The harm of smoking to the human body. The harm of smoking, dangerous consequences What are the social and psychological reasons for smoking

Smoking is one of the most harmful habits not only among young people, but also among older people. Many people who smoke do not think about the dangers of cigarettes, but smoking has a very significant effect on our health and life expectancy.

Smoking is the inhalation of smoke from the combustion of dry plant leaves. Columbus at one time provided an invaluable service to Europeans by bringing tobacco to Europe. And if then only a select few were allowed to smoke, today many people are susceptible to this addiction: not only men and women, today it is not uncommon for boys and girls and teenagers to smoke, and many begin to smoke in early childhood. Smoking people can be found everywhere, on the street and in hallways, near schools and on playgrounds. There is an opinion among experts that on a planetary scale today there are two reasons that contribute to an increase in the mortality rate: HIV infection and tobacco smoking.

After I completely quit smoking, I no longer have a gloomy and anxious mood. Habit is the tyrant of people! (Shakespeare)

Today, no one will be surprised by the message that smoking has a detrimental effect on health. Labels on cigarette packages informing consumers about the possible consequences of tobacco use do not reduce the number of people purchasing coveted cigarettes. Smokers hear every day about the dangers of smoking, read terrible inscriptions promising quick loss of health on packs, and regularly listen to the indignant cries of non-smokers. But, nevertheless, they continue to smoke. How to explain this? Maybe there are simply not enough words about the dangers of smoking.

What does smoking lead to?

It must be said that scientists have studied in detail the components included in tobacco smoke. A huge number of elements have been identified that are harmful to the health of smokers. Many of these components begin their destructive effects almost immediately after entering the body. These include nicotine and carbon monoxide. Others gradually accumulate in order to later deliver their destructive blow - polonium 210, benzanthracene, benzene, vinyl chloride. These substances are carcinogens - they cause cancer of the lungs, liver, stomach, tongue, and laryngopharynx. Carbon monoxide, interacting with hemoglobin in the blood, disrupts its transport function. The tissues of the human body suffer from hypoxia.

Smoking is dangerous at any age; in adolescence it is even more harmful. Smoking causes irreparable harm to the body, reducing its performance, affecting memory, impairing taste, smell and color perception of the world. Smoking disrupts the functioning of various glands of the body, including the thyroid gland. Teenagers who smoke have more severe skin problems, such as boils or pimples, and slower growth and development. The main problem of smoking teenagers is that while they are young and strong, they do not think about their health. Scientists have discovered a pattern that people who started smoking in adolescence have worse health than those who started smoking in adulthood. Moreover, those who become addicted to smoking in adolescence tend to smoke for the rest of their lives.

It is a very sad fact that the number of girls and women who smoke is growing every year. It should be noted that after about a couple of years it will be quite easy to distinguish a woman who smokes from a non-smoker, even without using special equipment. A lady who smokes will be identified by a smoky, rough voice, dull, gray skin, early wrinkles around the eyes, and the smell of tobacco emanating from the woman. The main changes occurring in the body are often carefully hidden from view. Women who smoke are more likely to experience menstrual irregularities, infertility, and early menopause.

Pregnant women who smoke and fail to give up tobacco cause even greater misunderstanding among others. Most likely, they do not think about the harm that smoking causes to their unborn child. For such women, the percentage of stillborn children is significantly higher than for non-smokers. Nicotine entering the fetal blood through the placenta accumulates there and the concentration of nicotine in the baby’s body exceeds the concentration in the mother’s body. Nicotine causes oxygen starvation of the cells of the developing fetus. Smoking and failure to self-control this habit can lead to premature birth of a child. Children of smoking mothers, as a rule, are born much weaker than those of non-smokers. In addition, they are susceptible to various congenital pathologies.

It is also better for nursing mothers to give up this bad habit. The baby not only inhales the nicotine coming from his mother, he also receives the lion's share of nicotine through her milk. Having examined the milk of smoking mothers, scientists have proven that a liter of such milk contains 0.5 mg of a lethal dose that can kill a baby.

People suffering from problems with the respiratory and circulatory systems should also stop smoking. Nicotine causes the heart rate to increase and blood vessels to spasm. Scientists have found that, in general, people who have suffered a stroke or myocardial infarction at a young age are heavy tobacco smokers.

