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Diabetes and Smoking
Quitting smoking is good for your diabetes. Quitting smoking is
good for your health. When you quit smoking, you lower your
blood glucose and blood pressure. You lower your total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol (the bad kind), and your triglycerides. When you quit smoking, you raise your HDL cholesterol (the good kind) and your oxygen intake. You even raise your life expectancy!
Quit smoking and you can reduce your risk for heart disease, blood vessel disease, kidney disease, nerve disease, dental disease, and cancer (mouth, throat, lungs, and bladder). You can reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke miscarriage or stillbirth, limited joint mobility, and colds, bronchitis, and emphysema.
Quit smoking and you can even reduce your risk for insulin resistance (when your body does not respond to insulin). No wonder people try to quit. Here are some helpful hints.
Before you Quit
- Write down each time you smoke for a week. Write down any event or activity you were doing or about to do. Save the list.
- Write down all these reasons you want to quit. Read the list each day of the week before you quit.
- Pick a day to quit and write it down. Choose a day with few pressures. That way, stress won't tempt you to smoke. You may want to do it when you've got some time off from work.
- Tell others you plan to quit. Let family, friends, and coworkers know. Seek their support. Tell them how they can help you. For example, ask them not to offer you a cigarette. Tell them what to expect when you first quit.
- Choose a method of quitting. There are many Ways to
quit smoking. Not every method work for every person.
Your diabetes-care team may be able to help you find n. method that will work for you. It might be using a nicotin a
patch. or chewing gum. Hyposis helps some peoples stoo
smokmg. For other, acupuncture stops the craving to
smoke.
- If you would find it easier to quit with other people
think about joining a stop-smoking class.
- Practice deep breathing. Relaxation tapes may help.
- Stock up on raw vegetables and other low-fat, low-calories
snacks. Your appetite may increase after you quit
smoking. You may gain weight (the average gain is 7
pounds). You may crave sweet foods.
- Begin to exercise a few weeks before you quit smoking, More activity will help you combat withdrawal symptoms and weight gain. Exercise can take the place of smoking or help you control the urge to eat. Try brisk walking, cycling, or swimming.
- Plan rewards for not smoking. For example, you might playa favourite game one week, go to a movie the next week.
After you Quit
The first 3 months or so after quitting are the hardest. Most people who return to smoking do so then. Try these tactics for staying smoke-free.
- Refer to the list you make of events or activities that were going on around the time you smoked. The ne~t time and of those events or activities comes up, avoid It.
For example, if you always smoke at happy hour, on.
- If you can't avoid the event, replace the cigarette with
something else. Hold something else in your hand. Try a strand a beads, a polished stone, or a pen. Put something
else in your mouth, alike a toothpick. Chew gum or ice.
- If you smoke to relax, find another way to relax. Try deep breathing or relaxation exercises. If you smoke to perk up, try to walk or stretching.Throwaway your cigarettes, butts, lighters, matches, and ash-trays.
- Put your list or reasons for quitting where you had kept your cigarettes.
- Read your list of reasons for quitting. Remind yourself that you did not want to smoke.
- Remind yourself that all it takes is one cigarette to become a smoker again. Try to avoid even one.
- Make a list of things you like about not smoking.
- If you are worried about gaining weight, talk with your dietitian about changing your meal and exercise plans.
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