Smoking ruins aspects of your life and health, including your sex life. Smoking is a risk factor for reproductive health problems. Sudies show that smoking not only affects conception, but also reduces sexual desire and satisfaction. Smoker who plan to conceive may need to quit smoking now. Here are important tips and advice to increase your chances of quitting smoking and bringing back the spice in your intimate life:
1. Don’t let other people decide for you.
Quitting smoking is a decision that you, not anyone else, must do. Even if all your friends and family are forcing you to stop smoking today, you will never be successful if you don’t accept the smoking cessation process with all your heart.
2. One step at a time.
When trying to quit, you don’t have to rush things. If you immediately stop smoking without any plan, the possibility of backsliding becomes high (extremely high). As they say: take it slowly but surely.
3. Plan ahead.
Before finally throwing your remaining cigarettes in the trash, create a plan and make it realistic. Determine what smoking cessation approach you are going to take. Do you need to take a medication? Do you need some counseling? Know your options first.
4. Beware of quitting cold turkey.
Only 5% of smokers who use this stop smoking strategy succeed. There are better treatments available today. Beware of any method that does not guarantee effectiveness.
5. If your partner smokes, encourage them to quit.
Sex is a two-way process. If you don’t smoke but your significant other does, both of you are going to experience the negative effects of tobacco in your sex life. If you plan to conceive, both of you should stop smoking as soon as possible. Otherwise, you and the baby will become at high risk of complications.
6. Exercise.
Engaging in physical activity is a great technique to suppress cigarette cravings. It also helps your body recover faster from the negative effects of tobacco. People who exercise are also found to experience better satisfaction in bed than those who don’t.
7. Take multivitamins.
If you are a smoker, chances are your body is deficient in essential vitamins and minerals. But you don’t have to rely solely on multivitamins. Increase your consumption of fruits and vegetables to promote fast recovery of damaged cells brought by cigarette smoking.
8. Talk to your doctor about quitting smoking.
You can get useful tips and advice from a medical professional, especially from someone who specializes in smoking cessation. The doctor can provide you a range of treatment plans you can consider when trying to quit.
9. Don’t be discouraged about the relapse.
It’s definitely okay to backslide as long as you keep trying. You can do it!
10. Don’t hesitate to change route.
If counseling does not work for you, then why not consider taking medications like Chantix? Try various smoking cessation methods until you find the one which will help you quit for good.