And of course, one cannot help but notice that smokers cause irreparable harm not only to their health, but also to the people around them. People who are close to a smoker are also smokers, only passive smokers and suffer much more from this habit. Such smoking poses a particular danger for expectant and nursing mothers, the elderly and adolescents, as well as for those who suffer from chronic diseases of the heart, blood vessels and respiratory system.

Tobacco is the cheapest, most “mild” drug, the severe consequences of its use are immediately invisible, but appear in a more or less distant future, which creates the illusion of its harmlessness. (V. Bakhur)

Today I want to tell you about an equally harmless habit - smoking. Of course, the harm caused by nicotine is less dangerous than alcohol, but still. A drug is a drug.

Most smokers perceive nicotine addiction as a harmless habit that helps them relax or cheer up, occupy themselves in moments of anticipation, or become a reason for a joint smoke break.

However, statistics compiled by the World Health Organization (WHO) indicate high morbidity and mortality due to the addiction. According to statistics, smoking cigarettes tens of times increases the risk of bronchitis, emphysema, coronary heart disease, respiratory cancer, and this is not a complete list. In Russia, more than 300 thousand people die every year from nicotine addiction. The harm of smoking on the human body has been proven by many scientists around the world and does not raise doubts among doctors. So why don't more than 1.3 billion of the world's population quit using tobacco?

Composition of tobacco smoke

In recent years, the Ministry of Health has ensured that cigarette packs indicate the deadly dangers of tobacco on human health. Before taking a puff, a person must know the truthful information and make a choice in favor or cessation of smoking. It is known that each cigarette contains more than 3,000 chemicals. The most dangerous to health are nicotine, carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, tar, benzene, and formaldehyde.

Nicotine is perhaps the most well-known component of tobacco and tobacco smoke. It is he who is responsible for the painful addiction to cigarettes, and therefore is a narcotic substance. Addiction to nicotine is on the same level as addiction to alcohol, cocaine, and heroin. This chemical disrupts metabolic processes in tissues, leads to vasospasm and slower microcirculation, and changes the bioelectrical activity of the brain.

Carbon monoxide displaces oxygen from red blood cells, which leads to its lack in organs and tissues - hypoxia. As a result, diseases develop in all body systems. Hydrogen cyanide belongs to the group of highly toxic substances. It destroys the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract, eyes, and digestive tract. It causes general intoxication, which causes headache, vomiting, shortness of breath, and rapid heartbeat.

Tar is a resinous compound that turns smokers' fingers and teeth yellow. In addition, it is the main cause of cancer of the larynx and lungs. Formaldehyde also has a carcinogenic effect, destroys lung tissue, and reduces its elastic properties. Benzene is highly active, affects all organs and systems, and increases the risk of leukemia several times.

The effect of smoking on the body

Due to nicotine addiction, human health gradually deteriorates. As a result, compensatory (protective) mechanisms weaken and diseases occur in all body systems. The respiratory tract, heart and blood vessels, and brain are primarily affected.

Harmful effects on the respiratory system

The respiratory tract becomes a conductor of tobacco smoke into the body. As a result of chronic smoking, the mucous membrane of the larynx, trachea, and bronchi dries out and atrophies over time, losing its physiological properties. The ciliated epithelium that lines the respiratory tract and cleanses the bronchi from mucus, dust particles, and bacteria is destroyed. This leads to inflammatory processes - laryngitis, tracheitis, bronchitis. Everyone knows about chronic cough in people with nicotine addiction, which occurs mainly in the morning, the so-called smoker's bronchitis.

A long history of smoking for more than 5-10 years weakens the elastic properties of lung tissue, which determine the maintenance of normal gas exchange during physical activity. As a result, the ventilation function of the lungs decreases, shortness of breath appears, and tissue hypoxia develops. Chronic smokers are 5 times more likely to suffer from emphysema and malignant neoplasms of the larynx, bronchi, and lungs. A decrease in local immunity causes a high incidence of respiratory colds and flu.

Harmful effects on the cardiovascular system

Nicotine addiction negatively affects the functioning of the heart and blood vessels. The myocardium is a powerful muscle that pumps hundreds of liters of blood per day throughout a person’s life. For its normal operation, energy is required, the formation of which occurs with a sufficient supply of oxygen. Smoking, through the negative influence of carbon monoxide, causes chronic hypoxemia - insufficient oxygen in the blood and, consequently, its deficiency in all tissues of the body.

