Our lives are so fast-paced that we often miss out on noticing the gravity of our addictions, if there is one. For example, smoking addiction is seen as common today as millions of people depend on cigarettes to cope with stress and anxiety. Rarely do they notice that smoking is exactly what is causing great misery though it gives short term pleasure for a while.
Understanding the consequences of smoking in each system is crucial and seeking timely medical attention at Elmhurst urgent care facilities is essential for addressing related health concerns. By comprehending the impact of smoking on different body systems, individuals can take proactive steps towards quitting and accessing the necessary healthcare services.
In this article, you will see how smoking as an addiction affects all parts of the human body. Also, did you know tobacco present in cigarettes contains 3000 toxic chemicals which can wreak havoc to your health? We will start by seeing how cigarettes affect one of the precious systems of your body, the respiratory system. So, let us begin.
Respiratory System
Cigarettes damage your respiratory system first before they start attacking other organs. When you inhale tobacco smoke, your lung airways become narrower and excess mucus starts getting deposited in lung passages. This causes breathing problems like breathlessness, irritation in the trachea and reduced lung functioning.
The individual also is at risk of infection and other chronic irreversible lung conditionings. This includes Emphysema, the destruction of air sacs in lungs, chronic bronchitis, an inflammation that affects breathing tubes, and lung cancer as well.
Cardiovascular System
Cardiovascular system or simply, circulatory system is a system of organs that include heart, blood vessels and blood. Cigarette smoking can hamper the functioning of this system terribly. What happens is the nicotine in the tobacco causes the blood vessels to tighten which restricts the flow of blood. Overtime, this narrowing of the vessels puts the individual at greater risk of peripheral artery disease.
Smoking also raises blood pressure, increases blood clots, and these things together can cause stroke in the person as well.
Digestive System
Cigarette smoking increases the risk of mouth, throat, larynx as well as esophagus cancer and all these body parts are associated with your digestive system. Even smokers who just “smoke but don’t inhale” are also at a higher risk of getting mouth cancer. Besides, smokers are also more likely to contract pancreatic cancer.
Another worrying factor for smokers is that cigarettes may have an effect on their insulin levels, as smoking is known to increase insulin resistance as well. This puts them more in danger of type 2 diabetes, which they can contract way quickly as compared to non-smokers.
Reproductive System
Did you know that nicotine in cigarettes affects blood flow to the genital areas of both men and women? Talking about men, smoking can cause sexual health problems like erectile dysfunctioning and decreased libido. Women, on the other hand, will face an increased risk of delayed pregnancy or even worse, infertility. So you can see how smoking as a whole affects the reproductive health of both men and women.
Integumentary System
The Integumentary System is essentially your body’s outer layer, which includes your skin, nails, hair, glands and the nerves on your skin. When you indulge in smoking, the tobacco in the cigarettes changes the whole structure of the skin. Studies have also shown that smoking dramatically increases the risk of squamous cell carcinoma, a type of skin cancer.
How to Quit Smoking?
Though smoking is like any other hardcore addiction, it does leave individuals addicted to with in a terrible disadvantgage. The problem with quitting smoking through the cold turkey method is that one can experience painful withdrawal symptoms which is quite commonly seen as well. Smokers who try to quit through these methods may be trapped in a vicious cycle of failures which can result in self-loathing and low-self esteem.
In order to quit smoking smoothly, one can try vaping which incorporates a gadget known as e-cigarettes that entirely avoids the harmful tobacco from itself. There are different kinds of vape available which users can choose according to the flavors they like.
In a Nutshell,
You have seen how smoking does harm to almost all organs of a human body and how it is indeed an addiction to end as soon as possible. As you are aware of the danger cigarettes pose to you, it will act as a great motivation for you to quit and also prevent you from going back after a relapse, if it occurs.
