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HowToPreventHeartDisease.com |
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Why Quit Smoking And How? For smokers, lighting up a cigarette is a pleasure but non-smokers find smoking irritating. Smoking can put both smokers and people around them (via second-hand smoke) at a higher risk of developing chronic medical conditions, including heart disease, high blood pressure, lung cancer, and stroke. Undeniably, smokers should kick the habit immediately to benefit not only themselves but also their loved ones. Research has shown that benefits of doing away the habit is almost immediate. Within 8 hours of quitting smoking, the carbon monoxide level in the blood drops to normal and oxygen level returns to normal. Blood pressure would return to normal with improved blood circulation. For men, sperms count returns to normal and fertility improves for women. The risk of smoking-related heart attack would be cut by 50 percent within a year of quitting and within 10 years, the risk of lung, bladder, kidney and pancreatic cancers decreases. Nevertheless, quitting smoking can never be easy! This is because cigarette contains nicotine. Being a highly addictive substance, nicotine travels quickly to the brain when it is inhaled and can cause a feeling of temporary relaxation and/or stress relief. While it can elevate a person’s mood and heart rate, the feeling is only temporary. After finishing a cigarette, the body will show signs of withdrawal. In order to overcome these symptoms, one has to light up another cigarette, and so a vicious cycle of dependency begins. It would definitely require certain skills and strategies to deal with temptations of smoking. The very first step in quitting is to cope with withdrawal symptoms. Due to the addictiveness of nicotine, smokers may experience symptoms such as irritate feeling, headaches, tiredness cough and tingling feeling. To encounter these, smokers can take some actions. For instance, smokers can do relaxations exercises, listen to soothing music, or do some light exercises to lift the mood. Getting sufficient sleep, staying in comfortable and quiet surroundings, reading or watching TV with the lights on might help mitigate headache. Coughing can be relieved by drinking warm water or taking sugar-free cough drops. Some ways to tackle with tingling feeling include indulging in hand and foot massages, distracting oneself with a walk or a book, or doing some stretching exercises.
Different methods can be used to help quit smoking. Cold turkey is one of the most effective methods. Smokers simply decide to quit on a particular date and stay firm on that decision. They can use gradual reduction method by reducing the number of cigarettes smoked on a daily basis at a gradual pace aiming to reach zero by certain date. Another way is to employ delaying method. Smokers can postpone their cigarette break by an hour or more, and progress towards being smoke-free for a whole day. Seeking professional help can help, too. The consultants can assist in evaluating the level of addiction and give advice on coping with withdrawal symptoms. Nicotine replacement therapy, which use nicotine gum, skin patches and nasal sprays as nicotine substitutes to counter smoking cravings and relieve withdrawal symptoms, can be another good option. Nicotine-free medications can also help decrease the intensity of the withdrawal symptoms, reducing the urge to smoke. These medications supply a minimum quantity of nicotine to the body, though there is a class of medications that do not contain nicotine. Once the decision to quit is made, one should throw away all lighters, ashtrays and cigarette packs. To increase the chance of success, one should tell others about the quitting decision. Whenever there is an urge to smoke, one can call or message the family members or friends to get their support. Putting up ‘No Smoking’ signs in visible areas, like desktop, inside the wardrobe or in the washroom, can also be a good and powerful way to encourage oneself when his or her determination begins wavering.
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