General Article Stopping smoking is good for your mental health

Topic Selected: Smoking and Health
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We all know that stopping smoking improves your physical health.

But it’s also proven to boost your mental health and well-being: it can improve mood and help relieve stress, anxiety and depression.

Smoking, anxiety and mood

Most smokers say they want to stop, but some continue because smoking seems to relieve stress and anxiety.

But it’s a complete myth that smoking helps you relax. Smoking actually increases anxiety and tension.

Smokers are also more likely than non-smokers to develop depression or anxiety disorder over time.

Why it feels like smoking helps us relax

Smoking cigarettes interferes with certain chemicals in the brain.

When smokers haven’t had a cigarette for a while, the craving for another one makes them feel irritable and anxious.

These feelings can be temporarily relieved when they light up a cigarette. So smokers associate the improved mood with smoking.

In fact, it’s the effects of smoking itself that’s likely to have caused the anxiety in the first place.

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