Smoking is bad for your health and has devastating consequences in the body. There isn’t a simpler way to say this!

In England, smoking is the largest cause of preventable deaths each year. According to the National Health Service (NHS), more than 80,000 people die each year from smoking-related illnesses, and this number will increase if nothing is done. In short, smoking kills one in two smokers each year.

In this article, we’ll look at how smoking affects your body and why it is important to stop smoking. It is our aim that after reading this article, you will think twice about lighting the next stick of cigarette and make a decision to seek advice on how to quit smoking.

We are here to help you quit – it is never too late to stop smoking. Let’s look at some of the ways smoking can affect your body, and why it is paramount to quit;

How smoking affects your body

Effects of Smoking: Circulation

Circulation is vital for the body it involves the distribution of blood to your organs and most importantly, the distribution of blood to your heart. Unfortunately, when you smoke, your blood becomes contaminated with toxins which are then spread all over your body via your blood. These toxins in the blood (carbon monoxide and nicotine) causes an increase in blood pressure and heart rate making your heart to work more than it normally should. It also reduces the amount of oxygen in the blood and causes a narrow artery.

Effects of Smoking: Heart

The heart is in charge of pumping blood all over your body. Without a heart, it will be impossible for blood to circulate in your body. But, for your heart to do it’s job well it must be healthy, and for your heart to be healthy, you must stop smoking amongst other things. It is a no-brainer!

Smoking fills the blood with Carbon monoxide and nicotine makes the heart work faster than normal and can also lead to blood clots. As a result, it causes coronary heart disease, stroke, heart attack, damaged blood vessels and damaged arteries. In reality, if you smoke your risk of dying from coronary heart disease is doubled compared to a non-smoker.

Effects of Smoking: Lungs

84% of deaths from lung cancer and 83% of deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is caused by smoking alone according to the NHS.

Common symptoms of COPD include consistent chest infections, persistent cough, and breathlessness when active. Although some of these symptoms can be brushed aside as signs of “smokers cough”, these conditions can nevertheless worsen with time, causing a severe health risk and even dead if not addressed quickly.

Effects of Smoking: Mouth and throat

It is no secret that everyone hates bad breath. Regardless of whether you are a victim of bad breath or not, bad breath is unattractive and a big no no!

Smoking primarily causes bad breath and stained teeth. Besides bad breath and stained teeth you also face a risk of having cancer in your lips, tongue or oesophagus due to smoking. According to the NHS, 93% of oropharyngeal cancer is caused by smoking alone.

To conclude…

Besides these, there are many other effects of smoking ranging from a challenging and unhealthy lifestyle to more complicated and life-threatening conditions. However, on the bright side, if you stop smoking these effects can be reduced significantly within the first year and if you quit for several years your risk is similar to that of someone who has never smoked.

Take the first step, and download the Lifeboat app. Good Luck!