Smoking is an addiction that is not easy to break up with. Since you already smoke cigarettes, at least watch your body with care. Here are some tips on what to do to reduce the negative effects of addiction at least a little.

If you have been struggling with addiction unsuccessfully for years, you are well aware of the devastationsmokingis causing your body. You still smoke becauseaddictionis stronger. Surely you will find the strength to finish him someday.

Before this happens, do your best to minimize the disastrous effects of smoking . Listen to your body to spot the danger in time.

Effects of smoking - control your blood pressure

The carbon monoxide in tobacco smoke makes it difficult for the blood to carry oxygen. Already a minute after smoking a cigarette, blood vessels narrow in a defensive reaction.

To get oxygen to all of your body's cells, your heart needs to work harder. You feel it beats faster, your blood pressure rises. If you smoke, you need to control your blood pressure and be sure to treat your high blood pressure.

Do not forget that the risk of heart attack and stroke in smokers increases many times over! Pressure around the heart, especially after exercise, is often the first symptom of angina. It usually occurs in smokers aged 40-50 who have not yet developed a so-called collateral circulation in the area of ​​obstructed coronary arteries.

Effects of smoking - do cholesterol tests

Under the influence of smoking, the amount of "good" cholesterol is lowered and the amount of "bad" cholesterol is increased. Therefore, you should avoid foods rich in cholesterol in your daily diet. Choose white meat instead of red meat, eat sea fish. Fry only in oil, use olive oil as often as possible. Cut down on butter and yellow cheeses.

Protect your bones and stomach while smoking

Cigarettes are on the list of "bone thieves" responsible for osteoporosis. Studies have shown a close relationship between cigarette smoking and the incidence of fractures in the hip, vertebrae and forearm. The best way to avoid osteoporosis is through a calcium-rich diet. Most of it is in milk and dairy products. An adult needs 1000 mg of calcium per day, in pregnant, lactating and postmenopausal women this requirement increases to 1500mg. Cigarettes increase the secretion of gastric juice and reduce the amount of prostaglandin that protects the lining of the stomach. It is easier then to develop ulcers, and healing them is more difficult in smokers. Therefore, eat regularly, 5 times a day.

Important

What will you gain if you quit smoking

  • pressure and heart rate return to normal after 20 minutes;
  • drops by 50% after 8 hours. nicotine and carbon dioxide levels in the blood, oxygen levels return to normal;
  • after 24 hours, carbon dioxide disappears, lungs begin to cleanse;
  • after 48 hours, the body gets rid of nicotine;
  • the bronchi relaxes after 72 hours;
  • after 2-12 weeks the blood supply to the organs improves;
  • after 3-9 months the cough disappears, lung function improves by 10%;
  • after a year, the risk of a heart attack drops by half;
  • after 10 years, the risk of lung cancer drops by 50%;
  • after 15 years the risk of having a heart attack is similar to that of a non-smoker.

How do I quit smoking?

Do you smoke cigarettes? Gulp down vitamins

The smoker has an increased need for vitamins. One cigarette destroys approx. 25 mg of vit. C. The daily requirement is 100 mg, so it is easy to find a deficiency. It is abundant in citrus, kiwi, currants, especially black currants, broccoli, peppers, cabbage, tomatoes and parsley. You also need to supplement the deficiency of B vitamins, especially B1. There is plenty of it in brown rice, wholemeal bread, nuts, dried fruit and pulses.

Smoker! Monitor your lungs

Perform a chest X-ray regularly once a year. Pay attention to your morning cough - it's the lungs' natural defense against irritation. As your lungs get used to your regular tobacco smoke, they begin to produce more mucus and the excess mucus is removed as you cough up. These are the first symptoms of chronic bronchitis. After years of destroying the air sacs in the lungs, it can turn into chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). A spirometry test detects this insidious disease even at an early stage. Hoarseness without infection, if it persists for more than 2 weeks, requires medical consultation, as does chronic sore throat. A cough that lasts more than 3 weeks and does not respond to traditional treatment is another cause for concern and a chest X-ray is required. When coughing is associated with hemoptysis, do not hesitate! Difficulty swallowing or passing food down the esophagus is another alarming sign. So if a smoker has difficulty swallowing and he or she does not have strep throat, he should see him as soon as possibledoctor.

Smoking and hormonal contraception

Be careful with oral contraceptives! If you use the hormone pill and smoke a lot and are in the age of 35, you run the risk of thromboembolism. In this case, cigarettes are a serious (but not absolute) contraindication to this type of contraception. When you are planning to become pregnant and you are unsuccessful despite repeated efforts, take into account that an addiction may be to blame. Research has shown that cigarettes can cause infertility, especially if you smoke more than 20 a day and you started before the age of 18. It is worth knowing that they also affect male infertility. Are cigarettes really worth such efforts and treatments? Or maybe it would be easier to just quit, the more that there are more and more effective methods and measures to help you free yourself from the addiction. It's always worth trying …

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Psychology