Working out could ease your cigarette cravings

Last Updated: Tuesday, August 28, 2012,09:33

Tags: Work out, Exercise, Cigarette cravings

Working out could ease your cigarette cravings

London: Want to quit smoking? Exercise may cut nicotine cravings while also boosting your mood, according to a new study.

Researchers led by the University of Exeter combined data from 19 previous clinical trials and found that a bout of exercise helped quitters reduce their nicotine cravings, a newspaper reported.

"Certainly, exercise seems to have temporary benefits, and as such can be strongly recommended," Adrian Taylor, lead researcher said.

In the trials used for the study, smokers were randomly assigned to either exercise - most often, brisk walking or biking - or some kind of `passive` activity, such as watching a video or just sitting quietly.

Overall, people said they had less desire to smoke after working out than they did before, although the reason for this was unclear.

Taylor added that exercise may serve as a distraction, while being active might also boost people`s mood, so that they don`t feel as great a need to feel better by smoking.

None of the smokers in the study was in a quit programme or using nicotine replacement products, such as gums or patches.

The study was published in the journal Addiction.

PTI

First Published: Tuesday, August 28, 2012, 09:33

Comments

a smith - canada
as a former smoker who used exercise to assist in quiting smoking cigarettes. i can assure you it all has to do with how your lungs feel. i found that a quick run around the block everytime the urge to light up became too much provided my lungs with a similar sensation to that of having just smoked. it also made me feel better physically and i had less desire to smoke with each run i took. it is not just a chemical addiction nicotine addiction is a very physical addiction that needs to be countered with a healthy physical activity to help get over it easier.