Nicotine and tars in tobacco cause spasm of arterial vessels, impair microcirculation, and contribute to increased blood pressure. This aggravates the work of the heart, especially in conditions of energy starvation. In addition, toxic substances in cigarette smoke disrupt lipid metabolism and increase blood viscosity. This leads to an increase in cholesterol content, the formation of atherosclerotic plaques and blood clots in the vessels, which increases the risk of developing myocardial infarction, pulmonary infarction, cerebral stroke, and thromboembolism of the pulmonary artery system.

Harmful effects on the nervous system

Highly specialized brain cells are sensitive to any toxic substances, including those found in tobacco smoke. Nicotine and tar reach the brain within 7 seconds after the first puff. They cause primary excitation of neurons, followed by a long period of inhibition. This slows down the bioelectrical activity of the brain, which is accompanied by a deterioration in mental activity, memory loss, absent-mindedness, and a decrease in intellectual abilities.

Nicotine promotes spasm of cerebral vessels, deterioration of blood flow to brain tissue, and insufficient supply of oxygen and nutrients. Headaches, blurred vision, fatigue, irritability, and drowsiness occur. Tobacco smoke negatively affects the peripheral nervous system, slowing down the conduction of nerve impulses from the central regions to the periphery. Polyneuritis, radiculitis, and polyneuropathy appear, leading to pain along the nerve trunks, decreased sensitivity and impaired motor activity.

The negative impact of tobacco addiction causes severe chronic diseases and reduces life expectancy by an average of 10-15 years. Giving up a bad habit will help you maintain excellent health for yourself and the people around you. It has also been proven that passive smoke inhalation is no less harmful than active tobacco smoking.

The harm of smoking is obvious, and today the government is trying to fight this evil. Whether this is right or wrong is debatable. I believe that any violent method, when you are forced to quit using harsh methods, leads to the opposite reaction. It was the same with alcohol, and it will be with smoking. What's the point, for example, that smoking is banned on trains? Recently I traveled by rail to another city. This is terrible. Now smokers simply lock themselves in toilets and smoke their nasty cigarettes there. You follow them into the toilet, and while there, you immediately smell of tobacco smoke.

An adult cannot be forced to quit smoking. He must do this himself, due to his needs. Promoting the dangers of smoking and raising cigarette prices also helps here. A friend of mine simply gave up this bad habit only because it became expensive for him to buy cigarettes. If a person is smart and thinking, he will understand that smoking is driving him to the grave, and will be able to overcome the craving for cigarettes by quitting smoking once and for all. Of course, he will have to go through a crisis, withdrawal, and maybe even a painful and inadequate reaction of the body. For many this is very difficult. The body spent a lot of time adapting to the poison, rebuilding itself, and then, after throwing it away, it is necessary to change the developed balance again. And it will be a long time before he becomes healthy again. It all depends on the period of smoking. I will tell you how to quit smoking and overcome the crisis in my subsequent posts. Don't miss it.

There must be some kind of incentive for a person to realize and tell himself that everything needs to be given up. For some, such an incentive may be getting rid of a disease that threatens the smoker’s life, and only complete cessation of cigarettes can stop the disease.

I believe that the most productive method of combating smoking is propaganda that a smoker, just like an alcoholic, as a result of addiction to these drugs (and alcohol and nicotine are drugs) becomes a weak, sick and worthless person who degrades physically , mentally and spiritually. A new cult of a real man and a beautiful woman should arise in people's minds. The best person in all respects is a healthy person who does not drink alcohol or smoke. Unfortunately, on TV screens we see how yet another hero from the film smokes and drinks alcohol, and this is cool.

Young people easily begin to imitate the characters from the film, which leads to degradation at a young age.

A smoker and a drinker should become not a hero, but an outcast in modern society.

A person should be ashamed that he smokes, not proud of it.

If he sees that normal people look at him with disgust, with contempt, maybe then he will think about it. A smoker should know that if he does not quit his bad habit, he has little chance of meeting his life partner, he will not get a normal job, he will not achieve anything in life. Your significant other, your employer don’t need sick people, don’t need drug addicts (I consider everyone who smokes and drinks alcohol to be drug addicts). If I'm wrong, write in the comments and we'll discuss it.

Fortunately, society is gradually changing. And what was previously an ideal, an example to follow, becomes a subject of disgust and humiliation.

