Feelings of fatigue, irritability and an extremely persistent headache are all side effects of nicotine withdrawal and are all perfectly normal. Why? Simply because it is in the first 72 hours which nicotine purges itself from your system - regardless of the stop smoking method you have chosen to use.

The trick is to make preparations prior to your stop smoking day so that these feelings will not make you feel that you have to alienate yourself from the rest of the world. One good step to take would be to let the people in your household in on your efforts (only if you feel they will help you, not hinder you). You might get a bonus and end up with the house all to yourself, just in case you get a little uptight.

What are the symptoms of withdrawal? What are you going to feel? By planning beforehand, you can alleviate a lot of these problems before they arise. Here are a few things you may want to include on your list:

Angry or agitated: I will find a task to take my mind off the fact that I can't smoke.

Feeling overly emotional or sensitive: I will find a few moments for myself.

Feeling tired: I will allow myself to take a nap or lounge around for the day.

Feeling nauseated: I will drink a glass of water (helps with nausea, as do apples and ginger).

After a meal I will: get out and take a walk, or clear the table.

Drinking lots and lots of fluids, especially water, is a great way to clear the nicotine from your system as the fluids will metabolize your body's chemical stores. Side effects, at worse, are more frequent bathroom breaks and a water-logged stomach. The upside is that the faster the nicotine leaves your system, the sooner the physical symptoms will subside.

A few things can make the withdrawal symptoms stronger rather than weaker. Caffeine may be one of those. But not for all people. Every situation is unique. Best to judge for yourself. If you are finding that caffeinated drinks are causing you cravings, you should cut down drastically or quit altogether.

Just be careful not to overload your willpower by giving up too many things at once. Perhaps just cut back slowly on the caffeine in the beginning and replace those types of drinks with things that will help rid your body of the nicotine, like fruit juices and water.

Another common side effect of stopping smoking is the inability to fall asleep or to stay soundly asleep. Regardless of how tired you might have been throughout the day, it seems like your mind won't shut down for the evening and comfort is nowhere to be found.

Taking a nice hot shower or a soothing bath, just prior to going to bed can be very helpful and can help you become relaxed enough to fall asleep. Normally, this will only last one or two nights at the most, but if it becomes persistent, you may want to consider taking an over-the-counter sleep aid for a night or two. Your sleeplessness won't last for long.

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