Problems with Smoking - A Guide to Stop Smoking
Smoking is still popular with a great many people, in spite of the numerous health warnings. They either ignore these warnings and continue smoking or try to give up but without any success.
At one time it was seen as cool and sexy but that is no longer the case. We have all become much more aware of the damage it can do, not just to our bodies but also our hair, skin, sleep patterns, ability to conceive and personal hygiene.
Cigarette smoke lingers in your hair, breath and clothes. There is nothing worse than smelling like an old ashtray or having yellow fingers caused by smoking which can be positively anti-social as well.
Smoking also poses a risk to the expectant mother and can lead to serious birth defects such as low birth weight.
And, this probably sounds obvious, but smoking also affects your overall fitness. If you are an athlete or sportsman/woman then you will find that your breathing is affected and your fitness levels are lower than they should be. This then impacts upon your athletic performance as a whole.
Everyone is different when it comes to the effects of smoking. We have all heard stories of people who have smoked all their lives and reached a grand old age. And then there are others who have been fit and active and yet died at a relatively early age.
Those stories you hear of those people are probably the exception rather than the rule. Yes, there are people who started smoking when they were in their early teens and are still hale and hearty, even in their nineties but these are likely to be a very small percentage of the population.
No-one said that life is fair but the choices you make do impact upon your health and your lifespan.
Some people appear to be lucky and not suffer any ill-effects of smoking whereas others are not. A lot will depend upon your personal susceptibility to the chemicals in tobacco smoke and your genetic make-up. And the age when you started smoking, the number of cigarettes you smoke in a day and how long you have been smoking.
A cigarette contains around 400 poisonous substances which include carbon monoxide, ammonia, benzene, formaldehyde, nicotine and tar. As a cigarette burns, the heat generated breaks down the tobacco which causes these substances to be released. How the tobacco is prepared and whether the cigarette has a filter will determine the extent of the damage on your health.
The effects of smoking are discussed in individual sections throughout this site.