Thinking of quitting smoking in menopause?

Quitting smoking is one of the best things you can do for your overall health.

Smoking increases the risk of health problems as we age, whether you are male or female. Being a woman, you have some gender specific reasons to think about quitting.

If you are a in perimenopause, or post menopause, you may feel it’s too late to quit. My mom used to say that.

“Why quit now, the damage is done.”

When I was younger, it sounded like she didn’t want to try, or that she didn’t care. After spending a few years as a certified tobacco educator, and learning about tobacco addiction, I think what she really meant was:

• I’m scared about my health

• What if I can’t do it?

• What will I have for me, if I give this up?

• What if I like it too much?

If you’re trying to quit in menopause, this means you might have been trying to quit on and off for years.

Or maybe you have not yet tried to quit.

Many women don’t want to quit for fear of weight gain.

It’s never too late to quit smoking.

When I was training in tobacco cessation, it seemed like much literature was focused on smoking cessation for pregnant women. Rightly so, as cigarettes can cause affect an unborn baby, in the way of low birth weight, placental issues, brain development and lung development.

Women in general have their own set of challenges:

• Hormonal changes, like decreased estrogen.
  Smoking decreases hormones further. This increases risk for osteoporosis, and cardiovascular disease, which is already elevated in menopause.

• Greater risk of stroke than men (1).

• Working full time.
  Many women in their menopause years are still working full time.

• Sandwiched between kids, job and parents.
  Adult kids at home. Maybe young kids too!

• No “Me Time” or self care. Smoking FEELS like “Me Time” and self care.

• Widowed, divorced, remarried, all of these are huge life transitions, many happening while caring for those adult children and elderly parents.

• Feeling like there is no use now, it’s too late to quit.
  It is NOT, love. It is NEVER too late to care for yourself. EVER.

• Oral contraceptive or Hormone Replacement Therapy use (1).*

• Menopause (1)*

Acknowledging your tobacco addiction is a tough step.

But it’s an important one.

Smoking is a mood enhancer, like shopping, eating, alcohol, cannabis, chocolate and even soda pop. Tobacco is a stimulant (2). It helps you calm down, focus, and lift you up.

It alters brain chemistry and your psyche (3).

Many addictive substances either help enhance more of certain neurotransmitters in your brain, or copy that neurotransmitter, and become a squatter on the brain, by staying in the receptor site for the real neurotransmitter (4).

All these substances can help with stress, or feel like your giving yourself “me time”. Something you do just for YOU.

When you embark on quitting smoking, you will find different ways of caring for yourself. You may find even MORE of them!

You know the facts about tobacco addiction and the statistics. They’re plastered on every cigarette package here, in Ontario Canada.

Let’s get to 12 tips for quitting smoking in menopause.

If you’ve been smoking for a long time, you may require a few attempts to quit, and may want to research additional help such as counselling, medication, hypnosis, coaching, or groups for support.

1. Pick a Quit Date.
   Did you know you increase your chances of quitting smoking when you PLAN as much as possible? Set a quit date far enough ahead, so you have time to plan, but not so far ahead that you don’t make the attempt. The tips below can help you develop a quit plan.

2. Make a doctors appointment.
   Make sure that your doctor knows you want to quit smoking. Your physician might have some resources for you. You may also want to discuss NRT or nicotine replacement therapy.
   

3. Find your support people.
   Do you have people who will positively support your attempt to quit?
   This might be friends or family. If they smoke, belittle your attempt to quit, and trigger your desire to use tobacco, you may need to find other support.
   
   This process can evoke feelings of loneliness, grief and loss. Find those who can be a shoulder to lean on in these times. A smoking cessation group or smokers helpline might be what you need.
   
   One of your support people can and SHOULD be your physician and/or pharmacist. **

4. Remove tobacco gear.
   Ashtrays, lighters, the packs of cigarettes. These are triggers, and keeping them around will be a temptation & reminder

5. Clean up your living space.
   Make things feel new. Take the chair you used to sit in to smoke and move it to a new area. If you have the energy, wash your living spaces. You might smell the tobacco if you have been smoking in your home. Besides, cleaning up will brighten your home and mood, and keep you busy.

   Quit smoking, Marie Kondo style :)

6. Plan for your hand to mouth behaviour.
   Here is where that weight worry comes in.

   Hand to mouth behaviour is what you have been doing when smoke. You are used to the oral behaviour pattern, and act of putting something in your mouth.

   Keeping carrot sticks, an NRT lozenge (follow the directions), xylitol lozenges n(keep away from pets), a water container with a straw, will keep your hands busy.
   
   This is where some get tripped up. You might fear gaining weight, because the hand to mouth behaviour is often increased eating. That’s why the next tip is helpful.
   

