OFF TOPIC, FOLKS...
<"Can't get to sleep because I've quit smoking. Day 1. Wish me luck! I'll take moral support from anyone, regardless of their political opinions.">
Borzou,
The sleeplessness will probably wane in a week or so. A sub-lingual (dissolves under the tongue) form of Melatonin about a half hour before bedtime also helps. You can probably find it at most drug stores or health food shops.
When I quit smoking, in March of last year, I thought it would be MUCH more difficult that it was ! Really... it was a piece of cake! Of course having a good PERSONAL reason was/is the key. I didn't quit because of peer pressure, nagging, government discrimination, etc. I quit because I got FED UP with feeling bad, shortness of breath, hacking my guts up every morning of my life, etc. You get the picture.
Hey, if I can quit without any traumatic results, after 45 YEARS of smoking, you can too, you young whippersnapper!
After I quit, I searched the web for some helpful info. I found a site which listed many of the changes which begin to occur in the body as a result of quitting. I couldn't find the same site again for you, but here's a compilation of 2 or 3 sites that listed much of the same info.
By the way, within 3 days the effects of the nicotine "addiction" is largely GONE. I didn't have much of a problem with that at all.
My problem was/is the HABIT, and things that trigger the... reach for the shirt pocket for the "friends" that lived there for the last 45 years of my life.
Also, I feel great now. And so will you! I still would love to smoke a cigarette... I'll probably suffer those occasional twinges for the remainder of my life. But, I can deal with it quite effectively... I am the master! :-)
Regards and good luck... you CAN do it!
jim
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What Happens When You Quit Smoking
WITHIN 20 MINUTES
Your blood pressure and pulse rate drop to the levels they were before you
smoked.
WITHIN 8 HOURS
Your blood levels of carbon monoxide and oxygen return to normal.
AFTER 72 HOURS
Your lung capacity is already increasing.
WITHIN 3 TO 5 YEARS
Your risk of heart attack drops to that of a nonsmoker.
WITHIN 10 YEARS
Your risk of dying of lung cancer drops to the level of a nonsmoker.
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Smokers know how difficult it is to quit the smoking habit, even when the desire to
quit is there. GBMC's Smoking Cessation Program offers a supportive environment for
a difficult transition.
Surveys show that millions of smokers would like to give up cigarette smoking, but
continue to smoke because they think irrevocable damage has been done. The truth is
quitting smoking has immediate health benefits which may include:
--A drop in blood pressure and an increase in temperature of hands and feet within
twenty minutes.
--The carbon monoxide level in blood decreases within eight hours.
--Oxygen levels in the blood increase.
--The chance of a heart attack decreases within twenty four hours.
--An enhanced sense of taste and smell.
--Circulation improves after only two weeks to three months.
--Lung function increases up to thirty percent and activities of daily living become
easier.
--A decrease in the risk of heart attacks.
In addition to metabolic benefits, other experiences include:
--Feeling and looking better.
--Congestion and coughs disappear.
--A decrease in the clinging, unpleasant odor of cigarettes.
--Renewed energy.
--An enormous surge of self-confidence when you gain control over what seemed like
an impossible, demanding habit.
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1.Quitting smoking at any age will result in major and immediate health
benefits. This applies to people with and without diseases caused by
smoking.
2.Two hours after stopping, all nicotine is out of your system. In
about two days, all the nicotine by-products have gone.
3. Within 12 hours of quitting, the carbon monoxide is out of your
system. After a few months, your lungs work better with less effort
and you can do more before you run out of breath.
4. Quitting reduces your risk of stroke and chronic bronchitis. This is
especially important for women taking the contraceptive pill, whose
risk of stroke is increased ten times by smoking.
5. Within two days of quitting, your taste buds come alive and your
sense of smell improves. Your breath, hair, fingers, teeth and clothes
are cleaner.
6. After three weeks without smoking, exercising will be easier because
your body needs less oxygen and more air is getting into your lungs.
7. Within two months of quitting, the blood flow to your hands and feet
improves.
8. Within three months of quitting, the cilia (the hair-like cleaning
system in you lungs) begin to recover, and remove the mucus in
your lungs so that you can cough it up. The mucus may be brown
from tar. Your lungs start to work better, and activities like climbing
stairs and running for the bus become easier.
9. Quitting reduces your risk of lung cancer. After ten years, the risk is
halved.
10. After twelve months of not smoking, your risk of heart disease is
down to almost half that of a smoker's. Fifteen years after stopping,
this risk is almost the same as a non-smoker.
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