The future of the country and nation belongs to strong people who lead a healthy lifestyle and do not use, although weak, drugs - nicotine and alcohol.

That's all. Watch another video about the dangers of smoking.

Good luck to you in getting rid of bad habits.

Probably, today every child knows perfectly well that smoking is bad and harmful. Thanks to a targeted and large-scale anti-tobacco campaign, there are fewer and fewer smokers in the world. But still there remains a huge number of people who revere and cherish their own deadly habit and do not want to part with it.

The fact is that smoking is an insidious enemy. Coming to a person under the guise of a friend who can support in difficult moments, give relaxation and calm, the cigarette firmly settles in the person’s mind and begins to rule the body. Much has been written about the dangers of smoking on the human body. Let's briefly recall the evil that a cigarette brings with it.

Smoking completely destroys the human body

While knowing full well about the harm? This antisocial habit has long become a global disaster. The cigarette has firmly tamed a huge number of people. But the worst thing is that this dependence is formed in two directions at once: physical and psychological. We can say that a person actually becomes captive of tobacco smoke.

Interest in smoking begins in childhood

It has been proven that the presence of psychological dependence directly affects the impossibility of quickly parting with addiction. It’s not for nothing that they say that a person is a slave to his habits.

Considering the physiological aspect of smoking, we will understand that with complete oblivion of cigarettes, extremely beneficial changes occur in the body:

vasodilation;
improvement of brain activity;
stabilization of the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract;
restoration of the respiratory system.

It is in the physical plane that after quitting smoking a person experiences beneficial changes. What can not be said about the psychological mood. Moreover, additional difficulties are added by the fact that the personality sets itself up to the point that parting with a cigarette will be very painful. After all, what will then help fight depression, stress and anxiety?

These are echoes of that same psychological dependence. And it appears immediately after the decision to quit smoking. But the most dangerous thing is that smoking is a habit acquired purposefully. The human body is absolutely not designed to be exposed to additional artificial doping.

Remember, smokers, your first attempts to take a drag. Cough, disgust and desire to throw away the cigarette. But the person stubbornly studies the basics of smoking and arms himself with a pack of cigarettes. Why and why? Maybe it’s just that not everyone knows how this will turn out?

The harm of smoking on the human body briefly

People who start their day with a cigarette and continue to actively smoke throughout the day do not even realize what a huge amount of carcinogens they are “launching” into their own body. Doctors have established and proven that by smoking about 15-20 cigarettes a smoker “replenishes” the reserves of his physical potential by:

40-45 mg of ammonia;
120-130 mg nicotine;
0.5-0.6 l of carbon monoxide;
0.5-2 mg of hydrocyanic acid.

Add here a huge list of more than 400 names of carcinogenic substances, and you can independently assess the harm of tobacco on the human body. Considering that carcinogenic compounds have a powerful ability to be deposited in the depths of the human body. Where they constantly and purposefully destroy the functioning of internal organs, mercilessly ruining health.

Composition of tobacco smoke

It is a known fact that the life of active smokers with a long history of smoking is reduced by 6-12 years compared to non-smokers.

Thanks to numerous and long-term studies, doctors have found that smoking:

It has a detrimental effect on the immune system.
Consistently reduces overall health.
Increases the risk of developing cancer.
Seriously disrupts the functioning of the reproductive system. This applies to both men and women.
Significantly constricts blood vessels, which leads to the development of oxygen starvation and problems of the cardiovascular system.

Cigarettes and the nervous system

The toxic carcinogens that every tobacco product contains have a destructive effect on the human central nervous system. The tasks of the nervous system include control over all processes occurring in the body. The central nervous system reacts to tobacco intoxication as follows:

Decreased attention level, absent-mindedness and forgetfulness.
Dizziness caused by a sharp narrowing of the lumen of blood vessels.
Feeling of loss of consciousness. The person seems to fall into short-term prostration.

Heavy smokers with a long history of smoking cigarettes in most cases experience persistent memory impairment, depressive symptoms, and severe migraines. Neurotic signs also develop; smokers are often plagued by chronic fatigue. Carcinogenic smoke has an extremely negative effect on a person’s ability to sense tastes and smells..

How do cigarettes affect the nervous system?

Doctors have proven that long-term smoking significantly reduces a person’s ability to perceive colors. Smokers have impaired color perception. The same applies to the work of olfactory receptors.

