Quit smoking
When you quit smoking your health starts to improve in as little as 2 hours.
Why quit smoking
No matter how long you have been smoking, it is never too late to quit. The health benefits are immediate and stopping at any point will increase your life expectancy, provided that you stop before you develop a smoking related disease.
Within 24 hours your blood pressure and lungs will be showing signs of improvement.
Getting started
Resources such as smokefree are a good place to start with lots of advice and information to help you get started and stick your plan.
The most important thing that you can do is make a plan, from setting the day that you want to quit, to thinking about how you will deal with tempting situations such as smoking breaks at work, socialising or when stressed.
Research the support that is available and ensure that you have the right medicines to help you cope with nicotine cravings, your GP or Pharmacist will be able to help with this.
What to expect
It will be difficult. Whilst your body starts to recover you will experience withdrawal symptoms including:
- The urge to smoke
- Feeling irritable, frustrated or tired
- Difficulty sleeping or concentrating
- Increase in snacking
- Persistent cough as your lungs recover
Many of these symptoms can be managed by distraction, if you can plan for how you will deal with them you will find it easier to let them pass.
What if I start smoking again
Don't panic and don't treat this as a failure, get back to your plan and try to understand what caused the lapse, so you can plan to deal with it next time.
Make the most of your savings
As well as the many health benefits to you and your family, quitting smoking will also save you money. It is a great idea to save the money that you would usually spend on smoking into a separate bank account, you can then use the money for a holiday or break away.