Why do you get a headache when you quit smoking?

Quit smoking - headache

It’s difficult to give up a habit, because any changes for the body are stressful, even if they are beneficial and health-improving. When a person stops smoking, he begins to suffer from headaches, tinnitus, dizziness, pain in the abdomen and chest, and nausea.

Headache is accompanied by general weakness in the body, loss of sleep and appetite. The entire autonomic system of the body suffers.

The listed symptoms are combined by specialists into such a capacious characteristic as “withdrawal syndrome,” the manifestations of which lead to mental disorders. Performance decreases, the smoker becomes irritable, and aggression appears in his behavior.

At the very beginning of quitting nicotine addiction, primary symptoms appear, which are associated with the process of cleansing the brain vessels of harmful compounds of carcinogenic substances, the oxygen level rapidly increases, which leads to the appearance of unpleasant sensations. The condition of the heart and blood vessels changes, which leads to increased blood pressure and pain in the temples and back of the head.

In addition to physiological, there are also psychological causes of pain when quitting nicotine:

• The smoker is not mentally ready to part with the cigarette; the body begins to fall into a stressful state;
• Refusal from any addiction is accompanied by strong feelings;
• If a person calmed down only with the help of a cigarette, then, having lost this opportunity, he begins to get angry and panic, which causes blood pressure to rise and pain to appear in the brain.

Headaches in a smoker who has decided to quit his habit may be accompanied by more serious symptoms: confusion, shortness of breath and, oddly enough, cough. If a person is just thinking about the fact that it is time for him to quit smoking, then at this stage he may already begin to experience health problems.

When these symptoms appear, nicotine is a drug, refusal to use it will be accompanied by “withdrawal” with the ensuing consequences.

Pain in the head area of ​​a nicotine addict who has decided to overcome his addiction will be different in nature: the pain can be aching, cutting, pulsating in nature, alternate with attacks, and worsen during physical activity. Some patients, in order to get rid of obsessive headaches, have to use analgesics, otherwise they will have to endure it for several days.

Test for smokers

Brain reaction

If you quit smoking cigarettes, the brain reacts with a standard reflex of readiness for a new dose of nicotine. The severity of the reflex depends on the length of the bad habit and the number of cigarettes consumed per day. When quitting smoking, headaches occur for several reasons due to the effects of nicotine:

1. Dilatation of cerebral vessels.
2. Reduced blood flow speed in cerebral capillaries.
3. Lack of antidepressant effect of cotinine.

8 hours after the next smoking of a cigarette, the effect of nicotine, which narrows the blood vessels in the brain, disappears. The expansion of the vascular bed is accompanied by an increase in the volume of the brain, pressure on the soft meninges, a feeling of squeezing, “bursting” of the head. The headache can vary in intensity. If a smoker decides to give up the bad habit soon after starting to use cigarettes, the headache is not severe, it is quite possible to tolerate this condition.

A smoker with a long history of smoking cigarettes has a more difficult time with nicotine withdrawal syndrome. His head may hurt, make noise, and feel dizzy. The headache is often accompanied by a feeling of nausea, vomiting, severe weakness, and sweating. Not everyone can withstand this condition; many continue to smoke, arguing: I’m not quitting smoking because my head hurts very badly without a cigarette.

What to do in case of “withdrawal syndrome”

If pain symptoms occur in the head while fighting nicotine addiction, you do not need to return to cigarettes. The general condition will not improve, and if the smoker has abstained from nicotine for several days, then more severe headaches are possible.

There is no need to think that the headaches will go away in a few days.

It is more correct to relieve the pain condition with a drug from the group of analgesics that relieve spasms, for example: Analgin, Spazmalgon. If spasms in the brain continue to bother you, consult a doctor; there is a high probability of developing a migraine and even a mini-stroke.

Why does a person feel unwell?

Since in the process of quitting smoking the composition of the blood begins to change, due to an increase in the amount of oxygen, and blood pressure increases or decreases, a parallel change in the size of the vessels themselves occurs. And this ultimately leads to a transient ischemic attack on brain cells, which is accompanied by painful attacks.

It is impossible to abruptly and categorically refuse to use nicotine, especially if the body has already suffered from any heart or nervous diseases.

