Stopping smoking can be difficult and possibly one of the most challenging things you have ever tried to do. Of the 11 million people who smoke in the UK, almost 8 million wish that they didn’t. The good news, however, is that every day over 1000 smokers in the UK do manage to stop smoking and stay stopped.
Here in cardiac rehabilitation we know the benefits to your heart health which includes:
- Living longer
- Feeling fitter
- Reduce the amount of hospital admissions
- Improving the outcomes of angioplasty and coronary artery bypass surgery
Why should I quit smoking?
Quitting smoking is the best thing you can do for your health. Even if you’ve smoked for years, quitting will still reduce your risk of heart and circulatory diseases. By quitting smoking you will get an additional benefit that is greater than or equal to your heart medication. It’s never too late to quit. You might notice benefits sooner than you think:
- 20 minutes after you quit smoking, your heart rate and blood pressure return to normal.
- 8-12 hours – Nicotine and carbon monoxide start to leave your body and oxygen levels return to normal.
- 1 day – The lungs are starting to get rid of mucous and smoking debris.
- After 2–3 days your sense of smell and taste improve and all Nicotine has left the body.
- After 2–12 weeks exercise becomes easier and your breathing improves.
- After 1 year your risk of having a heart attack is half that of a smoker.
- 10-15 years – Your risk of lung cancer is halved and your risk of heart and circulatory problems is greatly reduced.
Is secondhand smoke harmful?
Secondhand smoking (also known as passive smoking) is when you breathe in someone else’s cigarette smoke. When the people around you breathe in your cigarette smoke, it increases their chance of getting heart and circulatory diseases, cancers and breathing problems. Secondhand smoking is associated with approximately a 30% increase in risk of coronary artery disease, compared to an 80% increase in active smokers. Children are especially vulnerable to the health effects of secondhand smoke.
NHS Lothian Quit Your Way
With current Public Health around COVID-19, some offered services may not be available and some services maybe operating different opening times from that state below or maybe closed temporarily. We recommend that you contact the service prior to attending.-
The best evidence now shows that being supported by specialist stop smoking services is four times more effective than doing it alone. The best way to access Quit Your Way Lothian support is via your cardiac rehab practitioner. They can refer you to the specialist service for tailored support to meet your individual needs. Alternatively you can self refer to Quit Your Way Lothian or if you feel confident about stopping just drop into your local pharmacist.
When Quit Your Way Lothian returns to provide support in the community after the pandemic allows we will have a number of different options for you. This can include one to one appoinments, groups and drop ins, telephone or online video consulations, or even a blended method of all of these options to suit you. The service will arrange medication for you including nicotine replacement products and varenicline (champix) via your local pharmacy.
Vaping
Vaping provides nicotine without combustion and are popular with people trying to stop smoking. While not without risk they have been shown to be significantly less harmful compared to traditional cigarettes and can be very effective in helping people to stop smoking. Whilst we cannot provide vape kits we can support you with helping you cope with quitting smoking tobacco and cirgarettes. If you eventually want to try and stop vaping we can also advise you around this.
Resources
View or download BHF’s leaflet ‘Understanding Smoking’
View or download CHSS’ ‘Stopping Smoking Essential Guide’
Available on Facebook ‘NHS Lothian Quit Your Way Page’
Quit Your Way twitter page
