Does Smoking Help You Relax?

Your first cigarette could’ve been sparked by all sorts of reasons—maybe loads of people in your household smoke, your favourite celebrity does it, or it just looked cool in films, artworks, or photos. 

Or perhaps you thought smoking was a great way to relieve stress, which isn’t surprising, considering many smokers claim that the ‘high’ helps them unwind from their hectic daily routines.

The reality is, that ‘lightheaded’ or relaxed feeling comes from the thousands of chemicals you’re inhaling—69 of which are known to cause cancer. 

Let’s set the record straight: smoking or vaping doesn’t help you relax. 

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What you’re feeling is just temporary relief from nicotine withdrawal. In other words, smoking provides short-term comfort from the stress it causes in the first place.

If you’re a bit confused, read on to find out how smoking is the main source of stress for many smokers.

Relief from Nicotine Addiction

Are you over 40 and still smoking? If you’ve been at it this long, your body’s probably quite hooked on nicotine by now. 

A smoker’s body is pretty reactive—it quickly knows when it’s running low on nicotine and urges you to reach for a cigarette after certain activities. 

You know the drill: lighting up after a meal, while having a coffee, or when you’re busy at work and haven’t smoked for a couple of hours.

Even just a few hours without nicotine can make the cravings unbearable, leaving you feeling stressed and anxious until you finally get that puff. 

By now, you’ve probably noticed that it’s the nicotine addiction itself that’s causing all this stress in the first place. The best way to beat it is to quit for good.

Physical and Psychological Stress

Apart from nicotine cravings, smoking can mess with your blood pressure, heart rate, and adrenaline levels. 

Have you ever noticed your head throbbing or your pulse racing, even when you’re not doing anything strenuous? Smoking could be the culprit.

It’s a major cause of high blood pressure because the chemicals in cigarette smoke create plaque that clogs up your arteries, which makes your heart work harder and raises your blood pressure. 

If you’re a regular smoker, your adrenaline levels are likely higher than normal. 

While nicotine itself isn’t physically harmful, your addiction to it and the way it disrupts your adrenaline levels put your health at risk over time.

Research shows that the ‘buzz’ from nicotine comes from the release of adrenaline in your system. 

So, quitting smoking could help you relax properly, as it’ll save you from having constantly high blood pressure and adrenaline levels.

Mental Health Risk

Depending on nicotine to relieve yourself from stress can affect your mental well-being. The anxiety from nicotine cravings and the use of cigarettes to relieve depression and stress doesn’t solve the underlying causes of these two problems.

While smokers below their thirties might not feel the effects of cortical thinning, smokers over their 40s and beyond are likely to experience the brunt of it. 

Cortical thinning is dangerous to older adults – it has been associated with the worsening of depressive illnesses, such as schizophrenia, mania, and other mental health issues.

If you want to still remember the joyful and memorable times in your life as you age, it’s probably time to quit smoking for good, especially as you age.

Physical Health Risks

It’s not very relaxing to know that your immune system is weakening and your bones are becoming much more brittle with every cigarette you smoke. 

Smoking is a major cause of many physical health risks, including slow healing and rapid skin ageing.

Of course, you’ve probably already seen some of the diseases you can contract if you don’t quit smoking. Much of the restrictive cigarette packaging today shows grotesque photos of heart diseases, lung cancers, strokes, and more. 

Once you’ve broken your addiction to smoking, you’ll finally realise the full danger of these diseases on display, and it should motivate you enough to kick the habit out for good.

It’s Easier to Quit Today

Now that you know how smoking is the source of your stress and anxiety and is extremely dangerous to your health, you’re hopefully motivated to stop smoking. Luckily, it’s much easier to stop smoking today because of many supportive communities, professionals, and tools to help you quit.

Plus, quitters immediately reap the benefits of stopping. In as little as 6 days, you can see massive health improvements you wouldn’t have thought possible after a short period.

Here are a few reasons why stopping smoking is easier nowadays.

GPs

Professionals have helped thousands of ex-smokers successfully quit with their custom-made smoking cessation plans tailored to their individual needs. 

Based on your previous smoking history, they can schedule out the right amount of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) to keep withdrawal symptoms and cravings at bay, or even prescribe nicotine vaping products (NVPs) from pharmacies if NRT products aren’t quite doing the trick.

More About NRT products

NRT products are meant to cushion your nicotine withdrawal as you stop smoking. Your body ingests plenty of nicotine with each cigarette, and every gum, lozenge, inhaler, and other NRT product has a small amount of nicotine to help wean you off it gradually. For many smokers, NRT products work very well for their nicotine withdrawals and cravings.

More About NVPs

GPs also acknowledge that some smokers could have many triggers that can easily urge them to smoke. It could be the hand-to-mouth gesture of smoking, the throat hit of each puff, or simply needing something to use while having a drink with friends. 

NVPs sold in pharmacies are specifically designed to replicate the ‘action’ of smoking, but without the hazardous and carcinogenic chemicals found in cigarette smoke.

Even as a second-line solution (meaning they may be prescribed after NRT has failed), the latest Cochrane Review found high-certainty evidence that NVPs are more effective than NRT in helping people stop smoking.

But, do keep in mind that there are vast differences in the health and safety of NVPs sold legally in pharmacies compared to the illegal ones sold under the counter in corner stores and tobacconists. 

NVP products sold in pharmacies are made under stringent pharmaceutical standards on the manufacturing process and ingredients, are toxicologically assessed for inhalation, are locally insured, and are specifically designed to help you stop smoking.

Summary

Most smokers mistake the relaxing feeling after smoking as a relief from their everyday stressors. However, they must realise that their nicotine withdrawals and cravings are the primary cause of their stress and anxiety. By quitting smoking, they can truly find a safe, effective, and healthy way to find relaxation and peace of mind.

You’re probably reading this post because you’re thinking how smoking helps you relax. We hope you found the information useful. If you’re trying to quit, you’re in the best place right now to learn more and find support.

Smokefree Clinic gives you access to many medically reviewed and trustworthy resources that can inform and aid you in your path to wellness, so have a look around! 

If you’re ready to get started, Smokefree can connect you to Australian healthcare professionals who excel in helping patients quit smoking for good.

Link Reference:

• https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/01.hyp.37.2.187
• https://nida.nih.gov/publications/research-reports/tobacco-nicotine-e-cigarettes/how-does-tobacco-deliver-its-effects
• https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.0805311106
• https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/sgr/50th-anniversary/pdfs/fs_smoking_overall_health_508.pdf
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6304634/
• https://www.cochrane.org/news/latest-cochrane-review-finds-high-certainty-evidence-nicotine-e-cigarettes-are-more-effective