Smoking Affects Your Vision Too

Most smokers are aware that smoking is harmful for their health but a few people know of the fact that smoking can be harmful for the eyes as well. It can cause irreversible damage to your sight which cannot be undone even with the best of diets or treatments. Discussed below are the major impacts cigarette smoking can have on your vision.

• Cataract – Studies show that smokers are at a high risk of developing cataracts (clouding of the lens of the eye). The condition is associated with numerous vision problems such as blurry distance vision, sensitivity to glare, loss of contrast and difficulty in seeing colors.
• Speeds age related macular degeneration – Those who smoke are more likely to develop Age Related Macular Degeneration (ARMD) than people who do not. This means your vision will deteriorate faster with age if you smoke as compared to people who do not smoke.
• Night vision – Smokers are more likely to suffer from night vision problems. Several studies have shown that smokers are more likely to have automobile accidents as compared to non-smokers. The risk of accidents increase at night.
• Damages your cells – Studies show that smoking enhances the release of oxidants, chemical byproducts that can damage your cells and at the same time reduce the concentration of antioxidants that prevent damage. As a result, cells around the eyes get damaged in due course of time. As smoking increases your risk of vascular diseases, blood vessels in the eyes also get damaged which worsens your vision problems.

If you wish to maintain the health of your eyes and avoid vision problems, you should make efforts to quit smoking. You can take the help of smoking cessation drugs such as Chantix to make your quit smoking process easier. Consult your doctor to learn more about Chantix and whether the medicine will be suitable for you as a smoking cessation aid.

Role Of Exercise In Quitting Smoking

Quitting smoking is a hard to implement decision. But, there are ways through which you can make this process a lot smoother. Exercise, for instance, can be of great help in making you quit smoking for life. Experts believe that those making an endeavor to quit smoking, must take up some form of exercise such as brisk walking, swimming, aerobics or any other sporting activity they like. Discussed below are some of the benefits that exercise offers for those planning on quitting smoking.

• Exercise relieves you of nicotine withdrawal symptoms – Exercise can relieve you of various types of nicotine withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety, bad mood, depression and cravings. When you exercise your body releases chemicals called endorphins which give you a feeling of happiness. You are relieved of the stress and feel more confident about yourself; this is because your body feels fitter when you exercise.
• Takes care of weight gain – Many people refrain from joining quit smoking programs because of a fear of weight gain. Nicotine boosts your metabolism and helps you to lose weight. When you quit smoking your metabolism slows down. Your taste buds also improve, so you eat more. As a result, you are likely to gain weight when you quit smoking. But, if you quit smoking in conjunction with exercise, you can maintain your weight and keep your body in shape.
• Keeps your motivation levels high – Regular exercise makes you strong both physically and mentally. This helps you to keep your motivation levels high. It is highly desirable because lack of motivation is one of the biggest reasons why many people fail to give up smoking.

If you still find it difficult to achieve your smoking cessation goal, experts recommend the use of quit smoking pills such as Chantix. Approved by the US FDA as a prescription only quit smoking pill, Chantix will relieve you of the nicotine withdrawal symptoms and also make smoking less pleasurable for you. As a result, you’ll not be tempted to smoke again.

Smoking And Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

It’s imperative that pregnant women quit smoking. If you have doubts about quitting smoking, then the fact that smoking might cause problems for your baby, should alone help you make a decision. The side effects of smoking won’t just be experienced by you, the mother, but also your baby.

Smoking and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)

Various studies prove that there is a direct relation between exposure to cigarette smoke in the prenatal stage and SIDS. Babies suffer from thermal and oxygen stress if their mothers smoke during pregnancy. If your baby is exposed to nicotine in the womb there is chance that your unborn child will suffer form oxygen deprivation. The nicotine that reaches the fetus, leads to the baby losing its oxygen sensing mechanism. This makes the baby vulnerable to SIDS.

Exposure to smoking

A baby is vulnerable to SIDS even after birth. If you stop smoking during pregnancy, but choose to continue smoking immediately after pregnancy you are still exposing your baby to SIDS. Your baby’s biological processes are not developed enough to withstand the negative effects of smoking, especially your baby’s lungs. There have been many cases where infants have died as a result of being in the same room as smokers. So, a mother who smokes is definitely exposing her child to the side effects of smoking.

So, if you are a smoker, you need to stop smoking in order to keep your baby healthy. Remember that even as an adult, you are susceptible to the harmful effects of smoking; imagine the kind of effect your smoking is going to have on your newborn.

How Do We Prevent Adolescent Smoking?

Studies indicate that most smokers begin to smoke in their adolescence. Adolescent smoking is picking up throughout the world, and the number of adolescents getting addicted to smoking is increasing day by day. So, what can you do to prevent your child from smoking?

