Many employers would like ways to help their workforce improve their health, and a common target is smoking cessation.
When you think of how smoking influences health, it’s common to think of harm to the lungs. It’s rare that we consider brain function as a major target of cigarette smoking.
Alternatively, when we think about why individuals light up, it’s clear the brain plays a role. After all, smoking is highly addictive. Smokers often describe a poor mood or feelings of irritability right before their cigarette breaks.
Perceptions of stress are higher when we endure feelings of uncertainty or lack of control in our lives. It can be more intense when coupled with low confidence or navigating change. Stress is often given as a top motivator for seeking cigarettes. Many smokers fear that quitting will hurt their ability to manage stress, and it is a barrier to quitting. But does stress really lead to more cigarette use, and do cigarettes alleviate this uncomfortable state?
The answer to this question may surprise you. Smokers really do return to a calmer state of mind within seconds of inhaling cigarette smoke. Neuroscience studies suggest that smoking temporarily reduces arousal. This leads to a brief relaxation response, even though heart rates tend to remain elevated due to smoke inhalation. Smoking reduces anxiety in regular smokers. The conclusion that “smoking perhaps relieves stress” has some merit, and is aligned with findings that cigarettes reduce negative emotions.
Even the tobacco industry has capitalized on this stress reduction message. They paid for the help of Hans Selye. He’s the “father of stress” and a 10-time Nobel nominee, to further distract from the health consequences. His message is to promote cigarettes as a form of “healthy distraction” from life’s stressors. The tobacco industry used marketing to appeal to adolescents looking to hook them young and reinforce the habit of smoking. After all, they note in internal memos, a young cigarette addict spends more on their products than someone who starts smoking later in life. Internal tobacco industry documents mention that “young adults face multiple life transitions” that could “invite the use of cigarettes” and “provide opportunities for adoption of smoking.”
What the industry doesn’t say is that smokers may experience more mood swings between cigarettes. Smoking is responsible for causing part of the problem (stress) they are used to address. In fact, the symptoms of anxiety, depression and feelings of anger arise “as soon as 3 hours post smoking cessation,” underscoring the severity of symptoms that accompany those trying to quit as they withdraw from nicotine.
When an employee is able to successfully quit smoking, their mental health begins to improve within weeks. A systematic review says that quitters can relieve symptoms of anxiety compared to those who continue to smoke.
What about the symptoms of depression? Other studies on tobacco cessation reveal that when smokers quit, their baseline level of depression symptoms drops. The authors followed up with smokers who were trying to quit to see how depression severity changed. At 1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-months after quitting, depression symptoms were not worsened if the individual successfully quit. Instead, the data reveal that those who have depression symptoms and keep smoking can expect their symptoms to worsen over time. If they quit, however, they can expect their symptoms to be less severe.
There are many reasons for this, including the simple fact that achieving one’s health goals is satisfying and confidence-inspiring. Many smokers are well aware of the health issues they may be causing themselves and others, and negative feelings are a common result of the frustration of lacking self-control. A common loop described in the neuroscience literature is smoking for brief relaxation and resolution of cravings, followed by guilt or shame. These self-doubts lead to a desire for a mood boost, which cigarettes provide for a short time. When mental health worsens, it predicts two to four-times the cigarette use by smokers.
Also, the feel-good brain chemical that alleviates depression is low in smokers. This specific molecule (BDNF) is crucial for avoiding anxiety and depression. The good news is that when smokers quit the habit, their BDNF levels bounce back, which may help explain the return of a more pleasant state of mind! The same increase in BDNF also occurs during the “exercise high” in those who workout regularly or in those taking some antidepressant medications, so quitting cigarettes represents another route to better mental health. Smoking cessation has such a strong effect on mood that one meta-analysis concluded that the effects “are equal or larger than those of antidepressant treatment for mood and anxiety disorders.”
Treo Wellness can help. When you offer personalized virtual health coaching to your employees, they have an opportunity to focus on the health habit that is most important to them right now. For some, that may be smoking cessation. With one-on-one private health coaching, your employees can get the accountability and support they need to tackle their toughest health habits. Curious how Treo Wellness can support your employee wellness program? Contact us at info@treowellness.com to learn more!
As Treo’s Global Wellness Researcher, Karlie uses recent research findings to support healthier daily habits. Karlie earned her doctorate in Neuroscience and Behavior and bachelors in Health and Exercise Science.
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