Psychological approaches:

• Contact a psychotherapist with your complaints to prevent depression and other mental disorders;
• Active physical activity of any nature;
• Positive communication with friends, relatives, loved ones;
• Any change of situation for the better;
• Green tea with lemon, which removes nicotine substances from the body;
• As an option, replace the craving for nicotine with a sweet pleasure or buying something; this method should not be abused, otherwise another addiction may develop, which will also have to be treated later.

Adequate sleep and adherence to the daily routine -. It is good to reduce the unpleasant craving for a cigarette with the help of a warm bath with the addition of sea salt and essential oils. Regular walks in the fresh air also help relieve pain.

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Possible consequences

If you have such a problem: you quit smoking and have a headache, you shouldn’t let things take their course or return to your bad habit of “tarring” a cigarette.

Returning to smoking can indeed help get rid of headaches, but there will be other consequences of nicotine poisoning. And quitting smoking again will be much more difficult, both psychologically and physically.

If headaches after quitting smoking do not go away within 2-3 days, you should definitely seek help from a specialist who will help determine the cause of the ailment.

Headaches can cause migraines, greatly reduce a person’s performance, or even lead to a mini-stroke.

Treatment of dizziness in former smokers

Minor pain and dizziness can be tolerated, but the pace of life is so fast-paced that it is difficult for someone who quits smoking not to relapse and return to their habit.

What to do if you experience dizziness?

There is no need to immediately run to the pharmacy for antispasmodics; there are many other ways to combat side effects on the path to recovery, for example, folk remedies:

1. St. John's wort infusion - a teaspoon per glass of boiling water, brew for an hour and a half, strain and take 1/4 cup three times a day.
2. Chamomile infusion - pour a tablespoon of the raw material with water, boil a little, then leave for half an hour, strain and drink half a glass as the previous infusion.
3. Mint decoction - done in the same way, you can brew mint with tea.
4. Infusion of clover flowers - brew like chamomile, drink one tablespoon up to 5 times a day.
5. Hawthorn infusion – pour 4 tablespoons into 1 liter of boiling water, infuse and consume as usual.

The above methods of combating dizziness do not give a 100% effect, unlike medications, but you need to start treatment with them, because herbal infusions will not have a harmful effect on other organs. The next important step on the path to recovery is playing sports, or rather, a specially selected set of cardio training that helps stimulate the work of all internal organs - the heart, lungs.

Such training includes running, cycling, exercise and all other active sports. Yoga and breathing exercises by Strelnikova are useful.

Specialist doctors offer their methods of combating dizziness during “withdrawal syndrome”:

• Taking cytisine or nicotine substitutes for a short time (patches, chewing gum);
• Including vitamins A, C, D in any form in the daily diet;
• Eat more fruits, fermented milk and foods rich in protein and light carbohydrates;
• Walks in the fresh air, normal 8-hour sleep, contrast shower twice a day.

If there is no improvement, you should consult a neurologist who will prescribe the necessary sedatives. You should not abuse medications containing caffeine; they help temporarily, but some of them, for example, paracetamol, do not give the desired effect at all and are even harmful.

Many psychologists advise filling the nicotine deficiency by reading, reading the world-famous book by A. Carr “The Easy Way to Quit Smoking.”

All these active methods of combating dizziness during “withdrawal syndrome” should be used only a week after quitting smoking, because during this period the body begins to adapt to a different mode of operation, the entire vital system experiences stress. You need to start with calm, relaxing techniques: walks in the sun, herbal teas, a measured daily routine.

How to help yourself

If you decide to quit smoking, then no matter how long you have been smoking, it is better to consult a doctor who will explain what to do in case of any complaints that arise. For headaches, the doctor first gives general recommendations for the first 2-3 days to alleviate the condition. This:

• Extra rest and longer sleep.
• Staying outdoors.
• A nutritious diet, plenty of vitamins.

Sleep and relaxed rest contribute to the rapid normalization of vascular tone if the smoking experience is short. They recommend doing something you love that distracts you from smoking, listening to music, and finding sources of positive emotions. Light physical exercise, fishing, shopping (if they are not irritating factors) help a lot. Staying in the fresh air improves the supply of oxygen to the brain, soothes discomfort in the head, and pain disappears.

A “love” diet with the addition of fruit juices, berries, and fruits will improve your well-being. It’s a good idea to add your favorite foods, treats, and chocolate in small quantities. They will help improve your mood and reduce discomfort in your head. If, after 2-3 days of quitting the smoking habit, your headache still bothers you or gets worse, there is a reason to see a doctor again. This happens when you have a long history of smoking; it is difficult to cope with pain in such a situation without a doctor.