Inform them about the health risks of smoking

There is a good chance that your child already knows about the health risks of smoking. But, your child may or may not know anything about smoking being a cause for impotence. The effect of smoking on the looks of the person can also be discussed with your adolescent child. It’s important to talk to them in their “language” and about the problems that you think they should be concerned about.

Do they have good role models

The first role models for children or adolescents are their parents. If you smoke, there is a good chance that your children will take to smoking as well. It really doesn’t make sense to talk to your child about the dangers of smoking, while you are smoking a dozen cigarettes a day. Also, if you think their role models, outside of the home, aren’t up to the mark, talk them out of accepting such bad role models who smoke.
These are just two ways of helping prevent adolescent smoking. But, there is one commonality, which is communication. You need to be able to communicate with your child and understand why he/she wants to smoke. While tackling a complex issue like smoking, it’s better to talk like a friend rather than a parent.

Read more: About Teenage Smoking

Smoking And Oral Health

Have you ever felt that people wrinkle their noses when you are near them? If you have, it’s because of the cancer stick that you are so addicted to. Not only does smoking cause serious health risks like cancer and heart disease, but it also takes a toll on your oral health.

Effect of smoking on oral health

Here is a cross section of the affect smoking has on your oral health:

• Discoloured teeth
• Bad breath
• Increased amounts of tartar and plaque
• Makes gums vulnerable to gum disease
• Increases chances of oral cancer
• Decreases bone mass in the jaw
• Slows down the healing process considerably

Smoking and gum disease

If you find a smoker there is a good chance that he/she might be suffering from gum disease. This is because smoking or other tobacco products have an adverse effect on the attachment that connects the bone and the soft tissue to your teeth. Also, smoking has an affect on the general functioning of the gum tissue cells. Smoking creates a major interference in the normal functioning of the cells; this makes you susceptible to various infections. Quite a number of hardcore smokers suffer from periodontal disease also.

Quit smoking for oral health

The results of a smoking cessation on your oral health are immediate. You will find that your breath is not as bad as it was, when you were smoking. You also begin to experience a general improvement in your oral health. You feel healthier and some of the chronic problems that you might be suffering from also disappear over time.

Bone Health And Smoking

The effects of smoking can be seen all over your body, right from your head to your toes. You might be aware of smoking causing chronic lung disease, heart disease, and even cancer. But, are you aware that smoking also affects the health of your bones? Smoking is one of the primary risk factors for bone fracture and osteoporosis.

Smoking and osteoporosis

There is a direct relationship between the use of tobacco and a decrease in bone density that can lead osteoporosis. Studies are still being conducted to know whether there is a direct relationship between smoking and a reduction in bone density or the associated risk factors of smoking can be a reason behind a decrease in bone density. Typically, smokers are thinner and might also have poorer diets as compared to non smokers. This can make them susceptible to decreased bone density and osteoporosis.

Smoking and bone fracture

Many studies have been conducted on smoking and its effect on bone health has proven that if you are a smoker you are putting yourself at risk of suffering from factures. As you smoke, your bones become progressively weaker, and your body becomes more prone to factures in old age. There is also a chance that the time taken for a fracture to heal can be more in smokers.

Quit smoking and improve bone health

If smoking affects your bone health, it makes sense to stop smoking so that the bones in your body get back into shape. When you quit smoking, your body will stop losing its bone mass, but you must understand that the benefits when it comes to bone mass and density, are not immediate. It will take many years for your reduced bone mass to reach normal levels. But yes smoking cessation will halt further degeneration of your bones.

Advice On Smoking At Work

Think about it, do you really want to let your smoking habit, affect the health of your colleagues. So, the first advice that comes across very strongly when we talk about smoking at the work place is – Just don’t smoke. Stop smoking at the work place. This might also help you control your smoking habit.

Smoke free workplace benefits

A smoke free workplace is a great idea for everybody because it’s healthier and safer. Also, a smoke free environment is a much cleaner environment. Imagine a workplace where smokers are free to smoke whenever they want to. It’s going to make life difficult for non-smokers. Such an atmosphere is not conducive to good work, as well. Also, if you can stay quit of smoking while you are at work, there are chances that you might be able to quit smoking for good.

There are legally binding regulations that prevent people from smoking at the workplace, but it’s important that the need to stop smoking at the work place comes from within and not because your habit has been curbed by the law.

Employers also benefit from a “No Smoking” workplace

Not smoking at the workplace is also a good idea for the employers. If an employer asks his employees not to smoke at the workplace, it actually permeates a feeling that the employer cares about the health of his employees. Also, employees are less likely to take a leave of absence due to sickness, which is a result of smoking or exposure to second hand smoke.

All said and done, if you still choose to smoke while you are at work, you should make sure that none of your co-workers are exposed to second hand smoke.