Why Quitting Smoking Makes You Sick

Quitting smoking? Way to go, friend! It is one of the hardest habits to kick these days but with the slowing of the economy and increase in costs, more people are realizing that smoking is nasty, nasty habit. However, with quitting comes consequences that aren’t very appealing. Some people experience withdrawals, become intensely angry, or get sick. Let’s focus on the sickness and break it down a bit. http://howtoquitsmoking24h.com/smoking-cessation-handbook.html

First off, we will start with a healthy trachea. Your trachea is where the air you breathe flows through in order to get to your lungs. It branches off into two bronchi, which branch off into bronchioles, which branch off into alveoli. The alveoli are where the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide take place in our lungs. An average, healthy person has a trachea lined with little hairs call cilia. These cilia function much like a broom to sweep dust and other foreign particles out of the trachea, to prevent them from entering the lungs. Most of the time if you have a productive cough (when you cough and yucky mucus comes up) it is because the cilia are trying to get some crazy junk out. In the event that there is a foreign particle in your trachea, the cilia will move back and forth causing the particle or particles to go back up into either your nose, or down your esophagus which leads to your stomach.

Now for the not-so-healthy trachea. When we smoke, the inhalation of smoke slowly but surely kills these little hair-like cilia. When you kill the part of your body that keeps dust out of your lungs, you have a problem. Now that the cilia are no longer existent, you are prone to choking or aspiration (when fluid, most likely vomit, enters your trachea and travels to your lungs. Pneumonia is caused by fluid in the lungs to give you a clue as to how serious this may be).

Did you get concerned and quit? I am personally very proud of you. Quitting smoking is not an easy task at all! Are you noticing some flu-like symptoms? If you are, this is COMPLETELY normal. As stated earlier, smoking kills your poor little cilia and hinders the protection of your lungs. However, these cilia are not gone forever; they can grow back, which is exactly what happens when you take away the harmful fumes of a cigarette. As these cilia start to grow back, you begin with a tickle in your chest, much similar to when you start to acquire a cold. When the cilia are fully functional, they work double time to push all the excess mucus and foreign particle that layered on the trachea while you smoked. Expect to have a productive cough (remember what that means?) and headaches (usually a normal cause of not having that extra bit of nicotine). Beware, you will cough….a lot. Like I said before, it is totally normal. If you decide to go to the doctor because you are a bit worried, be certain to tell them that you just recently quit smoking. Nobody wants to get inaccurately diagnosed.

Well, good luck with kicking the habit! You will soon be able to enjoy the full functionality of not only your lungs, but your entire body!

Harms of Cigarette Smoking

Smoking Cessation Handbook

http://howtoquitsmoking24h.com/smoking-cessation-handbook.html 
http://howtoquitsmoking24h.com/the-impact-of-tobacco-on-health-in-terms-of-mental-and-social.html 
http://howtoquitsmoking24h.com/the-impact-of-tobacco-on-physical-health.html