Regardless of which option you choose that you feel will assist you in quitting smoking, the first three days are the hardest. This is when the physical symptoms of nicotine leaving your body is felt the most. Common symptoms such as irritability, feeling sleepy or fatigued, and that slight headache that never seems to go away, are all common symptoms of withdrawal.
Preparation is the key. By knowing what you are in for, you can make plans to deal with the feelings and symptoms and not have to hide away where you won’t bother anyone. However it is also a good idea to inform your family and friends (but only if they are supportive) of your goals. This also gives them the opportunity to stay clear if they think you might be a little bit cranky!
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:
Agitated or angry: Find something to do to take your mind off things. In solitude is probably best.
Feeling overly emotional or sensitive: Find yourself some solitude and let the feelings out.
Feeling tired: I will allow myself to take a nap or lounge around for the day.
Feeling nauseated: I will eat an apple or ginger (helps with nausea).
After eating, I will: Read to keep my mind occupied so I don’t crave the ‘after-dinner’ smoke.
A really good way to help your body get rid of the nicotine within it is to drink lots of liquids. The more you drink, the faster your body will metabolize the stored nicotine within your system and the only side effect of this is a slouchy stomach and maybe a few more trips to the bathroom. The faster you can get the nicotine flushed out of your system, the sooner the withdrawal symptoms will be over, at least the physical ones.
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.
However, giving up multiple vices at once can also be very stressful. So be wary and maybe just cut back on the caffeine to start. But be sure to use plenty of water, juices and even milkshakes to kick start your system and get those withdrawal symptoms out of the way.
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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