Study: Short Walks Reduce Cigarette Cravings as Well as Nicotine Patch
|
Craving a smoke? Take a walk, say researchers. And it doesn't even have to be a long one--just five minutes of exercise has been found to dramatically reduce the intensity of cigarette cravings, according to a new study published in the journal Addiction.
Researchers tested various forms of exercise for different amounts of time and found that the intensity and duration of the activity were of little importance. As little as five minutes of moderate exercise--the equivalent of a quick walk around the block--was shown to lower cravings for up to 50 minutes. "What's surprising is the strength of the effect," said Dr. Robert West, professor of health psychology at University College London. West was not involved in the review. "They found that the acute effects of exercise were as effective as a nicotine patch," he said.Read more: Burn off your cigarette addiction with exercise ABSTRACT: The acute effects of exercise on cigarette cravings, withdrawal symptoms, affect and smoking behaviour: a systematic review SHARE:
Posted In: Nicotine Addiction - Smoking | Tags: Smoking | Exercise | Walks | Cigarette Cravings | Posted by FindCounseling.com Staff on March 14, 2007 at 04:54 AM | Permalink |
AboutThis page contains a single entry from Psychology Briefs, the FindCounseling.com Blog. The previous post was Article: Is America Overmedicating Its Foster Children?. The next post is Proposed DSM Addition to Cover Symptoms of Childhood Trauma. Many more can be found on the main index page or by looking through the Psychology Research Archives. Subscribe              ATOM RSS |
