Written By: Debjani Arora | Updated : November 16, 2017 10:51 AM IST
Quitting smoking is never easy, apart from the sheer willpower one needs to keep away from the butt; the withdrawal syndrome makes it daunting. One of the withdrawal symptoms of quitting smoking is constipation. This could be a nagging problem for most and compel one to take up the vice once again. If you have the urge to go back and smoke to get rid of your constipation, we advise, wait as the symptom will disappear in a few days as your body gets over the spell of the nicotine. Here is how to know if you suffer from chronic constipation.
Why does it happen?
Constipation is a result of the way you use and abuse your body. Most of the time it is directly connected to your lifestyle habits and diet pattern, your vices like drinking too much tea, coffee, alcohol and smoking have an effect on your bowel pattern, says Dr Jayshri Shah Consultant-Hepatologist, Gastroenterologist and Therapeutic Endoscopist at Jaslok Hospital & Research Centre.
So for smokers, who need one or two cigarettes to kick start their day and get the bowel movement started, the body gets used to the nicotine stimulus. However, after a period, the body develops tolerance to nicotine. So, if a person smoked one cigarette before, the numbers keep increasing to two and three gradually, to help themselves with their bowel movement. So, once they stop smoking they develop constipation, says Dr Shah. Read to know if having tea and coffee in the morning can help deal with constipation.
If smoking was a stimulus for you to get going with bowel movement, know this: It leads to nicotine and other toxin build-up in the system and nicotine tolerance makes your constipation worse than ever. Also, a study published in the journal Addiction in 2003, that one in six quitters develop constipation, and that for about one in 11 the problem can be severe [1].
What can you do?
To treat constipation, going back to smoking is not the answer, here are things you should do after you quit smoking to deal with constipation.
Drink as much water as you can. At least make it a point to drink two to three litres of water. Warm teas and concentrated fruit juices can also be of help.
If your symptoms persist beyond two to three weeks talk to a doctor to get the condition treated.
Reference: 1: Hajek P, Gillison F, McRobbie H. Stopping smoking can cause constipation.Addiction. 2003 Nov;98(11):1563-7. PubMed PMID: 14616182.
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