COPD: What Actually Happens When You Smoke: Why You Should Quit
If you have COPD, you know that smoking is bad for your health. You’ve probably been told by loved ones that smoking will only cause your breathing to worsen, and your medical professionals have told you that quitting is one way to help ease your breathing. However, why exactly do you need to quit? What happens when you smoke that causes all of these problems? Here, we will explain everything that happens to your body when you smoke and the physiological reasons why your breathing will improve if you quit.
There are several reasons why smoking is bad for you. One of those reasons is carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide is found in cigarette smoke and is an odorless, tasteless, poisonous gas. Your body has a hard time telling the difference between oxygen and carbon monoxide, which is why sometimes it’s absorbed into the bloodstream.
In eight hours: The carbon monoxide levels in your blood reduce by half. Carbon monoxide is the same fume pumped out by a car exhaust! In high doses it can be fatal, but at low levels - such as those found in cigarettes - it causes shortness of breath and increased heart rate. Your oxygen levels will also have returned to normal, helping replenish dried-out skin and hair caused by smoking.
In 24 hours: Carbon monoxide will be completely eliminated from your body and your lungs will start to clear out excess mucus and any other smoking 'debris'. You may notice you have a cough or sore throat as new lung tissue starts to grow.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-171241/Quit-smoking-feel-better-20-minutes.html#ixzz4MJD2b...
Tar is also a part of cigarette smoke which is harmful to the body. Tar remains inside your lungs as you inhale smoke, and is a sticky brown substance. Tar is full of chemicals which are ultimately harmful to your system. With this sticky residue in your lungs, your lungs can’t perform to their full potential and can’t sweep things like dirt and germs out of your system.
In 1 - 9 Months: The cilia inside your lungs will begin to repair. The cilia are the tiny, hair-like structures that push mucus, tar and other toxins out of the lungs. Once the cilia are able to do their job efficiently, they can fight off infection and clear the lungs more easily. With improved functioning lungs, your coughing and shortness of breath will continue to decrease dramatically.
Smoking isn’t just linked to COPD—it is also linked to several different types of cancer and is thought to be generally harmful to every organ in the body. Despite all of these reasons, though, many people find it hard to quit smoking because of the addictive substance nicotine. Nicotine is the drug which is released during smoking that has many people coming back. It has been said to cause relaxation and calmness during stressful situations. However, the health effects of cigarettes outweigh the benefits of nicotine.
In 10 Years: It may take 10 years, but if you quit, eventually your risk of dying from lung cancer will drop to half that of a smoker’s. Ten years after quitting, your risk of getting other types of cancer also decreases.
These include:
· oral cancer
· throat cancer
· esophageal cancer
· lung cancer
· kidney cancer
· pancreatic cancer
Does Ten Years sound like an eternity? There are folks right here who have already reached that goal and beyond. They are just like you! They had their Day One and couldn’t begin to imagine 10 Years Smoke Free yet here they are! It’s all about taking it one Day at a Time starting today.
Smoking cessation is the only proven way of slowing down disease progression in COPD. Smoking cessation among COPD patients has been shown to lead within 2 months to an increase in patient self rated quality of life in a significant number of health domains. Smoking cessation leads to a significant reduction in COPD symptoms such as cough and shortness of breath as well as an increased physical endurance (such as walking up a flight of stairs). Fewer sick days and hospitalizations have been reported. Quitters also experience less depression and anxiety which are concomitant with COPD.
Even though it’s hard, the studies and evidence support the idea that the smoking will negatively affect your health while quitting will enhance the quality of your daily living. If you have been diagnosed with COPD, talk to your doctor about steps you could take to kick your smoking addiction
Read more: http://www.domorewithoxygen.com