7. Learn hunger awareness.
   Smoking has long been treated as a behaviour replacement for eating. Nicotine affects metabolism by raising your metabolic rate and decreasing appetite.
   
   This is why some women start to smoke.
   You should NOT start or stay using tobacco for weight control!

   Smoking also:

   • raises cortisol.

   • changes hormone balance (5).

   • alters taste and decreases saliva flow.

   • impairs digestion by moving things too quickly through the gut.

   • triggers insulin resistance (6).
     

   When you quit, the brain has lost a reward mechanism, so it is possible that foods become the reward mechanism the brain is lacking. Awareness is KEY here. Exploring what weight gain means to you on a deeper level is also really important.
   

8. Take stock of your nutrition.
   Are you getting enough protein? Are you making sure you eat, and include fat and fibre with that protein?

   This includes taking a look at your caffeine intake (your body will process caffeine much differently) and choosing foods that keep your blood sugar stable.

   This in turn helps with stable moods and withdrawal.

   One important nutrient is Omega-3 fatty acids.

   Another is antioxidant foods, like colourful veggies.
   If you want to explore nutrition support, contact me for a single session.

9. List your triggers.
   Understand your triggers to smoking. They can show up in places, activities and yes, people. Think about when you want a cigarette, like after dinner, with coffee, during your lunch break, and how you will change that up.

   Think about the people you spend time with that smoke. Will being around them make you want to smoke?
   

10. Embrace self compassion.
    Go easy on yourself! This is a journey, and there will be ups and downs. If you relapse, YOU AREN’T A FAILURE. Please don’t call yourself one. Many require multiple attempts to quit!

    You can learn from making mistakes while changing habits. This podcast episode and post talks about this. It talks about the stages of change.

    
    

11. Prepare to celebrate every little victorious step. EVERY STEP FORWARD. Anchor in the feeling of celebration in that wonderful brain and soul of yours.
    

12. Learn to practice mindfulness. Learning brief mindfulness meditation practices can increase your self control. Mindfulness meditation may help with control of cravings and the stress and negative thoughts that come with these (7).

Creating as many strategies as you can BEFORE quitting can increase your ability to stay quit for longer periods. This topic is waaaaaay to big for one long blog post! I hope it helps you start.

You can also access the Smokers Helpline , the American Lung Association or Smokefree.gov . Find a tobacco cessation group or work one on one with a professional who has a background in Behaviour Coaching and understands the disease of Tobacco Addiction.

I believe it is my duty to share my knowledge with others, and that is is your choice to quit smoking or using smokeless tobacco. I also share in honour of my mom, who was forced to quit at 80, due to health issues. Her road was a hard one. I want to help you avoid the same path ❤️.

*By no means is this medical advice. PLEASE, speak to your doctor or other licensed healthcare professional about quitting smoking. Only a licensed practitioner can assess your current oral contraceptive use, HRT use, and any other medical conditions. This and any other article here is for information purposes only. I am a Registered Dental Hygienist, Certified Tobacco Educator and a Health Coached trained in Behaviour Change, at the time of this publishing, as well as a Holistic nutritionist, not a naturopathic or medical doctor.

**Why am I putting NRT in this list? Compared to the 7000 chemicals that come with a cigarette, NRT replaces the nicotine that your brain and body are used to. A licenced professional can help you taper off your NRT.

If you found this useful, please, share this article. If you or a loved one wants to quit, please download the free Quit Guide I have put together for you, no email required :)

I wish you all the best! Please reach out if you have any questions.

Be well, and be happy,

Tanya

Works cited:

1. Adesky, Nathan D et al. “Nicotine Alters Estrogen Receptor-Beta-Regulated Inflammasome Activity and Exacerbates Ischemic Brain Damage in Female Rats.” International journal of molecular sciences vol. 19,5 1330. 30 Apr. 2018, doi:10.3390/ijms19051330

2. Ross, J., The Mood Cure, 2002 Penguin Books

3. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/tobacco

4. Holford, P., Optimum Nutrition for the Mind, 2010, Piatkus, UK

5. Tang, Yi-Yuan, et al. “Brief Meditation Training Induces Smoking Reduction.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, vol. 110, no. 34, 2013, pp. 13971–13975. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/42713035.

6. Audrain-McGovern, J, and N L Benowitz. “Cigarette smoking, nicotine, and body weight.” Clinical pharmacology and therapeutics vol. 90,1 (2011): 164-8. doi:10.1038/clpt.2011.105

7. Audrain-McGovern, J, and N L Benowitz. “Cigarette smoking, nicotine, and body weight.” Clinical pharmacology and therapeutics vol. 90,1 (2011): 164-8. doi:10.1038/clpt.2011.105

8. Fahim, M., Dragonetti, RT., Selby, P., (2015) An Interprofessional Comprehensive Course on Treating Tobacco Use Disorder. Toronto On: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.