Sunday, May 20, 2012

Reasons To Stop Smoking

January 14, 2010 by  
Filed under Stopping Smoking Advice

There are many reasons to stop smoking that one must take into consideration. As we all know smoking is the number one cause behind many killer diseases including emphysema, lung cancer, heart disease, etc. But smoking can do so much more harm than one could imagine. It can also faster decline your mental function and you’ll have an increased risk of blindness.  In this article we will be discussing reasons to stop smoking and reasons to stick to your commitment to quit.

The first of many reasons to stop smoking is that it speeds up mental decline. Elderly smokers have a mental decline at a rate of five times faster than their non smoking counterparts. This was according to a study done in men and women over the age of 65 over a period of two years. In order to detect mental impairment participants took normal standardized test and returned to do those same tests two years later. Those who smoked had a higher rate of mental decline whether or not they did or did not have a family history of Alzheimer’s or dementia. Not only does smoking impair your memory, it also damages your arteries by causing clotting. This leads to a higher risk of having a stroke. So when it comes down to it the studies done provided sufficient evidence that smoking is not only harmful to the brain, but it speeds up mental decline and the onset of diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

Another one of many reasons to stop smoking is that smoking is known to raise the risk of autoimmune diseases. If you are a chronic smoker, than you are increasing your risk of developing diseases such as lupus. Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease. This disease is known to cause a lot of pain. It also causes inflammation and tissue damage throughout the body. Many people who suffer from lupus experience severe symptoms which can be quite unbearable. The use of tobacco products increases your risk of developing lupus disease. However if you quit early enough, your chances are drastically reduced.

If you are a woman who smokes and you someday want to start a family, then you should know that smoking increases the risk of SIDS also known as sudden infant death syndrome. In a recent study, researchers compared SIDS cases with more than 2000 living babies. The conclusion was that half of the deaths were linked to infants sleeping on their sides and bed sharing. The risk decreased drastically for the mothers who did not smoke during pregnancy.

There are many reasons to stop smoking. At the end of the day one must decide whether it is worth it for them and the life that they want to live.

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