How long does nicotine exit the body? This question is of interest to people who want to clear their own body of toxic substances as soon as possible. To get an answer, it is necessary to consider the features of the effect of the presented toxin on the body. Let's find out how much nicotine is excreted.
What is nicotine?
The substance in a synthesized form has the appearance of an oily liquid, which is distinguished by a rather pungent, unpleasant odor. In addition, nicotine has a stable, faint aftertaste.
It is believed that the toxin can accumulate in the cells of the body only in the process of active or passive smoking. How is everything really and how much nicotine comes out of the body? The body tissues of people who have never tried to smoke also contain a small fraction of the substance in its pure form. Nicotine is required to accelerate metabolic processes. Its production in small quantities is provided by the secretory glands of the liver. Therefore, a person simply cannot physically live without nicotine entering the bloodstream.
Naturally, the doses of toxin that enter the body when smoking are hundreds of times higher than the required rate. Since a substance is poison in nature, addicted people want to know how long nicotine leaves the body? And this is not surprising, because poisoning with a toxin causes a host of negative health effects.
What happens when nicotine enters the body?
The toxin is naturally occurring. Therefore, it is absorbed without problems by the mucous membranes of the body. The degree of its absorption is determined by the level of acidity of the
internal environment of the body. In a saturated alkaline environment, the substance decomposes almost completely.
How long does nicotine exit from the body completely? The ionized type of toxin that is found in cigarette smoke is absorbed by the lung tissues in significant quantities. Therefore, its elimination from the body takes a lot of time, if a heavy smoker tries to get rid of addiction.
After how many hours does nicotine exit the body?
The half-life of the toxin in the blood is about 2 hours. The bulk of the toxic substance is processed by the kidneys and liver, after which it is excreted along with waste products. The final product of the decay of the substance - cotinine - completely leaves the body within 48 hours from the moment of smoking the last cigarette.
The rate of excretion of other substances in the composition of tobacco smoke
Having considered how many days nicotine leaves the body, we’ll figure out how long it takes to completely cleanse the body of harmful substances that come to us with tobacco smoke:
- Carbon dioxide - after the last puff, the blood is cleaned of its excessive amount within 24 hours.
- Resins and soot leave the body for six months. In the case of heavy smokers, the process can take up to several years.
As practice shows, it will take 3-4 months for a person who quit smoking to restore healthy blood circulation. As for the digestive system, the latter normalize the work after 6-12 months.
Why does withdrawal symptoms occur ?
The appearance of the so-called withdrawal is a consequence of taking most drugs. Nicotine is no exception. Physical and mental discomfort can bother a person for years.
The receptors of the brain that are responsible for the formation of a sense of satisfaction are guilty of the occurrence of the syndrome. It is on them that nicotine acts. The longer a person abuses tobacco smoking, the more difficult it is to get rid of a sense of need for another cigarette. The formation of stable nerve connections between brain cells contributes to the development of moral discomfort.
Having determined how much nicotine leaves the body, the smoker needs to endure for some time. After several months, brain cells will be renewed. Thus, their focus on the formation of a sensation of pleasure from the absorption of tobacco smoke will disappear.
How to speed up the removal of nicotine from the body?
To help your body get rid of a toxic toxin, you should do the following:
- Drink at least one and a half liters of fluid per day. This will enhance metabolic processes and tone the blood vessels.
- Drink fresh natural juices. Active enzymes and vitamins in their composition will help the liver and kidneys quickly decompose nicotine into components for their excretion.
- Add fermented milk products to your daily diet. Yogurt, sour cream, kefir, yogurt - all this has a binding effect on toxins in the body.
- Walk in the fresh air more often, especially in coniferous forests. Phytoncides that are secreted from plants, as well as fresh oxygen will allow the lungs to cleanse faster. Alternatively, you can resort to inhalation based on essential oils of eucalyptus, pine or juniper.
- Visit the sauna. Being in the steam room is a proven way to rid the body tissues of accumulated toxins.
- To resort to physical activity. Active breathing during training perfectly cleanses the mucus from the bronchi.
- Take antioxidants. Complex preparations of this category deactivate the effect of toxins and accelerate the period of their decay in the body.
The use of traditional medicine has a beneficial effect on the state of the body during the period of purification from nicotine. Known for its healing properties, onion juice. The latter helps to cleanse the body of almost all known toxins. The use of cabbage makes it possible not only to remove harmful substances from body tissues, but also to normalize the work of the intestines. It has proven itself as a means of detoxification of garlic, which contains allicin - a substance that promotes cell renewal.
Finally
So we found out how much nicotine leaves the body. As you can see, the toxin is removed from the body tissues quite quickly. At the same time, it takes much more time to rid the cells of the by-products that overflow with tobacco smoke. For the organs and systems of the body to fully restore their previous functionality, in some cases it takes months and years. Therefore, it is worth once again thinking before starting to smoke.