I was thinking it was odd I should be feeling generally anxious now that nicotine should allegedly be out of my system. (In truth, it leaves the bloodstream in 72 hours but takes weeks or months before it completely leaves all the tissues and cells.)
Then again, I started thinking about it and then looked it up, Suspicions confirmed. Nicotine is an antidepressant and acts as an antianxiety drug. That explains why people prone to anxiety have historically been smokers. Some people claim anxiety is secondary to smoking. Personally, I think it's the other way around, that people prone to anxiety are more likely to smoke.
There is also the fact that even positive stress on the body is stress. I used to explain the same phenomenon to heart cath patients, who very frequently suffer anxiety and insomnia after the procedure. Simply because the body is returning to normal function. So it is with smoking. More oxygen entering my body than in many years. Allegedly lower cortisol levels (I'm not sold on that one).
Oh, well. Once I get past the initial stages of this, no more acute or intensive health issues. Unless something else crops up. In which case I'm going to scream. I will start getting more exercise again after the weather warms up a bit. Like I was trying to do before winter hit. But that's a much longer and less intense process.
Then again, I started thinking about it and then looked it up, Suspicions confirmed. Nicotine is an antidepressant and acts as an antianxiety drug. That explains why people prone to anxiety have historically been smokers. Some people claim anxiety is secondary to smoking. Personally, I think it's the other way around, that people prone to anxiety are more likely to smoke.
There is also the fact that even positive stress on the body is stress. I used to explain the same phenomenon to heart cath patients, who very frequently suffer anxiety and insomnia after the procedure. Simply because the body is returning to normal function. So it is with smoking. More oxygen entering my body than in many years. Allegedly lower cortisol levels (I'm not sold on that one).
Oh, well. Once I get past the initial stages of this, no more acute or intensive health issues. Unless something else crops up. In which case I'm going to scream. I will start getting more exercise again after the weather warms up a bit. Like I was trying to do before winter hit. But that's a much longer and less intense process.
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