Table of Contents
When we light a cigarette, thousands of substances enter the body, many of which are harmful. This would be enough to stop. But there is also there nicotine, which has a “biphasic” action on the human organism. On the occasion of the World Day for the Fight against Smoking, here is an identikit of how much this substance affects the body, in a sometimes stimulating, sometimes depressive way. With a final answer that can therefore become the sum of the different, often opposite effects of the substance. Obviously this is only one aspect, among the many that may concern those who start smoking (better to avoid) and those who cannot quit. For those who want some advice, read this article to the end: the season to say goodbye to cigarettes is the right one.
Here’s what happens
Let’s try to understand what it means to have a “dual” function. Nicotine can, for example, increase the heart rate and blood pressure by acting on the local control centers of the “sympathetic” nervous system, on the adrenal medulla (a portion of the small gland that is located above the kidneys and produces catecholamines such as adrenaline and noradrenaline), and by activating particular chemical receptors present near to the aorta and carotid artery.
All these means induce the response that after a few minutes, the times depend on the amount of nicotine, but is overwhelmed by the control mechanisms that induce an exactly opposite reaction. Nicotine has an initial on the nervous system stimulating action, especially on breathing. But even in this case, after a short time, the depression of these responses is greater. Finally, nicotine increases bowel movements because it has a positive effect on the nerves that control the intestinal muscles. When the substance is present, therefore, there is a slight tendency to diarrhea followed by bouts of constipation when smoking is stopped.
Just thehabituation Nicotine is ultimately one of the reasons quitting smoking is so difficult. Yet it is a choice that must be made, for health and also for the wallet. In general, the “spring” of possible health risks is one of the mechanisms that most easily lead to giving up the habit. For those who smoke, for example, it may be useful to know that lung cancer mortality decreases continuously and regularly, going from a maximum observed in smokers to lower levels in ex-smokers. Levels that fall in conjunction with the number of years since smoking has been stopped.
If someone has quit smoking for many years, their risk of getting cancer is very close to that of non-smokers. Something similar is also observed for the “killer” heart attack. Those who smoke are at greater risk and even a second heart attack happens more in smokers.
We focus on the will
Reading these few lines one wonders why one continues to smoke. The most important thing is to decide. And then focus on your willpower, perhaps with the help of structures that can help such as the Anti-Smoking Centers of the Health Service, also for the management of specific treatments.
Stopping cigarettes can sometimes have some effects, especially in the first few weeks: you become more irritable, anxious, you may have difficulty concentrating and may appear headache, increase, intestinal disorders and a slight insomnia. In a few months, however, blood pressure drops and the blood supply to the body increases.
Final advice: if you have made the wise decision to say goodbye to cigarettes, choose the holiday period to start and remember that it is better to quit once and for all rather than slowly reducing the number of cigarettes. Otherwise, if the tension rises, you risk starting over. And that is what must be avoided.
When you stop smoking, then, you have to make sure that the body is in perfect shape. This is important in two respects: on the one hand, a little attention to thephysical activity it allows the respiratory system “tired” from years of smoking to recover in the best possible way, on the other hand it avoids that slight weight gain that can follow the abandonment of cigarettes.
Regular movement also allows you to “appreciate yourself: during the effort you realize that your performance improves compared to before and this offers more motivation to continue. Even simple breathing exercises can still be useful, especially when you feel the need to light a cigarette: if this happens you need to make three or four very intense breaths, completely exhaling the air introduced into the lungs with each breath. By drinking a glass of water immediately after this simple exercise, which among other things promotes the recovery of lung function, the urge to smoke is greatly reduced.
On the diet front, drinking water and unsweetened juices, however, is advisable in the first days of cessation because it helps to eliminate the toxic “waste” products that the smoke has accumulated. And we must be careful not to “binge” on food, avoiding heavy and indigestible foods (those that could previously be digested, at least so it was thought, by smoking a cigarette). Fruits, legumes, cereals, cheeses (in not exaggerated doses), fish and foods rich in mineral salts are all right. Among the drinks, be careful not to abuse tea, coffee or alcohol which can make you more agitated and increase the need for cigarettes.
Read also
