Cigarettes and smokeless tobacco kill hundreds of thousands of Americans every year. In fact, each day people die from smoking alone. The nicotine and other poisonous chemicals in tobacco cause lots of diseases, like heart problems and some kinds of cancer. If you smoke, you hurt your lungs and heart each time you light up. It also can make it more difficult for blood to move around in the body, so smokers may feel tired and cranky.
The longer you smoke, the worse the damage becomes. Using tobacco eats up a lot of money, too. That's a lot of computer games and clothes you could buy instead.
Usually, people don't like smoking or chewing tobacco at first. Your body is smart, and it knows when it's being poisoned. When people try smoking for the first time, they often cough a lot and feel pain or burning in their throat and lungs.
This is your lungs' way of trying to protect you and tell you to keep them smoke free. Also, many people say that they feel sick to their stomachs or even throw up. If someone accidentally swallows chewing tobacco, they may be sick for hours.
If you have friends who smoke or use tobacco, you can help them by encouraging them to quit. Here are some reasons you can mention:.
If you think it will help, you could print out articles like this one to give to a friend who smokes. He or she may be interested in learning more about the dangers of smoking.
But people don't like to hear that they're doing something wrong, so your pal also could be a little angry. Smoking is the leading preventable cause of early disease and death in the United States. Giving up smoking is difficult for many people, but the number of former smokers is increasing all the time. The number of smokers who have quit is also rising. In this article, we look at the health impact of smoking, including its effects on the brain, heart, lungs, and immune system.
We also discuss the benefits of quitting. Every year, more than , people die in the U. They also state that around half of people in the U. Life expectancy is at least 10 years less for smokers compared with nonsmokers. The American Cancer Society state that smoking shortens lifespan by about 12 years in males and 11 years in females. The CDC comment that smoking causes more deaths in the U. While the statistics are alarming, it is important to bear in mind that giving up smoking reduces the risk of disease dramatically.
Smoking can increase the likelihood of having a stroke by 2—4 times. Strokes can cause brain damage and death. One way that stroke can cause brain injury is through a brain aneurysm , which occurs when the wall of a blood vessel weakens and creates a bulge.
This bulge can burst and cause a subarachnoid hemorrhage , which can lead to a stroke. Smoking causes atherosclerosis , which is when plaque builds up in the blood and sticks to the artery walls. This makes them narrower, reducing blood flow and increasing the risk of blood clots. Smoking also damages the blood vessels, making them thicker and narrower.
This makes it harder for blood to flow, and also increases blood pressure and heart rate. Even smokers who smoke 5 or fewer cigarettes a day may develop early signs of cardiovascular disease. Carbon monoxide and nicotine make the heart work harder and faster. This means that smoking makes it more challenging to exercise. A lack of exercise further increases the risk of health problems. According to the National Institutes of Health NIH , smoking reduces bone density, making the bones weaker and more brittle.
Smoking can also impair bone healing after a fracture. Researchers find it difficult to say whether this is a direct effect of smoking, or due to other risk factors prevalent in people who smoke.
These include lower body weight and doing less physical exercise. This may affect females more than males. Females are more prone to osteoporosis and broken bones. According to one study , smoking reduces immune function and causes inflammation in the body. This can lead to autoimmune conditions, including:. Smoking also has links with type 2 diabetes. It often takes many years before a person notices any symptoms of smoking-related lung disease.
Smoking may also lower sex hormone levels in both men and women. This can possibly lead to decreased sexual desire. Quitting smoking is difficult, but your doctor can help you make a plan. Ask them for advice. There are a variety of nonprescription and prescription medications that can help you quit. You can also turn to our smoking cessation resource center , which has advice, stories from others, and more.
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The Effects of Smoking on the Body. Medically reviewed by Judith Marcin, M. Share on Pinterest. Central nervous system. Respiratory system. Cardiovascular system.
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