“Everytime you light a cigarette and smoke, you lose 11 minutes of your life”
If you are a smoker and know how it could affect your health, yet you aren't quitting, you are getting yourself into trouble. Tobacco harms your health, whether it is smoked or chewed. Acetone, tar, nicotine, and carbon monoxide are some harmful ingredients in tobacco products. The elements you breathe in can impact your lungs and other bodily organs. Smoking has long-term consequences on your bodily functions as well as continuous issues. While smoking might raise your chance of developing some diseases over time, such as glaucoma, cancer, and blood clotting problems, you may start experiencing some physical impacts right away. However, many of these negative consequences on your health may be reversed if you stop smoking.
Spare some time to read through to understand what smoking cigarettes can do to the health of men and women.
Overall Health Risk of Smoking Cigarettes
Smoking cigarettes directly affects organs in your body and adversely impacts your overall health. It increases inflammation throughout your body and affects your immune system, ultimately making you vulnerable to various infections. Research shows how smoking cigarettes can be cancerous and happen anywhere in the body. Below mentioned are the types of cancers you could be vulnerable to-
- Liver Cancer
- Oropharyngeal Cancer (includes your throat, tongue, tonsils, and soft palate)
- Pancreatic Cancer
- Stomach or Gastric Cancer
- Tracheal, Bronchial, and Lung Cancer
- Bladder Cancer
- Acute Myeloid Leukemia
- Cervical Cancer
- Colorectal Cancer
- Esophageal Cancer
- Kidney and Uterine Cancer
- Laryngeal Cancer
If you decide to quit smoking in time, you may not fall prone to these cancers. But the risk will still be more than that of people who don't smoke.
How Does Your Central Nervous System, Vision and Respiratory System Get Affected?
Now that it is confirmed that smoking cigarettes can never be healthy for anyone, even for someone inhaling smoke passively. An active smoker inhales the mainstream smoke while taking a puff, whereas a passive smoker inhales the smoke from the lit cigarette and the smoke an active smoker exhales. Read on to learn how the central nervous system, vision and respiratory system get affected due to smoking cigarettes.
Central Nervous System,
The very first thing smoking does is that it attacks your nervous system before it attacks anything else. Nicotine is one of the important ingredients of tobacco, and it is perceived as a mood-altering drug that forms a habit over time. Since it is highly addictive, that's why people struggle to quit smoking. Nicotine invades your brain in seconds and gives you energy for some time. But as soon as its effect subdues, you start feeling tired and would want to smoke more. While withdrawing nicotine, you may experience withdrawal symptoms of smoking cigarettes. Symptoms as such-
- Anxiety and depression
- Irritability
- Headaches and sleeplessness
Vision
If you have been smoking for years, your vision and optic nerve may get affected. It may end up causing various conditions related to the eyes. The conditions include the following-
- Glaucoma- The pressure in the eye rises, putting pressure on the optic nerve resulting in damage or loss of eyesight.
- Cataract- It causes cloudiness in the vision.
- Age- Macular degeneration damages a spot in the retina's centre and leads to loss of central vision.
Respiratory System
More than anything else, if you are a smoker, you are vulnerable to respiratory diseases. Smoking cigarettes damages air sacs and airways in the lungs, which are tiny hair-like structures that stop mucus and dust from entering the lungs. Read on to know the three most life-threatening lung diseases that you are vulnerable to if you are a smoker-
Tuberculosis and Pneumonia
Smoking damages lungs and tissue, make you more susceptible to various infections such as tuberculosis and pneumonia and may also get life-threatening. It could also worsen cough and asthma attacks in many cases.
Lung Cancer
Lung cancer is one of the prevalent health conditions happening due to smoking. Those who smoke frequently are more likely to be diagnosed with lung cancer than those who don't smoke.
Chronic Lung Diseases
Smokers are at high risk for chronic irreversible lung conditions such as:
- Emphysema- Air sacs get destroyed in the lungs.
- Chronic Bronchitis- permanent inflammation that affects the lining of the breathing tubes of the lungs.
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease- Lung diseases such as lung cancer and adult-onset asthma.
Once you withdraw from smoking, you may start experiencing congestion and discomfort while breathing as your lungs and airways heal. You need not worry if there is more mucus production than usual because it is a positive sign that your respiratory system is recovering and returning to normal.
Also Read: How does Smoking affect your Health Insurance Premium?
The Role of Health Insurance if You are a Smoker
A widespread notion people hear is that they started smoking due to peer pressure or to maintain social status. And many people say they just wanted to try it for once, and that's how they got addicted to it. Undeniably, ads and other promotional campaigns for cigarettes have an enormous influence on people these days.
Nevertheless, there is a prevalent misconception that smokers can't get health insurance. The truth is that IRDAI has mandated that smokers always have the right to get themselves health insurance but with some exclusive terms and conditions. Care Health Insurance's most promising health care plans ensure that smokers are protected against medical emergencies as they are highly vulnerable to life-threatening diseases. Although due to the adverse effects of smoking, your medical coverage and other healthcare expenses can be affected. However, we encourage everyone to quit smoking and start living a life that can keep them healthy for years to come.
Disclaimer: The above mentioned information is for reference purposes only.
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