Smoke lovers also complain of hearing and vision problems. Toxic compounds are harmful to the visual and auditory nerves. If there are existing problems (diseases) in the central nervous system, the smoker may eventually experience disability.

Smoking and the respiratory system

The main and destructive blow of tobacco smoke is the bronchopulmonary organs. Heavy, sticky particles of soot and soot settle in large quantities in the bronchi, disrupting the normal breathing process. Bronchial alveoli are gradually destroyed, subsequently provoking inflammatory processes.

The effect of cigarettes on the respiratory system

Remember the famous smoker's cough, which begins in the morning and continues all day. This cough syndrome is accompanied by expectoration of viscous grayish sputum. This is coughing up particles of soot that interfere with normal breathing. The voice of the smoker also changes, it becomes rough and hoarse.

During a year of smoking, about 1-1.5 kg of tobacco tar passes through a person’s lungs, and over time the lungs darken. This is clearly visible during the autopsy of a deceased smoker. Such photos are often used in visual anti-smoking posters.

A constant painful cough gradually stretches the alveoli, which impairs their tone and elasticity. All smokers, without exception, experience various disruptions in the functioning of the respiratory system. Doctors regret to note the fact that the number of tuberculosis cases is growing among smokers. Smoking is the main cause of various oncological processes occurring in the pulmonary system.

Carcinogenic tobacco smoke contains large quantities of amines. These compounds, when interacting with salivary fluid, form toxic toxins - nitrosamines. Once in the stomach, nitrosamines can trigger the growth of malignant cells. Not to mention that tobacco also contains a number of radioactive elements, which only add to the risk of cancer.

Tobacco and the heart system

Smoking significantly increases heart rate, causing the myocardium to work harder. This significantly increases the load on the heart. Nicotine compounds, along with the bloodstream, end up in the adrenal glands, provoking the latter to actively produce hormones that contribute to increased blood pressure.

How do cigarettes affect the cardiovascular system?

The heart requires more and more effort to pump blood, given that the lumens of blood vessels are significantly narrowed due to smoking. Carboxyhemoglobin, which is part of carbon monoxide, also worsens the blood supply to the myocardium. It is inhaled in large quantities by smokers while smoking a cigarette.

A fan of tobacco smoke inhales a lot of catecholamines, which, penetrating into the blood, become the causes of increased deposition of fatty plaques. This situation becomes the direct culprit of atherosclerotic deposits and the development of atherosclerosis. The sad result is obesity of the heart and its various pathologies.

Cigarettes and the digestive system

Carcinogenic smoke has an extremely negative effect on the functioning of the digestive tract. Smoke begins its harmful effects even during the first puff. By irritating the teeth, mucous membranes of the mouth and tongue, tobacco smoke can lead to numerous infectious diseases, not to mention cancer.

How cigarettes affect digestion

A smoker's teeth gradually turn yellow and decay. And what about the unpleasant smell that accompanies a lover of nicotine products? Once in the stomach, carcinogens from tobacco smoke greatly increase the risk of developing ulcerative pathologies, gastritis and pancreatitis.

Nicotine also greatly aggravates intestinal motility. It is this fact that influences the fact that smokers often complain of lack of appetite and various problems with stool (diarrhea, constipation, flatulence).

Smoking and the reproductive system

How can tobacco smoke affect a person’s reproductive functions? Poisonous toxins and carcinogens have a direct and very powerful destructive effect on the germ cells of the human body. The harm of smoking on a man's body is the development of erectile dysfunction and a decrease in libido. Women suffer from various menstrual cycle disorders.

Much has been said about the dangers of smoking during pregnancy. Carcinogens and a huge list of toxic substances from tobacco smoke lead to the formation of painful toxicosis, problems with normal pregnancy and the birth of babies with numerous congenital pathologies.

This is only a tiny part of the destruction that smoking brings with it. The health effects of nicotine are wide-ranging and complex. Almost all internal organs and systems suffer, collapse and die. What can be concluded? The sooner a person forgets about his addiction, the greater his chances of living a full, healthy and long life.

Smoking is a common habit in modern society, covering all age categories. According to statistics, there are approximately one billion people around the world who constantly use various means of smoking. The correlation from the alkaloid poses a serious danger to humans. However, awareness of the full risk of this habit is a strong motivation that will help overcome the craving for the fence.

