When you first quit smoking, you'll probably notice many changes in how you feel. Despite the known benefits of smoking cessation, including a reduced risk of lung cancer and heart disease, you may feel unwell for a short time after you quit. These temporary symptoms are uncomfortable, but they aren't dangerous. They indicate a return to good health.
Mood Changes
Nicotine, the chief addictive component of cigarette smoke, causes withdrawal symptoms when you no longer use it. Because the alkaloid acts as both a stimulant and a depressant on different bodily systems, you may feel simultaneously on edge and drained for the first few days or weeks after quitting. You may also feel some anxiety as you no longer have the psychological habit of packing, lighting, tapping and smoking to keep your hands and mouth busy. Irritability while going through nicotine withdrawal is quite common.
Nasal and Bronchial Irritation
It may frustrate you to have a more wracking cough and a stuffier nose in the days following your decision to quit than you endured when you smoked. This "quitter's flu" happens because the cells that line your respiratory tract are working overtime to remove residual particulate matter from months or years of smoking. These cells' cilia, hairlike projections that brush tiny particles out of your lungs and nasal passages, become paralyzed in the presence of toxins in cigarette smoke. When you quit, they try to restore their environment to health and become overactive.
Constipation
One part of the body that nicotine stimulates is the lower digestive system. When you quit smoking, you may notice a change in your bathroom habits. A University of London study published in a 2003 edition of the medical journal "Addiction" found that one in six smokers developed constipation after quitting. The researchers recommended alerting former smokers to this possibility so they could take steps to counteract this annoying symptom. If you've recently quit, increase your fiber intake and drink plenty of water to forestall any digestive complaints.
Unpleasant Tastes and Smells
Smoking deadens your senses of smell and taste. When you quit, faint noxious smells seem magnified. You might find that a former favorite food now tastes overpowering, while your old perfume overwhelms you. Some of the foul tastes and smells also arise from sensory neurons awakening once you quit. The occasional neuronal misfire could leave you smelling old socks or swamp water when none of these things are near.
