Smoking facts - facts about smoking

Smoking Causes Health Problems

People using cigarettes, cigars or pipes are always advisedto quit smoking. This nasty habit endangers their health and quitting may attributeto it more than just proper eating and physical activity. Smokers are known to experience decreased blood flow to thearms and legs and suffer from cold hands and feet because of that.

Nicotine present in cigarettes, cigars and pipes affects thenerve-muscle connection. As a result, a smoker can suffer from shaking andtremors. The same substance, nicotine, affects the arteries as well, leading totheir narrowing and constriction and thus causing extra load on the heart. Bloodbecomes more viscous in people who smoke, so their blood has a decreased abilityto transport oxygen to the tissues in the body.

Smoking just 2 to 4 cigarettes per day may cause an increase of yourblood fats of 2 to 4 times (or 200 to 400%). Heart diseases are also more frequentin smokers. Older men who smoke about 30 cigarettes per day are exposed to 4 to6 times higher risk of heart diseases than non-smokers.

Nicotine affects the nervous system too. First effects are usuallystimulation, excitement and anxiety, but after that there is a period ofdepression until the smoker lights another cigarette to feel better. Affecting thenerve centers in the brain, nicotine is also found to be responsible for the negativeeffects on the breathing and sweating. Intestinal and heart actions are alsoaffected by this substance.

Pregnant women may endanger their unborn child’s health ifthey smoke during pregnancy. Smoking in pregnancy has been associated withpremature birth, lower infant weight at birth and increased pulse in a newborn. Parentswho smoke have high chances to contribute to the development of respiratory diseasesin their child.

Smokers usually have problems with running or otherphysical activity. They need more time to recover from diseases and they getsick more often than people who don’t smoke. Among many other things, smokers areexposed to higher rate of lung cancer than non-smokers, due to the combinationor air pollution and their own habit.

Conditions Caused by Smoking

Smokers have stained teeth and fingers, as well as the hair.Smoking is associated with nausea, nervousness, headaches, convulsions,insomnia, gastrointestinal problems and neuralgia. Respiratory problems aremuch more frequent in smokers and there are also heart-related diseases anddisorders.

Arthritis, ulcers, premature aging and wrinkles are alsocaused by this unhealthy habit. Leukoflakia (smokers’ patch), smokers’ hack,tobacco angina and Buerger’s disease are common among smokers.

People who smoke have high chances to develop differentulcers and cancers, emphysema, pulmonary tuberculosis and pneumonia. Smoking mayimpair your hearing, cause depression and decrease sexual activity.