Quitting smoking has many effects on the body, and knowing what to expect can help ensure success. Awareness of the reduction of risks for serious illnesses can provide important motivation to quit, according to the National Institutes of Health website MedlinePlus. Knowing the possible effects of withdrawal from nicotine can help in the planning of withdrawal coping strategies.
Temporary Withdrawal Symptoms
Nicotine is the chemical in tobacco that causes addiction. It also causes withdrawal symptoms when stopped. According to MedlinePlus, cravings for nicotine can be intense. Irritability, frustration, drowsiness, difficulty concentrating, depression and restlessness are common. Some people experience headaches, difficulty sleeping and anxiety. Appetite may increase. These symptoms usually start within two hours of quitting and reach their peak about two to three days later. They generally resolve in one week.
Health Benefits
The American Heart Association explains that health will begin to improve within a few minutes after smoking the last cigarette. Within 20 minutes, the pulse rate returns to a normal level, reducing stress on the heart. Twelve hours after quitting, blood level of carbon monoxide drops and oxygen level increases. Heart attack risk begins to drop between two weeks and three months, and lung function begins to improve. Coughing and shortness of breath lessen between one and nine months after quitting. After five to15 years, risk of a stroke is equal to that of a nonsmoker, and risk of cancer of the esophagus, throat and mouth are cut by half. Ten years after quitting, risk of lung cancer, bladder cancer and other cancers lessen. After 15 years, the risk of heart disease is the same as a that of a person who never smoked.
Benefits to Others
Smoking can affect the health of those around you, according to MayoClinic.com. Secondhand smoke, a term that describes the exhaled smoke as well as smoke that comes from the end of a burning cigarette, is a danger to others. Secondhand smoke lingers in the air for hours and contains thousands of toxic chemicals. Even third-hand smoke, the smoke that clings to hair, clothing and furniture, can be a danger to others, especially to children. Smoking during pregnancy causes serious risks as well including premature birth, low birth weight, stillbirth and sudden infant death syndrome, reports the U.S. Centers For Disease Control and Prevention.
