We all know how tobacco in cigarettes can have a ravaging effect on the human body, especially on the lungs. But very few of us know how exactly. Having correct information on the ill effects of smoking on the lungs and also on other parts of the human body will act as a huge motivation to quit this addiction.
In this article, you will see the dangerous side of tobacco smoking in how exactly it destroys the vital organs of the human body. You will also see ways to overcome this addiction without having to face painful withdrawal symptoms. So, let us get started
Mucus and Infection
Cigarette smoking increases the build-up of mucus-producing cells in the lungs as well as in the airways. This eventually results in coagulation and an increase in the amount of mucus. As your lungs can’t clean the excess mucus, it stays in the airways, clogs them and ultimately makes you cough terribly. This excess mucus is prone to infection and may also invite several illnesses as well. Smoking also hampers the natural defence mechanism of the lungs, causing them to age faster.
Less Airflow
Each cigarette you smoke becomes the main cause of irritation, inflammation and coughing in the lungs. The main reason for this is that it lowers the oxygen flow to the critical parts of the body, eventually damaging the lungs and tissues as well. Finally, this decreases the air spaces and blood vessels in the lungs causing intense uneasiness in the whole respiratory system.
Fewer Cilia
Cilia is a broom-like hair lined on the lungs which play a major role in keeping the lungs clean. Every time you inhale cigarette smoke, the movement of cilia slows down, and it often slows down for hours. So what prolonged smoking does is it reduces the number of cilia in the lungs, leaving fewer to clean the organ. This is the reason why a typical smoker’s lungs look so dark as the tar doesn’t get cleaned quickly.
Affects Blood Circulation
Smoking cigarettes can damage the circulatory system in humans as the tar accumulated through cigarettes can infect the bloodstream. Also, the toxic chemicals are mainly from tobacco and as they enter your blood, many radical changes happen. Firstly, the blood becomes thicker before putting you at an increased risk of blood clots. Secondly, the heart works harder as blood pressure and heart rate faster. Lastly, the arteries become thinner reducing the amount of blood carrying oxygen to other parts of the body. This is a dangerous recipe for stroke and heart attacks.
Other Health Risks Caused By Smoking
Apart from affecting lung health, Cigarettes also cause damage to other organs of the human body. Below are some of the other functional organs which also get affected due to smoking.
Brain: Cigarette smoking can affect the subcortical regions of the brain. This region is associated with pleasure, hormone production, emotion and memory. Most smokers thus develop age-related loss of brain volume resulting in an increased risk of dementia.
Stomach: Smokers can harm the digestive system in a number of ways. Those who were hardcore cigarette smokers were more vulnerable to getting heartburn and peptic ulcers than non-smokers. Smoking also affects the digestive system by weakening the muscle between the oesophagus and the stomach, causing the stomach acid to flow back into the oesophagus
Skin: The toxins in cigarette smoke damage collagen and elastin, which are the fibrous components of your skin that keep it firm and supple. Without these two, your skin can become hardened and elastic leading to deeper wrinkles and premature ageing. Smoking also causes sagging skin, particularly under the eyes and around the jawline.
Reproductive System: Men who smoke are more likely to damage DNA in their sperm while women who smoke are at an increased risk for a delay in becoming pregnant. The main reason for both these cases is tobacco which decreases the quality of sperm in men and disrupts the normal ovarian function in women.
How to Overcome Smoking Addiction?
Truth be told, Smoking is also considered as an addiction which is one of the hardest to quit. The reason for this is that nicotine can cause terrible withdrawal effects to hardcore smokers who are trying to overcome this addiction. This not only causes an endless number of relapses but also breaks the confidence of the one who is trying to quit.
Hence, one should be proactive while quitting cigarettes and more preferably try to quit in a gradual manner. Gadgets like e-cigarettes can be of huge help as it not only avoids harmful tobacco from itself but also helps smokers to quit cigarettes in a slow and steady manner. Besides, you can choose different kinds of vapes that suit your own style and manner of vaping.
In Brief,
You have seen how tobacco, the chief constituent of cigarettes, wreaks havoc not only on your lungs but also on major parts of the human body. Hence, it becomes immensely important for a smoker to quit this addiction at the earliest. Hopefully, you can overcome smoking with the tips given above which would tremendously help you to quit it in a gradual manner. Just have patience and a strong belief in yourself, and you will definitely cross the hurdle without breaking much sweat.
