Short-Term Effects of Smoking

Every year million of Americans seek treatment from smoking related illnesses and the number is increasing each year according to some statistics. As smoking is one of the socially accepted evils, it is considered to be one of the hardest addictions to cure. Studies have revealed that short-term effects of smoking like instant stimulation is what causes people to get addicted. It has also been suggested that cigarette smoking has the same physiological and psychological symptoms as marijuana and cocaine addiction. Cigarette smoke has harmful chemicals like nicotine, tar, arsenic, acetone, etc. In spite of warning signs displayed on cigarette cases, people choose to ignore it and continue smoking because they want stimulation.

The psychological effects of smoking are a feeling of well-being and a sense of stimulation. When a person inhales the cigarette smoke, it passes through the blood brain barrier and stimulates the neurotransmitters in the brain responsible for the release of neurohormones like dopamine. When this happens a feeling of happiness prevails for the smoker.

People say that smoking helps when they are stressed, this is partly because of the fact that cigarette smoke has an effect on the neurotransmitters that control the release of hormones like serotonin. This hormone is responsible for stress relief and when people smoke, the pseudo stimulation causes the release of this hormone. Hence people develop a psychological dependency on smoking whenever they feel they are stressed.

Other psychological short-term effects of smoking cigarettes are an increased sense of awareness caused due to certain chemicals stimulating the visual cortex. Adrenalin is also one of the hormones released when people smoke and this gives an energetic feeling to the smoker. This causes psychological dependence on smoking for stimulation in many people. Many people continuing smoking because they think one of the effects of cigarette smoking is increased levels of concentration.

Shortness of breath is one of the common side effects of smoking cigarettes experienced by many people. This is mostly due to the fact that when people smoke the supply of oxygen to the cells dips drastically. One of the short-term effects of smoking tobacco on the circulatory system is increased blood pressure. This harmful health effect of smoking cigarettes in the long-term may lead to fatal cardiovascular complication.

One of the most ignored side effects of cigarette smoke is bad breath, in the long-term it leads to tooth decay and other diseases like gingivitis. Smoking also has an adverse effect on the digestive system, it leads to increased acid levels causing indigestion and acid reflux. Other health effects include sore throat and cough, these along with cold are some of the most noticeable short-term effects of smoking on the body.

Perhaps the most significant effects of smoking during pregnancy is increased nausea and vomiting. A large number of people will experience light dizziness when they have a smoke, especially their first cigarette of the day. Probably one of the most significant side effect of smoking is loss of appetite. People who have existing allergies will experience more irritation when they smoke, some will also experience an itching sensation in some parts of the body. Nicotine addiction is also known to cause headaches and irritation in the eyes which can be really discomforting.

Most people ignore the short-term effects of smoking, as they can recover quickly from these while some people have selective memory, meaning they only remember the good times and not the problems. If you planning to quit smoking due to its adverse effects you could try nicotine patches or chewing gum available in the market to control nicotine addiction.