If you think the effect of smoking is not immediate then have got bad news for you. Smoking just a single cigarette a day has its effects on the body system which makes you consider to best stop smoking aids.
Firstly, identify what category of smoking you fall into. There are three types of smokers and those who fall into the heavy category are more susceptible to the effects earlier on than others:
- Light smokers consume fewer than 10 cigarettes daily.
- Heavy smokers smoke a pack or more in a day.
- While an average smoker falls between a light and heavy smoker.
Smoking affects your body system negatively. while some effects take time to manifest in your body, others occur instantly. The following are the immediate effects of smoking on your body system:
- Smoking contributes to heart disease, making you prone to heart attack.
- Smoking leads to persistent coughing commonly referred to as smoker’s cough.
- Male and Female smokers are more likely to experience fertility issues compared to people who don’t smoke.
Yes, that was just a skeleton approach of the negative effects of smoking on your body system.
However, let’s examine how smoking affects the following body system:
- Digestive System
- Integumentary System
- Central Nervous System
- Reproductive System
- Respiratory System
Digestive System
Smoking causes mouth, oesophagus and throat cancer. However, smokers who don’t inhale also face the effect of throat or mouth cancer. It also damages the gums, making your teeth brown also leading to difficulty in the chewing process.
Integumentary System
In the early stage of smoking, you experience changes in the skin such as redness, itching or sore, which are symptoms of skin cancer. Additionally, you are prone to fungal nail infection, hair loss and balding as a result of the nicotine in cigarettes.
Central Nervous System
The nicotine in cigarettes makes your brain active and it wears off after a short period of time causing you to crave for more which makes it difficult for you to quit smoking.
Respiratory System
Nicotine disorients the blood flow process to genital areas in both male and female, which decreases the sexual performance of a man, whereas for women it leads to sexual dissatisfaction as a result of lower sex hormones and decreased sexual desire.
Respiratory System
Smoking narrows your lung airways which affect how your lungs function causing difficulties in breathing. It causes irritation to your voice box and it damages the air sacs of your lungs.
Each effect of smoking depicts how dangerous the act is. However, if you’ve been smoking for a very long time, below are some products you can use to quit smoking:
- Nicotine Patches: Nicotine patches like lozenges delivers a dose of nicotine through your skin to cut the cravings for it.
- Use drugs like Chantix or Varenicline made specifically to help smokers quit.
Ensure not to abuse Nicotine Replacement therapy to avoid being addicted to it, seek the advice of a doctor on proper usage.
Conclusion
Well aware of the negative effects of smoking, don’t you think it’s time to quit and stop being an addict to live a healthy life?
Consider quitting.