been smoking heavily or for a long time, you may experience withdrawal symptoms when you quit. Your body is responding to the sudden absence of toxins, like nicotine. Since nicotine affects all areas of your body – such as your brain, hormones, metabolism, blood vessels and heart – you will start craving these affects that you’ve grown addicted to.
Withdrawal symptoms can make it difficult to resist the urge to smoke again, which is why it’s important to recognize withdrawal symptoms and know how to deal with them.
Withdrawal symptoms usually go away within 2-4 weeks. Some patients have only mild symptoms, or no withdrawal symptoms at all.
Immediate benefits of quitting cigarettes
When you stop smoking, you may also quickly notice positive changes. Your mood, energy levels, and overall health might noticeably improve in the days after your final cigarette. Some patients report an improved sense of taste and smell, better oral health, and improved breathing in their first week of going smoke-free.
In the first half an hour after your last cigarette, your heart rate drops to normal. Blood pressure may also drop, and your blood circulation will improve. After just 12 hours since our last cigarette, your body will be cleansing itself of the carbon monoxide present in cigarettes, improving your body’s oxygen levels.
The first days after quitting
After 1 day
Just one day after quitting cigarettes, your risk of a heart attack will start to decrease.
Smoking raises risks of coronary heart disease by lowering good cholesterol, which makes it more difficult to do exercises that help maintain a healthy heart. Furthermore, smoking cigarettes raises blood pressure and increases blood clots, which leads to a heightened risk of strokes.
Twenty-four hours after your last cigarette, your blood pressure may begin to drop, decreasing the risk of heart disease. Your oxygen levels will rise, and you may find it has already become easier to perform physical exercise.
After 2 days
Smoking impairs the nerve endings responsible for smell and taste. After just days of giving up cigarettes, you may notice that your sense of smell and taste improve. This is because your nerves are starting to heal.
After 3 days
Within three days of your last cigarette, your body’s nicotine levels should be depleted. This is a positive development – however you may begin to feel side effects as your body starts to experience nicotine withdrawal. It’s not uncommon for people to experience irritability, headaches and unpleasant emotions as the body adapts to going smoke-free.
Years after quitting
After 1 year
Your risk for coronary heart disease will decrease by 50% just one year after quitting. This risk will continue to drop the longer you go without smoking.
After 5 years
A cigarette contains toxins that cause arteries and blood vessels to narrow. These toxins also increase your risk of developing blood clots.
Five years after you’ve given up smoking, your body will have healed itself enough for arteries and blood vessels to widen. This means blood is less likely to clot, which reduces your risk of stroke. Over the coming years, your risk of stroke will continue to decrease as your body continues to heal.
After 10 years
Ten years after your last cigarette, your chances of developing and dying from lung cancer are cut in half compared to if you had continued smoking. Similarly, your chances of developing mouth, throat or pancreatic cancers are significantly lower.
After 15 years
At this point, your likelihood of developing coronary heart disease is the same as a non-smoker. Your risk of developing pancreatic cancer has also reduced to the same level as a non-smoker.
After 20 years
Twenty years after you’ve quit smoking, and your risk of dying from smoking-related causes (such as lung disease, pancreatic cancer and other cancers) will have dropped to the level of a person who has never smoked in their life.
What are withdrawal symptoms?
It’s not uncommon to experience nicotine withdrawal symptoms in the hours and days after smoking your last cigarette. These symptoms usually become less unpleasant over time, and rarely last longer than 2-4 weeks. Common symptoms of withdrawal include grouchiness, appetite changes, nausea, insomnia, and an urge to smoke. The first few days are usually the hardest, as your body is cleansing out nicotine.
Common cigarette withdrawal symptoms
Withdrawal symptoms can be both physical and emotional. Often, the emotional symptoms may continue even after you’ve recovered from the physical side effects. Having someone to talk with during this time can help you stay committed and avoid a relapse.
Common withdrawal symptoms include:
- intense cravings for nicotine
- tingling in the hands and feet
- sweating
- nausea and abdominal cramping
- constipation and gas
- headaches
- coughing
- sore throat
- insomnia
- difficulty concentrating
- anxiety
- irritability
- depression
- weight gain
Will I experience withdrawal symptoms?
Everyone is different, and while nicotine withdrawal symptoms are not uncommon, the most unpleasant side effects will typically disappear after a few days. You can talk to your doctor about any withdrawal symptoms you may be experiencing.
Your doctor might recommend medication or treatment to deal with these side effects. The important thing to remember is that nicotine withdrawal will not hurt you, and the symptoms are temporary.
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