When you stop smoking, the body reacts to the absence of nicotine and results in symptoms that last from a few days to several weeks. Some ex-smokers may then feel less well…
At the time of smoking cessation, several effects appear. The lack of nicotine causes in particular withdrawal syndrome and fatigue the first times. If the weight gain is quite well known, other effects that are less talked about can also occur…
1. Significant fatigue due to the lack of nicotine
When smoking, the body is intoxicated by tobacco smoke and one of its constituents, nicotine, which acts as a stimulant. Thus, when you quit smoking, fatigue appears which is due on the one hand to the detox phenomenon carried out by the body, on the other hand without nicotine. These two mechanisms combined lead to significant fatigue within 2 to 4 weeks following tobacco cessation.
2. A cough linked to the resumption of bronchial activity
Quitting smoking can lead to the onset of cough accompanied by sputum caused by the resumption of the activity of the cilia of the bronchi (which functioned less well because of their immobilization by the toxic substances of tobacco). Many smokers are then surprised to to “feel worse” than when they smoked. Coughing after quitting smoking most often corresponds to a natural reaction of the respiratory system which disappears approximately after 3 to 4 weeks. In fact, the vibrating cilia that line the inside of the bronchi begin to function again and carry out their evacuation function. Gold, under the influence of tobacco, these vibrating cilia could not carry out their excretory work.
3. Withdrawal syndrome and insomnia
The withdrawal syndrome is the consequence of the sudden drop in nicotine in the body below a certain threshold to which the smoker is accustomed; in this situation, the brain, in particular its receptors, demands its dose of nicotine. Nervousness, anger, aggression, agitation, insomnia, sadness, anxiety, inability to concentrate… are characteristic of withdrawal syndrome. Smoking cessation causes real suffering that the smoker must learn to control. These manifestations are significant at the start of smoking cessation and then decrease rapidly to usually disappear within a few weeks. THE urges to smoke can last for several months, especially for heavy smokers. Nicotine substitutes and certain medications can help overcome the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal.
4. Worse still, depression
Depression can occur when quitting smoking because of the strong psychological and behavioral dependence linked to this habit. A smoker gets into the habit of smoking a cigarette under certain circumstances, setting up true rites in his daily life. Quitting smoking will be accompanied by difficulties in finding other rhythms, in relearning how to live without tobacco in ritual situations where smoking had become a reflex. A few weeks are often enough to resolve this delicate period. Depressed people are often highly addicted smokers because tobacco causes a boosting effect on mood masking the manifestations of an underlying depressive state.
About 15% of smokers have depression one year after quitting smoking.
“Smokers are often anxiety-depressive. Quitting smoking without having settled the background of their mood risks causing unpleasant psychological side effects and leading to relapse. It is likely that tobacco has an antidepressant effect and this is undoubtedly one of the reasons why it is difficult to do without it.“, explains Professor Jean-Pol Tassin, Emeritus Research Director at Inserm. Approximately 15% of smokers have depression one year after quitting smoking. Chronic smoking is actually associated with neurological variations that appear to be related to mood disorders and which occur shortly after smoking a cigarette.
However, the next cigarette makes these disorders disappear for a few moments but then causes stressful episodes. And the more cigarettes are consumed, the more this phenomenon increases, thus causing variations in the smoker’s mood throughout the day. Thus the smoker is mistaken in thinking that the cigarette relaxes him and calms his anxieties, whereas the opposite is happening: the cigarette seems to calm him in fact during the time of the manifestations that it has itself triggered. . Smokers must accept that smoking does not relax and has no antidepressant effect and understand that, on the contrary, quitting smoking will be excellent for their morale.
5. The gain of 3 to 4 kilos
One of the major reasons for not wanting to quit smoking is fear of gaining weight. A smoker weighs on average 3 to 4 kg less than a non-smoker. Weight gain that can occur when quitting smoking, around 3 to 4 kilos approximately, is just catching up to normal weight. The possible gain of a few kilos is often the cause of a relapse. Nicotine acts as an appetite suppressant, curbs the appetite and causes the feeling of having less need to eat.
For a smoker who smokes 1 packet per day, nicotine burns 200 to 300 calories each day. For an identical activity, a smoker consumes more calories than a non-smoker. But this is not a generality, nearly 1 in 3 smokers do not gain weight by quitting smoking. During the period of consumption of substitutes allowing the delivery of nicotine, it is easier not to snack too much and to maintain its weight.
Thanks to Pr Jean-Pol Tassin, Emeritus Research Director at Inserm.