Scientists Reveal 10-Minute Trick to Reduce Cravings When Quitting Smoking

If quitting smoking is on your list of New Year's resolutions, you may be in luck: scientists have found a way to reduce cravings and alleviate withdrawal symptoms. And it only takes 10 minutes.

Smoking tobacco is the leading cause of preventable disease, disability and death in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As of 2021, 11.5 percent of U.S. adults smoked cigarettes, but of these smokers, over half report having made an attempt to quit in the past year. Unfortunately, fewer than 1 in 10 succeed in quitting every year.

But don't let that put you off. New research from the University of Innsbruck in Austria has found that exercising for just 10 minutes—in fresh air or indoors—can reduce cravings and alleviate withdrawal symptoms in those who have temporarily quit smoking.

"There are several studies on the effect of indoor exercise sessions on temporarily abstinent smokers, ours is the first to include outdoor activity," first author Stefanie Schöttl, a doctoral student at the Department of Sport Science at the University of Innsbruck, said in a statement.

For the study, which was published in the journal Psychopharmacology, 16 smokers were asked to go without smoking overnight. The following day, participants were randomly assigned one of three activities for 10 minutes: a brisk walk outdoors, the same activity on an indoor treadmill, and sitting down.

"We randomized all participants and subjected them to all conditions with corresponding treatment-free phases in order to exclude individual preferences," Martin Kopp, professor of sport and exercise psychology, said.

Before, during and after each treatment, the participants were asked about their cravings, withdrawal symptoms and mood. They also reported how much time elapsed before their next cigarette.

What they found was that cravings were reduced in both the indoor and outdoor exercise groups compared to the control group, and the same applied for withdrawal symptoms and general well-being.

"Another—albeit not significant—difference between indoor and outdoor exercise sessions is the time that passes before the next cigarette," said Schöttl. The time elapsed was 17 minutes for the indoor group and 26 minutes for the outdoor group. "This is a trend that still needs to be verified in future experiments," Kopp said.

While more work and larger study cohorts will be required to confirm this trend, the study represents a glimmer of hope for those trying to quit smoking in the new year and beyond.

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