Stopping smoking is good for your mental health

Being smoke-free helps relieve stress, anxiety and depression and gives you a more positive outlook on life. These benefits apply to all smokers, not just those with pre-existing mental health problems.

It’s a myth that smoking improves mood

Why do smokers (with and without mental health problems) falsely believe smoking improves their mood? Scientists think it’s because they confuse the ability of cigarettes to abolish nicotine withdrawal as a beneficial effect on their mental health. Smokers tend to feel irritable, anxious and down when they haven’t smoked for a while and these unpleasant feelings are temporarily reversed when they light up a cigarette. That creates the impression that it’s the smoking that has improved their mood, when in fact it’s smoking that caused the psychological disturbances in the first place.

The mental health benefits of quitting smoking

Studies show that people's anxiety, depression and stress levels are lower after they stop smoking when compared with those who carry on smoking and that their quality of life and mood improves.

Want to quit smoking? Contact Peterborough Healthy Lifestyles service on freephone 0800 376 56 55. Did you know that you're up to four times more likely to quit successfully with their expert help and advice?