If you are contemplating why should I quit smoking, here is the answer. Know the dangers of smoking and its long-term effects on your health. It will definitely make you think you twice before you light up the next fag! Don’t live in denial. Read on to know if this question is riddling your mind – why should I quit smoking?
Dangers of Smoking
• This habit can cause around 400,000 deaths in the US alone every year.
• This habit is known as a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Smoking is responsible for nearly one quarter of all cardiovascular-related deaths in the United States.
• This habit increases our risk of having a heart attack by 2-6 times. The risk increases with the number of fags you smoke.
• If you have a heart attack and are an active smoker, then you are most likely to die from the condition or die suddenly when compared with a nonsmoker.
Adverse Effects of Smoking on Your Heart
Smoking cigarettes harms your heart as well as the blood vessels in various ways. These include:
• Smoking raises blood pressure: Every time you take a puff, your blood pressure increases for some time. Even if it does not cause chronic high blood pressure, it may aggravate your condition if you have high blood pressure. If you quit smoking, you will surely not experience any short-term changes in the blood pressure which take place when you smoke.
• Smoking changes blood fats by decreasing HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol): Smoking can change the blood fats and decrease the HDL cholesterol. For example, right after you quit smoking, the HDL levels can rise to 6-8 mg/dL. Within a year after quitting, the HDL level can easily return to normal and healthier level.
• Smoking damages the blood vessels lining, making them more susceptible to plaque buildup: This deadly habit enhances the buildup of plaque in your arteries which supply blood to the heart. These arteries are known as coronary arteries.
• Smoking makes the coronary arteries plaque unstable: If the plaques are less stable, then these are more prone to crack. If these crack, then it can result in a heart attack.
• Smoking minimizes oxygen to the heart: Carbon monoxide in the cigarette smoke reduces the blood’s capacity to effectively carry oxygen. Hence, when you smoke cigarettes, you heart as well as the rest of the organs has less oxygen.
• Smoking increases blood clots risk: How is it a risk factor? Well, there are three reasons. First and foremost, the nicotine content in fags stop the release of a natural blood thinner which prevents clotting. Secondly, active smokers tend to have higher levels of blood clotting agent fibrinogen. Lastly, the blood platelets are stickier and cluster together in active smokers. In consequence, a smoker’s bloodstream is thicker and hence, clots more easily and can lead to a heart attack.
• Smoking can cause an abnormal heart rhythm: This deadly habit severely affects that part of your brain which is responsible for regulating your heart rate. This can obstruct the electrical activity in your heart. This results in abnormal heart rhythm known as arrhythmias. This condition can be serious occasionally, and can even turn life threatening.
Smoking and Other Health Problems
This dangerous activity can cause several other health problems. These include:
• Pregnancy complications such as premature delivery, stillbirth and miscarriage. Additionally, infants of mothers who smoked during their term are susceptible to sudden infant death syndrome.
• Stroke
• Chronic lung disease like emphysema and bronchitis
• Cervical cancer
• Pancreatic cancer
• Kidney cancer
• Cancer of the urinary tract
• Cancer of the esophagus
• Cancer of the vocal cords
• Mouth cancer
• Lung cancer
Now, if you are still thinking “why should I quit smoking”, then nobody can save you from the dangers of smoking! Wake up and quit smoking now. Why do you want to compromise your life? Stay away from smoking and ensure a healthy, long life