Why do you feel tired?

Nicotine-dependent people face a number of unpleasant accompanying symptoms, the most pressing is fatigue. It manifests itself because before this the body received a constant dose of nicotine, which stimulates the nervous system, and now it suddenly begins to lack narcotic recharge.

Products with caffeine will help cope with the state of fatigue; they increase blood pressure; you should not abuse them, otherwise, in the race to overcome one addiction, you can acquire another. The maximum dose of coffee per day should not exceed 2 small cups.

Proper nutrition will help in the fight against an imaginary loss of strength, so the patient should reconsider his diet and refuse, at least for a while, fatty, spicy and high-calorie foods, alcohol and dishes that stimulate the appetite. You need to eat foods rich in natural fiber and beneficial bacteria.

Preventive actions

Experts do not advise doing the following:

• resume smoking;
• try to tone the body with the help of alcoholic drinks, coffee or other energy drinks, because a sharply changed vascular tone can further intensify headaches and also lead to a stroke or heart attack;
• It is not recommended to take medications without consulting a doctor;
• there is no need to endure pain - this can lead to a deterioration in the health of the former smoker.

Not everyone suffers from dizziness when quitting smoking.

Every former smoker should know that there is nothing dangerous in such a condition, and it will certainly pass as soon as the autonomic system is rebuilt in a new way.

The body's response to quitting smoking

Giving up your favorite smoking habit is not easy for everyone. Having willpower and the desire to give up cigarettes is not enough; you need to prepare yourself for this thought.

And this is not easy. The person is accustomed to his lifestyle and is not ready to change the current situation.

At first, nicotine withdrawal worsens: you feel an uncontrollable desire to smoke, the environment is annoying and unnerving, your body aches, your head hurts and feels dizzy, there is cardiac arrhythmia and pressure surges. In advanced cases, stomatitis and shortness of breath may develop. The immune system's defenses drop sharply, and a nicotine addict can even catch a cold.

You have to wait a few days, after this time the long-awaited relief comes, but it is incomplete. About a week after the onset of “withdrawal syndrome,” disturbances in the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and cardiovascular system may begin, accompanied by pain in the hypochondrium, heartburn, nausea, tinnitus, and increased sweating. A negative point will be an unexpected weight gain; the patient begins to eat high-calorie foods due to nicotine deficiency.

Despite such consequences that appear when quitting a cigarette, physiological discomfort passes faster than psychological discomfort. The very tradition of relaxing during a long-awaited puff becomes inaccessible to a non-smoker, he becomes irritable and aggressive. A healthy person, paradoxically, is more susceptible to stress than a smoker.

If a patient has been addicted to nicotine for a long time, it is also difficult for him to quit smoking because changes under the influence of the drug also occur at the molecular level. In the DNA formula, information acquired under the influence of toxic resins is retained even after several decades.

In the process of fighting your habit, we must not forget that the likelihood of relapse increases in the second week and after seven to nine months.

What not to do.

No matter how much your head hurts, you should never do a few things:

• starting to smoke again - starting to smoke again after trying to quit - this means subjecting your body to double stress;
• try to “stimulate” the body with alcohol, strong coffee or other energy drinks, since a sharp change in vascular tone can cause not only increased headaches, but also cause a stroke or heart attack;
• for the same reason, you should not take any analgesics or other drugs without a doctor’s prescription;
• Also, you should not try to stoically “endure” the pain without paying attention to it; such neglect of your health can cause the most unpleasant consequences.

Quitting smoking is not as difficult as it seems at first glance; such a decision not only deserves deep respect, but also becomes one of the most important steps to strengthen your health and longevity, and for this you can put up with the need to endure a headache for several days.

How to avoid going back to smoking if you quit yourself

Most people suffering from cigarette addiction claim that there are no “former” smokers, even when you yourself quit for the “hundredth” time. Experts say the opposite.

Quitting smoking once and for all is possible if you regularly follow preventive measures:

1. The very first and most important rule is to never return to a cigarette, even just once. This throws you many steps back from your goal.
2. A categorical “no” should always be present in the mind, then attention will be concentrated on solving the problem, and not on the possibility of circumventing it.
3. Find an object that will help distract you from the obsessive thought.
4. Years after your victory over nicotine addiction, do not forget that the smoking habit can return if you indulge yourself at least once.