Smoking Cessation - Preparing for Withdrawal
Diet and Nutrition
- Are Three Squares a Day the Only Healthy Way?
- Avoiding Calorie Traps
- Changing Our Eating Habits
- Mindful Eating
- Putting the Pyramid Into Action
- Choosing Carbohydrates Wisely
- Choosing Less Calories, Salt and Alcohol
- Choosing the Right Fats & Carbohydrates
- Controlling Fats When Shopping and Cooking
- Controlling Portion Sizes
- Food and Nutrition
- High Blood Cholesterol - Cooking Healthy Meals
- Reading the Food Label
- The DASH Diet
- The Importance of Healthy Eating
- Weight Loss for the Long-term
- Weight Loss/Management Center
- Weight Management Center
- What To Eat When You Want To Lose Weight
Cardiac Procedures
- Cardiovascular Center of Excellence
- Angiogram, Coronary
- Angioplasty
- CABG
- Cardiac Catheterization
- Cardiac Stress Test
- Computed Tomography (CT) Scan
- Coronary Angiogram
- Coronary Angiography
- Coronary Artery Bypass Graft - CABG
- Doppler Ultrasound
- Echocardiogram
- Electrocardiogram
- Electrophysiology Study
- Nuclear Stress Test
- Pacemaker Implant
- Venography
Cardiology
- Cardiovascular Center of Excellence
- Aneurysm
- Angina
- Arrhythmias
- Bradycardia
- Cardiovascular Disease
- Controlling Your High Blood Pressure
- Coping with the Challenges Of Heart Failure
- Coronary Artery Disease
- Heart Attack
- Heart Failure
- Heart Surgery - Reducing Future Risk Factors
- High Blood Cholesterol - Cooking Healthy Meals
- High Blood Pressure
- High Cholesterol
- Hypertension
- Learning about Risk Factors
- Lipid Disorders
- Metabolic Syndrome – Reducing Your Risk Factors
- Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD)
- Peripheral Vascular Disease
- Stroke
- The Implant Procedure
- Treating Atrial Fibrillation
- Understanding Arterial Plaque
- Understanding Atrial Fibrillation
- Understanding Cholesterol Levels
- Understanding Heart Failure
- What is Angina Pectoris?
- What is Metabolic Syndrome?
- What is a Stent?
The smoker’s body is used to getting regular doses of a powerful drug called nicotine.
When the body no longer gets the nicotine it craves, the smoker often goes through an uncomfortable, temporary process called nicotine withdrawal.
Understanding the symptoms of withdrawal before your quit date can help you to prepare for them, and help you tailor your plan to overcome them.
You may feel lightheaded, dizzy, and have tingling or numbness in your arms and feet. Although unpleasant these changes are healthy due to better blood flow and will go away over time.
You may cough more often because your lungs are cleaning out the waste left by cigarettes. Again, this is a good thing.
You may feel irritable or have mood swings.
Hunger, food cravings, difficulty concentrating or sleeping and constipation are also possible. The worst of these are over in a few days, but some degree of symptoms may continue for three to four weeks.
Talk to your healthcare provider about what healthy steps you can take to cope with withdrawal.
This may include medication for headaches, irritability, or other symptoms.
Both exercise and relaxation techniques may help.
And munching on healthy snacks - vegetables, low fat or whole wheat crackers - and drinking lots of water can also help.
When you prepare to quit, make sure you prepare for withdrawal. Knowing the symptoms, and planning what you can do before you are faced with them, will help you get over this difficult time a little more easily.
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