JOIN USEveryone knows that smoking is injurious to health and many don’t even make the effort to quit this deadly habit. Unfortunately, though, most of those who try to quit on their own, often suffer a relapse within a week. The reason being the inability to cope with the cravings.
You may have ‘officially’ quit smoking but the urge to smoke may come and go. This craving can also result in anxiety, depression, boredom, difficulty in concentrating, increased appetite and weight gain, insomnia, irritability, anger and frustration as well as restlessness.
Dr Animesh Arya, Senior Consultant, Respiratory Medicine, Sri Balaji Action Medical Institute, offers tips, to tackle “those uncontrollable cravings.”
“There are medicines available to stop smoking. These medicines are an alternative to Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) in helping quit smoking as they do not contain nicotine, but dampen the cravings.
With the help of NRT, the body gets the nicotine it craves for, minus the toxic chemicals present in cigarettes.
It helps in quitting smoking without having unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. The Nicotine Replacement Therapy is available in the form of gums, lozenges, inhaler, nasal and mouth spray.”
NRT and medicines can help to an extent but cannot eradicate the cravings totally. Therefore, it is best to follow some self-help techniques. “Avoid the triggers by staying busy with activities where you can use your hands.
Stay strong and expect your cravings to be at their worst during the first few weeks after quitting. Drink lots of water as this would flush the nicotine and other chemicals out of your system, besides keeping your mouth busy.
Take deep breath sessions at regular intervals instead of a smoke break. Take few deep breaths and exhale slowly,” added Dr Arya.
Also, keep a tab on how much money is getting saved after quitting smoking. Exercising too helps reduce nicotine craving and provide relief from some withdrawal symptoms.
Priti Seth, nutritionist, Spa and Wellness Pvt Ltd, said, “A smoker begins an intensive healing process when they quit smoking and this process can severely fatigue the mind and body. If the smoker is also quitting caffeine the symptom may be worse.
So, it is important to get as much rest as possible and explore ways that can potentially help combating the fatigue and tiredness that come after quitting smoking.”
According to Priti, one should also get plenty of sleep and rest and consider switching coffee for tea that contain significantly less caffeine. Herbal teas that are caffeine free would be even better. Eat good food with plenty of nutrients, advises the nutritionist.