Of course, it’s impossible to talk briefly about all the horrors of smoking. The damage to health caused by nicotine sticks can only be compared to large-scale man-made disasters. The main evil is the inhalation of a large number of dangerous chemicals, as well as an increased risk of developing a variety of diseases from heart failure to cancer. According to the World Health Organization, about 5 million people worldwide die from this bad habit every year.

Main components of cigarette smoke

Tobacco smoke contains more than 3,000 harmful synthetic phenylones. With an average daily intake of 20 cigarettes for a heavy smoker, about 120-180 mg of nicotine enters the human organs in its pure form. However, along with inhaled smoke, hundreds of poisons penetrate into the bronchopulmonary system:

- - hydrocyanic acid;
  - cyanide;
  - carbon monoxide;
  - arsenic, etc.

Also, when smoking, more than 50 types of carcinogens enter the human body. These include chrysene, benzopyrene and many others. Nitrosamines, which can destroy the brain, and radioactive heavy substances such as lead, polonium, and bismuth also enter the lungs. All these are components of tobacco tar, which passes through the internal human system. In a year, the lungs process more than 80 kg of such resin, some of which remains in them forever.

What harm does smoking a cigarette cause?

Damage from smoking to the human body consists of stimulating the development of severe chronic diseases. The toxic compounds that make up every cigarette negatively affect a person’s appearance. According to the latest data, one pack of smoked per day triggers the process of accelerated biological aging of the entire organism as a whole.

Tobacco addiction weakens the nervous system, impairs brain activity, resulting in a significant decrease in intelligence. Also, all the chemistry of tobacco smoke reduces the functionality of the gastrointestinal tract, thereby disrupting its motility and secretory activity, leading to the occurrence of different degrees of gastritis, ulcers and other problems with the gastrointestinal tract.

Scientists have confirmed the threat from smoking. They discovered a connection between weakness to tobacco and blindness. Malignant carcinogens cause retinal dystrophy and also negatively affect the visual nerve endings. Hearing disorders are also associated with the use of vakshtaf. Nicotine has a destructive effect on the innervation of the internal components of the ear, which can result in sleep disturbances and a dull sense of smell and taste buds.
After each cigarette smoked, the risk of diseases of the circulatory system and heart increases. Constricted blood vessels cause tissue hypoxia, the number of heart contractions increases, and blood clots can form.

All these seemingly not so big problems subsequently lead to serious illnesses that often cannot be treated. These include cancerous tumors, which are 10 times more common in smokers. This could be cancer of the oral cavity, stomach, lungs - those places where a large amount of nicotine tar settles and accumulates. Such diseases often end in death.

The harm of smoking for teenagers

Tobacco is very harmful to a young body that is still growing. The developing organs and systems of young people have increased demands and need more energy. The toxic substances and preservatives contained in cigarettes literally poison young people, contribute to decreased performance, and inhibit mental development.

Smoking poses a huge threat to young girls. Every cigarette you smoke has a negative impact on your appearance. The habit of smoking during puberty provokes problems with women's health, which can subsequently lead to infertility.

Harm from passive smoking

Unfortunately, not only smokers suffer from nicotine addiction, but also the people around them. Inhaling toxic smoke from cigarettes is called passive smoking and is no less harmful. A non-smoking person, being in the same room with smokers, inhales much more nicotine, tar and all compounds of tobacco smoke, because he inhales them without a filter. The consequences of passive smoking will be visible quite quickly, literally in half an hour they will develop:

depression;
decreased performance;
redness of the eyes;
dry throat;
cough.

Video: Visual demonstration of the accelerated smoking process

In a short period of time, the level of antioxidants and vitamin C in the body of a passive smoker decreases, which leads to a significant deterioration of immunity and can provoke hypertension, hypotension, arrhythmia and other equally dangerous diseases.

Summarizing information about the dangers of smoking, we can say that a predisposition to tobacco is a slow-acting poison that has a destructive effect on a person’s internal system for many years. All smokers need to realize that this slavery significantly undermines their health. Remember, it’s never too late to change something and forget this harmful thing.

Many modern people have such a dangerous habit as smoking. But not everyone knows about the harm of smoking on the human body. When 20 cigarettes are smoked per day, 120 mg of nicotine, 40 mg of ammonia, up to 1 mg of hydrocyanic acid, 0.5 liters of carbon monoxide and some other toxic compounds enter the body. These poisons slowly poison the smoker's body, reducing his life expectancy by 5-10 years. Let's briefly talk about how tobacco smoke affects the organs and systems of the body.

