Smoking is a fairly common habit that is very hard to break. However, if you do become able to stop smoking, you’ll notice a lot of changes to your body.
Smoking is a known cause of cancer, heart disease, stroke, and lung infections, just to name a few. By quitting smoking, you can help protect your health, which can really put a dent in all your concerns.
However, smoking does have a lot of other side effects that can be hard to deal with right away.
Here are some of the ways that smoking can affect your body.
Tobacco use can be harmful to your lungs
Smoking is a known risk factor for lung diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD is a lung disease that is characterized by long-term problems with breathing.
Even if you don’t smoke, you’re at risk for developing COPD. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) estimates that 35.5 million Americans have COPD.
The longer you smoke, the more likely you are to develop the disease.
There are also two other ways that smoking can affect your lungs.
Inhaled smoke irritates your lungs
Smoking is known to cause lung damage. The more you smoke, the more likely you are to be exposed to some of the many harmful chemicals in cigarettes.
The chemicals in cigarettes can irritate your lungs. This causes inflammation and over time can lead to lung disease.
Smoking is a known risk factor for lung infections
Smoking is known to affect your immune system. This can cause you to become sick more easily.
Smoking has been shown to increase the risk of certain lung infections, such as pneumonia, tuberculosis, and influenza.
Smoking causes heart disease
Smoking is a known risk factor for heart disease. This means that smoking a pack or more a day for 30 years is associated with higher risk of heart disease.
There are four types of heart disease, and each one is caused by a different kind of heart problem.
- Arrhythmia (abnormal heartbeat)
- Cardiomyopathy (heart muscle disease)
- Cardiothoracic aneurysm (a ballooning of the wall of the heart that puts pressure on the heart and may lead to failure)
- Coronary artery disease (narrowing of the arteries to the heart)
The more cigarettes you smoke, the higher the risk of heart disease.
Smoking can also affect your blood vessels
Smoking is known to cause damage to your blood vessels, which can lead to a variety of health issues.
Some of the effects of smoking can include:
- High blood pressure
- Heart attack
- Stroke
- Heart failure
- Coronary artery disease
- Cardiomegaly (enlargement of the heart)
- Cardiomyopathy
- Myocarditis
- Pulmonary embolism (blood clot in the lung)
- Peripheral arterial disease (narrowing of the arteries to the legs and arms)
- Heart arrhythmia (abnormal heartbeat)
Some of these effects are reversible. For example, smoking may lower your blood pressure and improve your heart health.
However, some of the effects are permanent. For example, you may develop heart disease or heart failure if you smoke for a long time.
Smoking can make you feel sick
Smoking may cause some of the same health effects on your body that smoking has on your lungs.
For example, smoking may increase your risk of heart disease or make your heart attack worse.
Smoking can make you feel sick. For example, smoking may make you feel tired, cause a headache, or cause indigestion. Smoking also can make you feel sick to your stomach, cause a cough, or cause your throat to burn or feel scratchy.
This can happen because smoking irritates or damages the respiratory system.
If you smoke, you may also experience a cough. Coughing is a natural reaction that helps keep your airways open.
These coughing fits can be very uncomfortable and may make it hard to breathe. Some people are very sensitive to the chemicals in tobacco smoke.
Smoking can make you feel irritable
Smoking can make you feel irritable and angry.
The chemicals in tobacco smoke can irritate your respiratory system, which can make you feel very sick to your stomach. This is especially true if you’re sensitive to the chemicals.
Smoking can also interfere with your sleep.
People who smoke often have a harder time getting a good night’s sleep. This is because smoking makes them feel more tired at night.
Smoking can make you feel dizzy
Smoking can make you feel dizzy. This can be especially true if you’re sensitive to the dizzying effects of nicotine.
Smoking can also make you feel sick to your stomach, which may make you feel dizzy.
If you smoke, you may have trouble concentrating and be unable to focus. This can make it hard for you to finish tasks or even to be productive.
Smoking can make your skin cold or dry
Smoking can make your skin dry and cause a burning feeling. This is because nicotine is a stimulant and a drug that produces a rush.
The chemicals in tobacco smoke can also irritate your skin and make it look patchy.
You may even develop eczema or a red rash from smoking.
People who smoke often have a dry mouth, which means they can’t get enough saliva in their mouth.
Smoking can worsen your cough
Smoking can irritate your lungs and cause you to cough more. This is how you get smoking-related lung diseases.
Smoking can also make you cough more easily.
Coughing is a natural reaction that helps you get rid of irritants and cleanse your airways.
Coughing fits may occur when you smoke because you’re exposed to irritants in your lungs.
Smoking can lead to lung infections
Smoking can increase the chance of developing a respiratory infection, such as the common cold or flu.
Some people who smoke have pneumonia or bronchitis.
This means that people who smoke are more likely to get pneumonia or bronchitis.
How to quit smoking?
Quitting smoking is a very complex process.
You need to get to a place where you can think clearly and decide to stop.
The first step to quitting smoking is avoiding it. You should try to avoid all the places that you can smoke, such as at home, at work, or while you’re traveling.
You should also avoid using tobacco products whenever possible. This includes:
- Avoiding tobacco products at home when you can.
- Making your own alternative to tobacco products.
- Using an alternative, such as e-cigarettes, that don’t contain tobacco.
- Limiting how much you smoke when you’re around people who smoke.
- Making other changes to your lifestyle that will help you to quit.
Once you’re no longer exposed to cigarettes, you can try to make the decision to quit.
Here are some tips for quitting:
- Set a quit date.
- Make a list of your reasons for wanting to quit.
- Identify your triggers.
- Identify your cravings.
Epilogue
Smoking can cause many health problems, including:
- Lung disease
- Heart disease
- Cancer
- Brain disease
- Diabetes
- Emphysema
- Allergies
- Asthma
- Pneumonia
- Bronchitis
- Ear infections
- Urinary tract infection
- Headache
- Sinus infections
- Skin infections
- Depression
- Seizures
- Vertigo
- Memory loss
- Weight loss
- Fatigue
- Headaches
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