Quit Smoking Timeline: Knowing What To Expect
While some people would prefer to stop smoking without knowing what lies ahead, there are plenty of benefits of knowing and understanding the “Quit Smoking Timeline”.
Advantages Of Having A Timeline
One of the most prominent advantages of using a timeline is having the ability to track how far you have come in the quitting process. This makes progress seem much more apparent than it would if you were going blindly into the battle against cigarette addiction.
There is also the benefit of being able to brace yourself for the symptoms that are sure to hit. Prevention may not always be possible, but you can prepare for the storm.
Let’s take a look at the quit smoking timeline and see what’s in store for those looking to stop smoking...
Day 1:
The first two days of quitting may in fact be the most difficult to deal with as the emotional and physical needs are very high at this time. After the first eight hours without nicotine, your body has already regained a normal level of oxygen content in the blood and carbon monoxide levels return to normal. Blood pressure, pulse rate, and body temperature should have also returned to a normal range.
During the first 24 hours, you are more likely to experience difficulty concentrating and experience a persistent mental nagging that something is missing. At the end of the first 24 hours, your chances for having a heart attack have already decreased.
Day 2:
By the second day, your nerve endings have already started to re-grow and repair themselves. Your ability to taste and smell should be recovering as well, making food, flowers, and many other sensations much more enjoyable.
By this point, your body is steadily, and almost furiously, working to get rid of the nicotine in its system, which means that cravings are likely to pick up in strength.
Day 3:
The third day is considered to be the peak of physical cravings, as your body had nearly rid itself of all nicotine. During this time, your body is bound to be lashing out and the mental stress often becomes very difficult to bear.
This is usually the time when you may snap at others, feel jittery and restless, and often experience a loss of emotional control. A great deal of inner strength must be utilized during this time!
Day 4:
The fourth day typically isn’t as tough to handle as the third day, but the physical impact of nicotine withdrawal is likely to become more apparent. You are likely to experience constipation, which can easily be countered by increasing your fiber around the first day of quitting and carrying on with a high-fiber diet or fiber supplements until your digestive system returns to normal.
Coughing spells are common on day four, and you may even find yourself coughing up substances such as tar-like phlegm. As long as blood is not present, it’s a good sign. Your sense of taste and smell may start to decrease again, but they should pick back up within the next 24 hours or so.
Day 5:
Again, your sense of taste and smell should be much improved during this time. You should also expect to breathe easier after the fifth day. Hunger pangs or cravings for sweets are pretty common around this stage in the quit smoking timeline, and while indulging a little is fine, you must be careful not to exchange one addiction for another!
The weight gain associated with quitting smoking is often due to your inability to prevent overeating.
2 – 12 Weeks:
During the first few months of the process, you should already notice a vast improvement in your body’s circulation (say goodbye to cold fingers and toes!).
This is also the period in which lung efficiency has gone up by about 30%. Due to this, many people feel that walking, jogging, and other forms of exercise are much easier to perform.
1 Year:
By the one-year marker, most ex-heavy smokers will have half the risk of developing coronary heart disease than they would have if they were still smoking. They will also notice that general fatigue, sinus issues, coughing spells, and excess mucous buildup have cleared up.
Due to the repair going on within the lungs, most quitters will have fewer chest infections - or see a disappearance in them altogether.
Nicotine is thought to be the hardest drug to quit. Methamphetamines, cocaine, LSD, and many other lethal drugs have a worse withdrawal than nicotine, however the mental dependency on nicotine can last a lifetime. Support groups, an accountability partner, or even a journal can work wonders towards helping you stop smoking and lessen your chances of relapsing.