What Are 11 Bad Things About Smoking?

Medically Reviewed on3/23/2022

11 harmful effects of smoking

What are 11 bad things about smoking
Smoking is harmful to one’s health and may pose the following eleven negative side effects.

Smokingharms a person's health, financial well-being, personal life, and the health of those around them. According to surveys and clinical investigations,smokingcigarettes poses several health concerns to humans.

Eleven negative side effects ofsmokinginclude:

  1. Cancer:
    • Tobacco use is one of the primary causes of mortality due tolung cancerworldwide. Carcinogenic particles in smoke increasesmokers' chance of getting malignancies of the:
      • Lungs
      • Head and neck
      • Bladder
      • Pancreas
      • Kidney
      • Uterus
      • Cervix
  2. Autoimmune disorders:
    • Smoking weakens the immune system, making the body more susceptible to infections and illnesses. As a result, smokers are more susceptible to respiratory illnesses.
    • It causes various autoimmune disorders, includingrheumatoid arthritisand Crohn's disease. It increases flare-ups in autoimmune diseases.
  3. Type IIdiabetes:
    • Clinical data indicate a relationship between type IIdiabetesand smoking. According to findings, smokers are 30 to 40 percent more likely than nonsmokers to develop type IIdiabetes.
  4. Agingand skin:
    • Smoking can affect your appearance. Many smokers claim that the effect on their appearance was one of the factors that led them toquit smoking.
    • Smoking alters the structure of your skin, increasing your risk ofwrinkles.
    • Smokers in their 40s may have the same number ofwrinklesas nonsmokers in their sixties. These are most noticeable around your eyes and mouth. Your skin may become pale and gray as a result of smoking.
  5. Smoking andfertility:
    • Both men and women can becomeinfertile由于吸烟。Breathinginsecondhand smokefrom smokers around you may affect your ability to conceive.
    • Men who smoke are more likely to have sperm that is damaged and incapable of fertilizing an egg.
    • Men who smoke are at a higher risk oferectile dysfunctionthan those who don’t.
    • Women who smoke take longer than nonsmokers to becomepregnant. They may experiencemenopauseearlier than nonsmokers.
    • Smoking can affect the success of fertility treatments such as in-vitrofertilization.
  6. Lung diseases:
  7. 心attackandstroke:
    • Smoking constricts blood arteries, limiting blood flow to theheart, brain, and other vital organs.
    • It increases the risk ofblood clotsin the legs and lungs.
    • 吸烟者更容易患心脏病rstrokeas a result of their smoking habits.
  8. Complications for pregnant women:
    • Pregnant women who smoke or are exposed tosecondhand smokeare more likely to have difficulties duringchildbirth.
    • This may lead to various congenital diseases in their children.
  9. Premature deaths:
    • Because of the related health hazards, such as respiratorycancerandvascular disease, smoking causes early death.
    • The lifespan of smokers is cut by at least 10 years compared with that of nonsmokers.
    • Cigarette smokingis responsible for more than five million deaths per year, according to the World Health Organization.
  10. Health dangers of secondhand smoke:
    • 即使你不是a smoker, secondhand smoke contains hazardous metals, carcinogens, and dangerous chemicals that can harm you.
    • People who are exposed to secondhand smoke are at a high risk of the majority of the diseases and health issues linked with firsthand smoking.
  11. Air pollution due to smoking:
    • Secondhand smoke contains carbon dioxide, methane, and other unpleasant compounds, which contribute to air pollution.
    • Although methane and carbon dioxide are not fatal to smokers, they do contribute to overall air pollution.
    • Every year, smoking emits roughly 2.6 billion kilograms of CO2 and 5.2 billion kilograms of methane into the environment. This paints a clear picture of how smoking contributes to climate change on its own.
    • As previously stated, secondhand smoke creates indirect health dangers such ascancerto other people and animals.

How smoking effects mental health?

When someone smokes, nicotine enters their brain in about 10 seconds. Initially, nicotine enhances mood and focus, reducesaggressionand tension, relaxes muscles, and reduces appetite.

  • Regular nicotine doses cause changes in the brain, which cause nicotine withdrawal symptoms when the supply of nicotine is depleted.
  • Smoking alleviates these withdrawal symptoms for a short time and might strengthen the habit.
  • Most smokers become nicotine dependent through this cycle.

Smoking and stress

  • Some people smoke as a form of “self-medication” to relievestress.
  • However, studies have reported that smoking increasesanxietyand tension.
  • Because nicotine produces an immediate sense of relaxation, individuals smoke in the mistaken notion that it reduces tension andanxiety.
  • This sensation is fleeting and is quickly followed by withdrawal symptoms and increasing desires.
  • Smoking alleviates withdrawal symptoms but does nothing to alleviateanxietyor address the underlying causes of such feelings.

Smoking and depression

  • Adults who aredepressedare two times as likely to end up smoking. Because most people start smoking before they show signs of sadness, it's unclear if smoking causesdepressionordepressioncauses them to start smoking.
  • Nicotine causes the neurotransmitterdopamineto be released in the brain. Dopamine is involved in the elicitation of happy emotions.
  • Dopamine is frequently discovered to be low in people withdepression. Such people may then turn to cigarettes to temporarily increase their dopamine supply.
  • However, smoking causes the brain to turn off its own process for producing dopamine, resulting in a decline in supply over time, prompting smokers to smoke more.
  • People withdepressionmay have a harder time quitting smoking and experience more severe withdrawal symptoms.
  • If you decide to quit, keep in mind that there is plenty of help available you don't have to go through it alone.

Smoking and schizophrenia

  • People withschizophreniaare three times more likely than the general population to smoke, and they tend to smoke more heavily.
  • This is most likely because people withschizophreniause smoking to control or manage some of the symptoms of their condition and to lessen some of the negative effects of their medication.
  • According to a recent study, smoking may increase the risk ofschizophrenia. However, more research is required to completely comprehend how the two are related.

QUESTION

What are opioids used to treat?See Answer

What happens when you quit smoking?

You might notice the benefits of better health sooner than you think:

  • After 20 minutes, your heart rate andblood pressurewill begin to return to normal.
  • After two to three days, your sense of smell and taste will begin to improve.
  • After 2 to 12 weeks, breathing will begin to improve, andexercisemay become easier.
  • After one year, the risk of a heart attack is half compared with that of a smoker.

Quitting smoking has other benefits such as:

  • Fresher breath andwhiter teeth
  • Younger-looking skin
  • More energy and lessfatigueandheadache
  • The immune system will find it easier to fight off colds andflu
  • Sex drive may increase, and it can improve your fertility
  • You will protect the health of your children, family, and friends

It is never too late to reap the benefits of quitting smoking. If a man quits smoking before the age of 30 years, he will live an additional 10 years. Many people will gain three years of life if they stop smoking before the age of 60 years. Being a nonsmoker can increase your chances of remaining physically active and healthy as you age.

Medically Reviewed on3/23/2022
References
Image Source: iStock Images

Health Effects: https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/health_effects/index.htm#:

Health Risks of Smoking Tobacco: https://www.cancer.org/healthy/stay-away-from-tobacco/health-risks-of-tobacco/health-risks-of-smoking-tobacco.html

10 Health Effects Caused by Smoking You Didn't Know About: https://www.lung.org/research/sotc/by-the-numbers/10-health-effects-caused-by-smoking

吸烟的危害和健康的好处Quitting: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/tobacco/cessation-fact-sheet

More than 100 reasons to quit tobacco: https://www.paho.org/en/more-100-reasons-quit-tobacco