Health effects of smoking on your body

Tobacco is extremely dangerous for your health and body. No matter how rarely or less you smoke, even low tobacco consumption can have long term effects. There are no safe or sensible ways to consume or smoke tobacco. Tobacco has toxins and chemicals such as acetone, tar, and nicotine which affect your lungs, skin, health and body.

Smoking is an addiction that can be difficult to quit. It can leave damaging effects on your body even years after quitting. While some symptoms or effects take time to appear, there are immediate harmful effects of smoking on your body. Replacing your cigarette with a rolled cigarette, hookah, or cigar isn’t going to help either. To mitigate the damage caused by smoking, you need to completely quit it. Cigarettes contain 600 ingredients, a majority of which are harmful and poisonous for your body. At least 69 of these ingredients have been linked to cancer. In the United States, the mortality rate for smokers is three times that of people who never smoked. Smoking is the most preventable cause of death for the majority of the global population. Countries across the world have trying to designate public areas as no-smoking zones in a bid to discourage smokers.

Respiratory System- When you inhale smoke, you are taking in substances that damage your lungs. You will notice first time smokers coughing immediately after inhaling smoke. This is your body telling you to stop. People who smoke are at an increased risk of chronic nonreversible lung conditions such as emphysema, bronchitis, lung cancer, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Children who grow up around smokers have a higher risk of asthma, respiratory diseases, cough, and pneumonia. Once you quit, there will be initial discomfort and increased congestion as lungs and airway begins to heal. Mucus production will increase right after quitting which is your body’s positive response and indication that your respiratory system is healing.

Cardiovascular System- While everybody is aware that smoking damages the respiratory system; most of us are unaware that it also hampers our cardiovascular system. Nicotine causes blood vessels to tighten, which restricts the flow of the blood. As you continue smoking regularly, this damage increases and affects your arteries, causing peripheral artery disease. Smoking also is a culprit of high blood pressure; it weakens blood vessel walls, and increases blood clots. These factors culminate in a high risk of stroke. For patients already suffering from heart disease or damage, this will speed up damage and cause further sickness. Passive smokers are at an equally high risk of heart disease, as exposure to secondhand smoke is as bad as smoking personally.

Skin and Hair- Smoking immediately shows up on our skin and hair, affecting our appearance externally. It causes deep damage and hampers our skin quality. Substances present in tobacco and smoke can change the quality of our skin. Smoking causes wrinkles, sagging, poor skin, and dullness. It leads to yellow teeth, quick tooth decay, and yellowing of nails. Smoking also causes brittle hair and hair fall. The chances of getting fungal nail infections are higher for smokers.

Digestive System- Smokers who smoke but don’t inhale or smokers have an increased risk of mouth cancer. Smoking affects insulin which makes it more likely for smokers to develop insulin resistance. That puts smokers at an increased risk of Type 2 Diabetes. Smoking also increases the risk of throat, larynx, and esophagus cancer. Smokers will be at a high risk of pancreatic cancer.

Central Nervous System- Nicotine is a mood-altering substance. It reaches your brain in seconds and makes you feel more energized for a while. But that effect wears off in a while. Then you feel tired, cranky, and craving another cigarette. Nicotine is extremely addictive which is what makes smoking cigarettes habitual and difficult to quit.

Physical withdrawal from nicotine can impair your cognitive functioning. It can cause anxiety, irritation, depression, and fatigue. Withdrawal from nicotine can also lead to headaches, insomnia, and poor quality of sleep.

Hormonal Imbalance- Men and women who smoke regularly will experience short and long-term fertility issues. Women who smoke regularly will see a hormonal imbalance and disruptions in periods and fertility. Smoking can cause erectile dysfunction in men, decreased sexual desire in women, and an inability to reach orgasm. It lowers sex hormones in men and women.

Quitting smoking is one of the best things you can do for your health. If it feels impossible or difficult then reach out to an expert or try medication which assist with withdrawal symptoms. The damages caused by smoking and tobacco are extreme and unbeatable. This is why prevention is better than cure when we talk about tobacco and smoking. Non-smokers will be able to fight disease, old age, and illness better and effectively than smokers at any age.