What Are The Effects Of Smoking On Health?
What Are The Effects Of Smoking On Health?
May 6, 2024 by adminIt does not matter how you smoke tobacco; it is bad for your health. From acetone and nicotine to tar and carbon monoxide, tobacco consists of only bad substances. These substances when you inhale not only affect your lungs but they affect your whole body significantly.
Smoking can cause several on-going complications in your body. In addition, smoking has many long-term ill effects on various systems in your body. While smoking increases your risk of developing health problems over the years, a few of the bodily effects show up almost immediately.
Cigarettes, which contain as many as 600 ingredients, generate over 7,000 chemicals when they burn. Many of these chemicals are poisonous. Besides, at least 69 of these chemicals have been linked to cancer. However, the good news is that you can reverse many of the ill effects by quitting smoking. You can consult with the best heart specialist doctor in Chennai to confirm the same.
Having said that, let us understand the effects of smoking on your health.
Central Nervous System:
Nicotine, an ingredient present in tobacco, is a potential mood-altering drug. This chemical reaches your brain in a matter of seconds and makes you feel energized for a short period of time. However, as the effect starts to reduce, you will feel tired and crave more. Nicotine is a habit-forming substance, and that makes it difficult for you to quit smoking. Many studies have revealed that the chances of smokers experiencing depression, anxiety, and other mental disorders are higher compared to non-smokers.
Respiratory System:
Cigarette smoke that you inhale also contains substances which can cause damage to your lungs. This can cause a lot of problems in your life later. In addition to frequent infections, you are at a higher risk of contracting chronic non-reversible lung conditions like:
- Emphysema – The damage caused to the air sacs within your lungs
- Chronic bronchitis – It is an inflammation that impairs the lining of your breathing tubes in the lungs
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease – a group of lung diseases
- Lung cancer
Children of parents who smoke are more susceptible to wheezing, coughing, and asthma attacks than the children of non-smokers. In addition, they often have higher rates of bronchitis and pneumonia. Tobacco use is responsible for nearly 90% of COPD and lung cancer deaths. Even second-hand smoking can cause death from lung cancer.
Cardiovascular System:
Smoking can cause significant damage to your cardiovascular system. As nicotine tends to tighten blood vessels, the blood flow through them becomes restricted. This, in turn, reduces the oxygen supply to the heart and other parts of the body. The narrowing of the blood vessels leads to peripheral artery disease. Besides, smoking weakens the walls of blood vessels, raises blood pressure, and causes blood clots. All these things work together to increase your risk of suffering a stroke. If you have already had a heart attack, a stent has been placed in one of your blood vessels, or have undergone bypass surgery, smoking can worsen your condition.
Integumentary System (Hair, Skin, And Nails):
Substances present in tobacco can change your skin’s structure. According to a recent study, smoking increases the risk of skin cancer (squamous cell carcinoma) significantly. Furthermore, smoking increases the chances of nail fungal infections. Besides, smoking is also the primary for hair loss, greying, and balding in some cases.
Digestive System:
It is a known fact that smoking raises the risk of throat, larynx, mouth, and oesophagus cancer. The incidence of pancreatic cancer is high among smokers. Even individuals who smoke but do not inhale are subjectable to suffer from mouth cancer. Smoking can also lead to insulin resistance, putting you at risk of developing type 2 diabetes and related complications, which often progress at a faster rate compared to those who don’t smoke.
Reproductive System:
Nicotine can reduce the circulation of blood to the genital area of both women and men. This tends to decrease the sexual performance of men. This leads to sexual dissatisfaction in women as lubrication and the chances of reaching orgasm are reduced. Furthermore, smoking can also lower the levels of sex hormones in both women and men.
Muscular And Skeletal Systems:
Studies have shown that smokers have lower bone density than nonsmokers. This means that the chances of smokers developing osteoporosis are very high. This, in turn, increases the risk of suffering fractures and slows down your bone’s healing process. Besides, smoking is known to increase the vulnerability of your muscles to diseases and injuries. In particular, vertebral and back injuries have been linked to tobacco smoking.
Other Effects Of Smoking Include:
Infections:
Smoking can disrupt your immune system as it enhances free radical activity in your body. This means you will be more prone to all types of viral and bacterial infections. Urinary tract infections are common among long-time smokers. If you are suffering from UTIs frequently, you must visit the best urologist in Chrompet to find out if it is due to smoking.
Dental problems:
The risk of tooth loss, gum disease, and development of tooth sensitivity increases due to smoking. If you have a gum problem, smoking makes it difficult for your gums to heal.
Hearing loss:
As smoking tends to reduce the flow of blood to your inner ears, you may suffer hearing loss in due course. Smokers may often lose their hearing faster than those who don’t smoke.
Vision loss:
Smoking is known to hasten macular degeneration, one of the leading causes of blindness in people around the world.
If you are finding it difficult to quit smoking, your doctor may help you by devising a plan. Ask your doctor for advice. Different types of medications that are helpful in quitting smoking are available today. Quitting smoking offers both short-term and long-term benefits. Since smoking can affect each and every system in your body, it is a good idea to find an effective way to quit smoking. This is the first and most important step you need to take if you want to live longer and happier. You can visit the best cancer hospital in Chennai and talk to a specialist to understand the bad effects of smoking. Sometimes, this might encourage you to quit!
Sugam Hospital
Sugam Hospital in North Chennai has technologically advanced facilities and an ultramodern operation theatre complex. The only hospital in this area to be approved for renal transplantation surgeries offers state-of-the-art care and treatment in specialities, including neurology, urology, orthopaedics, ophthalmology, dentistry, general and laparoscopic, dermatology, cardiology, radiology, oncology, critical care, paediatrics, nephrology, ENT, and gynaecology and obstetrics. The facilities available in the hospital include NICU, laboratory, blood bank, and pharmacy that operate round the clock. Our radiology department also works 24/7. Other facilities at Sugam Hospital include TMT, dialysis, echocardiogram, video endoscopy and colonoscopy, EEG, whole-body colour Doppler scans, and physiotherapy.
The ISO 9001/2000 certified (RWTUV India Pvt Ltd.) Sugam Hospital has been approved to provide treatment in all key specialties under the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s comprehensive health scheme. The hospital has been approved by the central government for providing treatment to employees under CGHS, medical-legal and trauma cases, and employees and pensioners of the state government.