The critical 72 hours after quitting smoking

By: Darren Warmuth

Feelings of fatigue, irritibility and an extremely persistent headache are all side effects of nicotine withdrawal and are all perfectly normal. Why? Simply because it is in the first 72 hours which nicotine purges itself from your system - regardless of the smoking cessation method you have chosen to use.

The trick is to make preparations prior to your quit day so that these feelings will not make you feel that you have to alienate yourself from the rest of the world. One good step to take would be to let the people in your household in on your efforts (only if you feel they will help you, not hinder you). You might get a bonus and end up with the house all to yourself, just in case you get a little uptight.

Keep in mind, that by making plans in advance on how you are going to handle these symptoms, it can really help if they present themselves. What are you going to feel? What are the symptoms of withdrawal? You may want to include these things on your list:

Angry or agitated: I will find a task to take my mind off the fact that I can't smoke.

Feeling overly emotional or sensitive: Seek out somewhere you can be alone until the feelings subside.

Feeling tired: I will allow myself to be able to rest and heal from my addiction.

Feeling nauseated: I will drink a glass of water (helps with nausea, as do apples and ginger).

After eating, I will: Read to keep my mind occupied so I don't crave the 'after-dinner' smoke.

By drinking lots of fluids, and most especially water, your body's stores of nicotine will be rapidly metabolized and flushed from your system. The downside is that you will have to go to the bathroom more often, but the upside is that the nicotine will clear itself from your system that much quicker and alleviate the physical withdrawal symptoms.

There are a lot of theories as to what makes withdrawal symptoms worse or better. Some say that you should also give up caffeine when you stop smoking and there are others who found that it makes no difference in their case. If drinking beverages with caffeine in them makes you suddenly crave a cigarette, it is probably better to not to have any, or at the very least cut back.

Just be careful not to overload your willpower by giving up too many things at once. Perhaps just cut back slowly on the caffeine in the beginning and replace those types of drinks with things that will help rid your body of the nicotine, like fruit juices and water.

Another common side effect of quitting smoking is the inability to fall asleep or to stay soundly asleep. Regardless of how tired you might have been throughout the day, it seems like your mind won't shut down for the evening and comfort is nowhere to be found.

To help alleviate this, I recommend a hot shower before heading off to bed to help you relax. Usually the sleep deprivation only lasts for a night or two. However if it persists, I would suggest a visit to the pharmacy to pick up a sleeping aid until the restlessness passes. It won't last forever.

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Like to stop smoking? Then read Darren Warmuth's article on the symptoms to anticipate in the 3 days after you quit smoking
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