Many people smoke as a means to relieve stress or relax. However, some smokers are not aware of how the habit affects their internal organs. Here are some of the many ways that smoking can cause damage to the body.

Heart

Smoking also affects your heart to a great degree. The carbon monoxide that emanates from a cigarette puts tremendous strain on your heart, making it pump faster. A series of other chemicals can also damage the lining of your coronary arteries. This increases your risk for an abundance of cardiovascular issues and heart diseases such as stroke, coronary artery disease, heart attacks, and peripheral vascular disease. These are all a series of events that could happen to you because the blood flow is obstructed or arteries happened to be clogged due to internal damage.

Lungs

Smoking is used by many because of its convenience and addictive nature. However, if smokers were fully aware of how smoking affects internal organs like lungs, more people might stay away. The lungs provide the body with sufficient oxygen while removing carbon dioxide from the body. However, when you smoke, coughing, wheezing, colds, and asthma could simply be the start of an excruciating experience. According to the American Lung Association, “lung cancer is the #1 leading cause of cancer-related death in America,” and it is important to receive regular lung screenings in order to catch developing lung cancer early. Because of the destruction of lung tissue and compressed airways that comes with smoking, those who smoke commonly suffer from a series of slow, debilitating respiratory disorders called COPD.

Teeth

Your teeth are not free from any of the damage of smoking, either. According to the American Dental Association, smoking can cause stained teeth, a diminished sense of taste, and rancid breath. Your risk of oral cancer increases significantly with smoking.

Skin

You may not think that smoking can affect your skin at first, but smoking regularly can cause serious harm. Smoking can cause your skin to become very dry and dull because it restricts blood flow in the capillaries and deprives the skin of oxygen. The nicotine that is present in cigarettes is also liable to stain your nails and produce more visible eye bags because of its stimulant nature. In addition, smoking triggers enzymes that reduce the production of collagen, which leads to increased wrinkles and sagging.

The harm that smoking can cause could potentially last a lifetime. There is also a heightened risk of having a shorter lifespan due to the diseases aggravated by regular tobacco and nicotine use. Ultimately, the long-term problems caused by smoking far outweigh the temporary stress relief that comes from a single cigarette.

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