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1:48 PM 9th March 2022
lifestyle

Healthy Heart Tip: National No Smoking Day

 
Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, written by the Health Promotion and Education Team at Heart Research UK

Wednesday 9th March marks National No Smoking Day in the UK. Nicotine drives up blood pressure and heart rate, putting immediate and long-term strain on your heart and arteries. The carbon monoxide in cigarettes means less life-giving oxygen for all your tissues, including your heart. This is harmful to your health and can reduce your life expectancy whether you smoke a lot or a little.

If you would like to add more healthy years to your life, then why not look through our tips on how to quit smoking today.

Find YOUR incentive

Most smokers know that smoking is bad for their health, but it can be incredibly difficult to quit.

Hard-hitting warnings are proven to help smokers ditch the habit. Whether it’s a shocking image on a cigarette packet, a hole in your wallet, or a noticeable decline in your fitness, try to stay focused on the reasons why you want to quit to keep yourself motivated.

Seek support

Getting support to stop smoking can increase your chances of success. You could try contacting your local Stop Smoking Services or chatting to your GP. You could also seek advice from a friend or family member who has successfully stopped smoking.

Tackle the cravings

Cigarette cravings are intense urges to smoke and they can last for 5 minutes. Quitting smoking requires a huge amount of willpower. When you get a craving, try to distract yourself for 5-10 minutes until it passes. You could try planning a healthy dinner or plan a route for a walk. Once the craving has passed, give yourself a pat on the back!

Whatever your reason for wanting to stop smoking, make a plan that works for you and remember that help is available. If you don’t succeed on your first attempt to quit, keep trying! Good luck!

To help keep your heart healthy, why not try out some of the Healthy Heart recipes from the website: https://heartresearch.org.uk/heart-research-uk-recipes-2/

Heart Research UK
Proud to stand out from the crowd, Heart Research UK is the charity dedicated to your heart. They inspire and invest in pioneering medical research, ground-breaking training and education, and in communities to improve their heart health for themselves. For over 50 years they have driven advancements in the prevention, treatment and cure of heart disease to benefit patients as soon as possible.