How does smoking affect the functioning of the nervous system?

Toxic substances found in tobacco smoke have a negative effect on the nervous system, which controls all processes occurring in our body. The first symptom of tobacco damage to the nervous system is dizziness, accompanied by a decrease in concentration and a feeling of loss of consciousness. Dizziness is caused by a narrowing of the lumen of large vessels that supply the brain. Those who smoke for several years show signs of a neurotic state: a feeling of chronic fatigue, irritability, memory problems, headaches.

Tobacco smoke also negatively affects taste buds; many smokers note a decrease in taste perception. People who have this bad habit often have vision problems and color perception is impaired. This is due to the effect of toxic substances on the optic nerves. In addition, smoking leads to hearing loss and a feeling of stuffiness in the ears. Toxic compounds destroy the auditory nerve, reducing hearing acuity. If a person has chronic diseases of the nervous system, then a bad habit can aggravate the course of the pathological process and lead to disability.

How does tobacco smoke affect the respiratory system?

The main impact falls on the respiratory system. Both heavy soot particles and microscopic particles of toxic substances, settling on the mucous membranes of the bronchi, lead to their damage. Because of this, a chronic inflammatory process begins to develop in the lung tissues. Smokers often complain of a painful cough, especially in the morning. It is accompanied by the discharge of grayish sputum. Chronic inflammation in the vocal cords makes the voice of a smoker hoarse and rough. This can put an end to professional careers, for example singers.

In 1 year, up to 1 kg of tobacco tar passes through the smoker’s respiratory organs, so over time they begin to darken. Constant coughing leads to a decrease in tissue elasticity, which causes overstretching of the alveoli. All smokers experience serious disturbances in the functioning of the respiratory system. Pulmonary tuberculosis affects people who smoke much more often than those who do not smoke. Smoking is considered the main cause of the development of cancer cells in the lungs.

Tobacco smoke contains amines, which, when interacting with saliva, form highly toxic substances - nitrosamines. Penetrating into the stomach, they cause the growth of malignant tumors. Tobacco contains both natural and artificial radioactive compounds. By inhaling tobacco smoke, we introduce them into our body, which can cause irreparable damage to it.

How does smoking affect the heart?

Smoking increases heart rate, which occurs after smoking 1 cigarette. This puts significant strain on a person's heart. When nicotine enters the blood, the adrenal glands begin to produce hormones that increase blood pressure. This also increases the load on the heart muscle. It requires more energy to pump blood through the narrowed lumen of the arteries. When the lumen of blood vessels is blocked, a decrease in body temperature is observed. When carbon monoxide is inhaled, the concentration of carboxyhemoglobin increases, which impairs blood supply to the heart muscle.

Inhaling tobacco smoke increases the risk of developing a deadly pathology - atherosclerosis.

When you inhale tobacco smoke, catecholamines enter the bloodstream, increasing the concentration of fats. This causes atherosclerotic deposits to settle on the walls of blood vessels. Toxic compounds interfere with the absorption of vitamin C, a deficiency of which leads to the formation of cholesterol plaques on the walls of blood vessels. Insufficient blood supply to the heart leads to obesity.

Tobacco smoke also has a negative effect on the digestive tract. When smoke enters the mouth, it irritates the tongue and mucous membranes and contributes to the destruction of tooth enamel. Smokers often experience bad breath. Irritation of the salivary glands leads to increased salivation. Smoking greatly increases the risk of tongue and lip cancer. The toxic function of tobacco smoke is associated with its temperature, chemical and mechanical effects. When toxic substances enter the stomach, they contribute to the development of peptic ulcers. The risk of ulcers in smokers is several times higher than in non-smokers. Frequent irritation of the mucous membranes of the stomach contributes to the development of gastritis. Nicotine slows down intestinal motility. This is what causes a decrease in appetite in smokers. In addition, they often experience liver enlargement, which goes away after giving up this bad habit.

What harm does smoking cause to the endocrine glands? Toxic substances primarily affect the gonads. In men this manifests itself in the form of erectile dysfunction, in women - in the menstrual cycle. Smoking during pregnancy contributes to toxicosis, miscarriage, and the development of pathologies in the fetus.