World No Tobacco Day 2021 Why you need to quit smoking right away Tips to win over the addiction

pstrongCOVID infection and lung complications in smokersstrongppCOVID predominantly affects the lungs and smoking too damages the lungs Worldwide research suggests that there is a higher incidence of severe lung complications following COVID in smokers as compared to non-smokers The World Health Organisation released a scientific brief earlier this year showing that smokers are at higher risk of developing severe disease and death fromnbspCOVID-19nbspppThese findings of a negative impact of smoking should not be surprising given the fact that smokers have been traditionally known to be more susceptible to infections especially respiratory infections like flu pneumonia and tuberculosisppstrongWeakened immune system and increased risk of transmissionstrongppTobacco smoke contains toxic chemicals which cause damages to the linings of the airways and the lungs The chemicals in tobacco smoke suppress the activity of different types of immune cells leading to weakening of immunity and thus impairing onersquos ability to fight thenbspCOVID-19nbspinfectionppThe act of smoking involves the fingers and possibly contaminated cigarettes coming in contact with the lips and thus increasing the risk of transmission of virus from hand to mouth Moreover chewing tobacco products is associated with usually spitting in public places which also accelerates the risk of transmission of COVID through saliva dropletsppAlso smokers are more likely to have heart disease stroke cancer chronic lung disease and diabetes all of which are important comorbidities for developing severe illness and adversely affecting the clinical outcome in COVID affected patientsppTherefore it is vital that smokers quit the habit And the COVID pandemic couldnrsquot be a better time to quit smoking However it can be a challenge given the economic and social stress prevailing during the pandemic Smokers will need help to quit And the WHO World No Tobacco Day 2021 campaign aims to empower and support tobacco users on their journey to quitppstrongThere is no single and easy way to quit tobacco but here are some tipsstrongppmiddot Make a quit plan and stick to it It doesnrsquot matter if you fail a couple of times Keep trying and donrsquot give upppmiddot Modify your diet There are some food items which make cigarettes taste better like meat alcohol tea coffee and aerated beverages Avoid them and instead have fruits vegetables cheese water and fresh fruit juices Also if you have a habit of post-meals cigarettes then change your routine and do some activity to divert your mindppmiddot Have a support group in place to help you through this mdash family friends doctor counsellorppmiddot Nicotine-replacement therapy like chewing-gum or skin-patches can be very helpful to tide over your withdrawal symptomsppmiddot Try to avoid stressful situations during the first few weeks after you stop smokingppmiddot Exercise even a 5-minute walk or stretch has been shown to reduce your cravings and ease some of your withdrawal symptomsppmiddot Try to be around your non-smoker friends and avoid your smoker companions for a whileppmiddot Clean your house your surroundings clothes and belongings so that you do not get the familiar scent of cigarette smoke which will remind you of smokingppFstrongollowing are the responses to some common questions on the dangers of smokingstrongppstrongWhat are the unique dangers of smoking for womenstrongppWhile smoking is bad for both the genders women experience certain additional detrimental health effects apart from the ones common to all genders Some of these includebr premature menopause menstruation disturbances reduced fertility increased risk to cancers specific to women such as breast or cervical cancer premature lsquoagingrsquo Smoking during pregnancy exposes the fetus to toxic substances that can result in several complications including abnormalities in the newborn or even miscarriagesppWhat are the long and short term health effects of smoking among young peopleppThe short term effects of smoking include throat irritations cough asthma wheezing unhealthy dental and oral hygiene These are due to the carcinogenic substances like nicotine tar and carbon monoxide present in tobaccoppThe long terms effects of smoking are more dangerous Smoking has been shown to be strongly correlated with a number of life-threatening diseases such as a variety of cancers diabetes respiratory disorders and cardiovascular diseases like heart attack and stroke Vision issues and infertility issues as well as weak immune systems are also more prevalent in smokers than non-smokers Overall smoking is associated with a lower life expectancyppIn terms of mental health while smoking is commonly known to relieve stress and help people relax it is has been shown to increase anxiety levels and smokers are at an increased risk of clinical depression For people dependent on nicotine missing a smoke can cause irritability and mood swings and come in the way of normal functioning Loss of appetite and disturbed sleep cycles are also frequently observed in smokersppstrongCan smokers and tobacco users be at higher risk for COVID 19 infectionstrongppThe association of smoking with thenbspCOVID-19nbspinfection has been controversial Initial studies seemed to suggest a lower prevalence of Covid infection among smokers and protective effect of smoking against the effects of Covid However subsequent analysis showed serious methodological flaws in those studies And later studies showed that smokers in fact fare poorly after a Covid infectionppSmokers may be more susceptible tonbspCOVID-19nbspinfection and the associated severe lung complications for the following reasonsppTobacco smoke contains toxic chemicals which cause damages to the linings of the airways and the lungs and suppresses the activity of different types of immune cells thus impairing onersquos ability to fight the Covid infectionppThe act of smoking involves the fingers and possible contaminated cigarettes coming in contact with the lips and thus increasing the risk of transmission of virus from hand to mouthppSmokers are more likely to have heart disease stroke cancer chronic lung disease and diabetes all of which are important co-morbidities for developing severe illness following Covid infectionppstrongWhat are the effects of quitting smoking on the bodystrongppThe beneficial effects of quitting smoking begin almost immediately within minutes to hours and continues to be seen over several years to a decadeppWithin 30 to 60 minutes heart rate and blood pressure begin to dropppAt around 12 hours the carbon monoxide level in blood drops to normalppBy 4-12 weeks blood circulation and lung function improveppBy 3-6 months coughing and shortness of breath decrease and risk of respiratory infections also reducesbr At 1 year the risk of coronary heart disease reduces to about half that of a smokersppAt 5 years the risk of having a heart attack or a brain stroke risk is reduced to that of a nonsmokerppAt 10 years the risk of lung cancer falls to about half that of a smoker and the risk of cancer of the mouth throat esophagus etc also decreasesppThough in the initial days after quitting one could have withdrawal symptoms but in the long run stopping smoking would lead to lesser mental irritability anxiety depression and mood swingsppAbstinence from smoking also reduces the chances of impotence infertility having premature births and miscarriageppAnd finally quitting smoking improves life expectancyppstrongTips to effectively quit smokingstrongppThere is no single and easy way to quit tobacco Some of the following tips could help you in kicking this habitppMake a quit plan and stick to it Doesnrsquot matter if you fail a couple of times Keep trying and donrsquot give upppModify your diet There are some food items which make cigarette taste better like meat alcohol tea coffee aerated beverages Avoid them and instead have fruits vegetables cheese water fresh fruit juices Also if you have a habit of post-meals cigarette then change your routine and do some activity to divert your mindppHave a support group in place to help you through this — family friends doctor counsellor Nicotine-replacement therapy like chewing-gum or skin-patches can be very helpful to tide over your withdrawal symptomsppTry to avoid stressful situations during the first few weeks after you stop smokingppExercise even a 5-minute walk or stretch has been shown to reduce your cravings and ease some of your withdrawal symptomsppTry to be around your non-smoker friends and avoid your smoker companions for a whileppClean your house your surroundings clothes and belongings so that you do not get the familiar scent of cigarette smoke which will remind you of smokingp