It is well documented that cigarette smoking causes several medical issues for people. Women in particular face innumerable health issues due to smoking. Cigarette smoking causes several irreparable damages to a woman’s health. Researchers from Center For Disease Control and Prevention state that every year, 178,000 women die in North America due to diseases related to smoking. Leaving the habit of smoking can be very tormenting, especially because nicotine found in tobacco is addictive and forces women to smoke and satisfy their craving or control their mood. But do you know that apart from nicotine, female smokers inhale over 4,000 chemicals from a single cigarette and that over 60 of them are cancer causing chemicals? Well, if you are a woman, then it is high time to know the ill effects of smoking on your health which can make you more determined to quit smoking.
Respiratory system
The chemicals in a cigarette, particularly carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide and radioactive compounds attack your respiratory system as soon as you start smoking. The short-term effects include irritation in the windpipe and breathlessness. Consequently, it leads to swelling and narrowing of the lung airways, which reduced the capacity of long function. Over a period of few days, you will develop excess mucus in your lung passages that can lead to cough and other related diseases. Within three to five years of smoking, there will be a permanent damage to the air sacs of your lungs. Although, you can’t repair this damage, but quitting smoking will have several benefits for your respiratory system. Within a week of quitting smoking, your breathing will become close to normal. Over a course of a month, the excess mucus will be gone and your lungs will start clearing up the build up of poisonous substances.
Circulatory system
The tar and other chemicals present in a cigarette will target your circulatory system. Within a few weeks of smoking, your blood pressure and heart rate would increase. It will result in tightening of blood vessels and a drop in body’s temperature. Your blood will carry less oxygen. Over a course of time, your blood will become stickier which will make it more prone to clotting and medical issues like haemorrhage. As a long-term effect, there will be damage to the lining of arteries resulting in reduced blood flow to fingers, legs and toes and increased risk of heart attack and stroke due to blockages of the blood supply. Most of these damages are reversible. Quitting smoking will help your blood pressure and heart rate return to normal. After a few weeks of quitting, your blood will become thinner. With a help of a medical practitioner, you can reduce the damage to your arteries. After 5 years of quitting smoking, your risk of stroke and heart attack would be reduced by at least 30 percent.
Increased risk of osteoporosis
Smoking affects the muscles and skeletal system of a female. It has been well known and documented that women tend to have reduced bone density over a period time. But smoking can hasten the process of reducing bone intensity and long-term smoking can result in increased cases of bone fracture and osteoporosis. Moreover, smoking also leads to tightening of muscles in the body, which may cause more body aches, sprains, and difficulty in moving the extremities of your body. Quitting smoking can be beneficial because within a few months of quitting smoking, your body’s muscle tightness could be gone. Although, you cannot reverse the effects on your bone density, but quitting and getting help from a medical professional can help you deal with the situation and reduce your chances of osteoporosis.
Baby
Smoking during pregnancy can lead to several effects on the unborn. Maternal smoking can increase the risk of miscarriage, premature birth or stillbirth. Children with smoking mothers have low birth weight that in turn has an irreversible effect on their growth and development. It must be known that low birth weight is associated with increased risk of early puberty and increased risk of heart disease, obesity and diabetes. Unborn babies may have cleft palate or cleft lip if their mothers smoke during pregnancy. The child can develop respiratory illness like pneumonia or bronchitis and sudden death syndrome. These effects can be reversed only if the mother quits smoking before conception of her child.
Miscallenous effects
Smoking has disastrous effects on different body parts of a female. Women who smoke for more than three years have increased irritation and inflammation of stomach and intestines. Over a course of time, they may also develop painful ulcers in the digestive tract. Within a few weeks of smoking, women may have reduced sense of smell and taste. Women who smoke regularly tend to have higher risk of blindness and gum diseases. They may also encounter premature ageing of their skin. Quitting smoking can help in minimize the effects on immune system. After a year of quitting smoking the irritation of stomach is reduced by at least 80 percent and the ability of smell and taste is retrieved.
Weight
Smoking can lead to weight loss. People who smoke tend to burn more calories. Also, women who smoke tend to have a low appetite, which may cause weight loss. Moreover, smoking leads to production of catecholamine, which makes your heart work faster, putting stress on your arteries and muscles. This can be reversed by quitting smoking. Although, after quitting smoking, you may experience an initial weight gain of 2-3 kg on an average, but you can reverse these effects by taking a low fat calorie reduced diet with exercise. This shall help you to deal with the effects of smoking on other organs as well.
Body shape
Although, women who smoke tend to be thinner than non smokers, but their endocrine system stores normal amounts of fat in abnormal distribution. This results in higher waist to hip ratio, as the fat is stored more on upper torso and waist. This results in increase risk of developing diabetes, heart disease, gallbladder problems over a course of next ten years. To reduce this effect, women must quit smoking and exercise for at least 20 minutes each day to remove the fat distribution and to stay fit. The results may take at least 2 months to show.
Reproductive system
Too much of smoking over a period of time can result in reduced fertility. Smoking has disastrous and irreparable damages on the reproductive system. It can cause absence of menstrual cycles or menstruation irregularities. The long-term consequence is the early occurrence of menopause. Moreover, smoking for over five years can cause increased risk of cancer of the cervix. Apart from this, women who are above the age of 35 years and have been on oral contraceptive pill have an increased risk of stroke or heart attack. Quitting smoking can help in minimizing the damages to the reproductive system. Although, not reversible, but quitting smoking can help reduce the chances of cancer of the cervix by almost 30 percent. Within a few months of quitting smoking, the menstrual cycle becomes regular
Ugly appearance & physique
Women who smoke tend to have bad breath. In fact, after the very first smoke, you may develop bad breath. Stained teeth and gums are also obvious effects of smoking. Tobacco use in women increases the risk of swollen gums and may cause teeth to fall out. In fact, smoking is responsible for more than half of periodontitis cases in adults. Women who smoke about 2-3 cigarettes per day tend to have damaged eye blood vessels who results in bloodshot appearances and irritation in the eyes. This effect can be reduced by quitting smoking. Within six months of quitting smoking, the swelling of gums is reduced. Within hours of quitting smoking, the bad breath is gone and you can visit a dentist to take care of your stained teeth
Immune system
Cigarette smoking attacks the immune system of a female. It slows down the activity of immune system. Consequently, the female may be more prone to infections and problems like influenza and pneumonia. Women who smoke regularly for at least two years tend to have more Illnesses than those who don’t. In fact, they take more time to recover from their illness than other women. They also have lower levels of antioxidants and vitamin C in their blood. This damage can be reversed if a woman quits smoking and begins to take more vitamin C in her diet. Quitting smoking can also lead to increase in immunity and decrease the chances of several day-to-day problems
Skin
Women who smoke tend to develop dry skin over a course of time. This is because within a few days of smoking, their blood vessels get constricted. Due to this, their skin has less amount of blood flow and therefore, it is depleted from oxygen and other nutrients. Smoking also reduces the body’s store of vitamin A, which may result in puckering of month. Over a course of four to five years, women who smoke tend to develop wrinkles around eyes and mouth. Smoking also results in darkening around the eyes and also causes breakdown of collagen. Collagen is responsible for maintaining elasticity of the skin. Women who smoke also have hollow cheeks. Ultimately, all these effects lead to illnesses that cause death.To reverse these effects or to reduce the effects, a woman must quit smoking and stick to it. After all, health is wealth.
