Smoking is a tough habit to break, so convincing someone to break their nicotine addiction can often require more effort than telling them what they already know, which is to say it ruins their health, and it costs a lot of money. Here are five more reasons you can add to the list of reasons to give up smoking:
- Cigarette smoking accelerates mental decline
- Smoking depresses the immune system
- Smokers are more at risk of macular degeneration
- Smoking has been linked to heartburn
- Smokers age prematurely
Now lets delve in to the article, to examine each of these points in more detail.
Reason to Quit Smoking #1: Smoking Accelerates Age-Related Mental Decline
We are all at risk of mental decline as we age, but smokers are increasing their chances by up to 5-times more than non-smokers for some mental diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
Standardized tests were issued to 9,200 participants aged over 65. The same tests were applied two years later. The incidence of mental decline in men and women was higher in smokers.
Researchers need to keep digging, but it is thought that smoking-related artery damage may be behind the decline, as well as an increased risk of clotting and stroke. In short, the study conclusively shows that smoking damages the brain and can accelerate the onset of Alzheimer’s.
Reason to Quit Smoking #2: Increased Risk of Disease
With the COVID-19 virus currently blanketing the globe, everyone could benefit from a more robust immune system. Smoking creates long-term health risks, but it also depresses your immune system, so you are more susceptible to seasonal viruses such as colds and flus.
The respiratory tract is lined with tiny hairs called cilia, which are one of the body’s first lines of defense against disease. The cilia are always waving, and their motion carries bacteria and viruses up through the trachea, where we can cough them out or swallow them so our stomach acids can destroy them.
Smoking paralyzes the cilia, and it’s one of the reasons smokers will experience many more infections than non-smokers.
Reason to Quit Smoking #3: Macular Degeneration
Macular degeneration can affect all of us to some degree as we age. However, smokers are four times more likely to suffer from age-related macular degeneration, which eventually leads to blindness.
Age-related macular degeneration is a severe condition that progressively degrades the central vision. Blindness is an inevitable consequence as the eyes lose the ability to see what is directly in front of them. You will be unable to read, drive, or conduct any other activities requiring straight-ahead vision.
Not all the risk factors for macular degeneration are understood but giving up smoking is one strategy that can modify the level of risk in your favor.
Reason to Quit Smoking #4: Smoking Is Linked to Heartburn
Long-term smokers are more at risk of heartburn – or acid reflux disease – than non-smokers.
Two major public health surveys conducted in the 1980s and the 1990s provided the data that revealed the risks. Just over 3,000 people complaining of heartburn, and 40,000 people experiencing acid reflux reported on their lifestyle, such as exercise, diet, alcohol consumption, and whether they smoked.
The results of the survey revealed that smokers were 70% more likely to develop acid reflux.
Reason to Quit Smoking #5: Smoking Causes Premature Aging
We would all like to look younger than our actual years and giving up smoking is one way to achieve that. Smokers who have been puffing on cigarettes for decades have deeply wrinkled, leathery skin that makes them look much older than their non-smoking peers.
The effects of smoking on the skin cause biochemical changes that accelerate the aging process. One example of its damaging effects includes depriving the skin of life-giving oxygen through the constriction of the blood vessels. It’s not just skin that is deprived of oxygen but all your organs, as smoking constricts all blood vessels.
Reasons to Quit Smoking Conclusion
If you’re a smoker, you are no doubt aware that it’s an unhealthy habit. However, shedding more light on just how damaging its effects are on your body and your immune system may provide more inspiration for you to give up smoking finally.