Smoking is one of the most dangerous habits you can have and definitely one of the worst things you can do for your health. There are a number of short and long term effects of smoking, all of which should be well understood not only by smokers but by non-smokers as well so that they will understand what the dangers are and be sure never to start smoking.

Short Term

There are many short term and even immediate effects of smoking that a smoker will experience. In fact, just from one cigarette alone, even if it is the person’s very first cigarette, can cause their blood pressure to elevate and their heart rate to quicken.

Their blood flow to body extremities will be decreased and they may also experience dizziness and nausea. Smokers have to deal with a lot of aesthetic issues as well, as they typically experiences reduced fitness, yellow stains on fingers and teeth, and smell like smoke even though they may not be able to smell it themselves.

Long Term

There are also many long term effects of smoking. This includes shortness of breath, increased nervousness and tension, agitation, trouble concentrating, changes to sleep pattern, and various cancers, namely lung cancer. Emphysema, heart attack and coronary disease, cancer of the lung, throat, mouth, bladder, kidney, pancreas, cervix, stomach, all of these are long term effects that many smokers will experience.

Everyone knows how bad smoking is, but it is incredibly addictive and so even people who want to quit find it very difficult to do so. If you are one of these people then you should know that you do not have to go it alone. There are many stop smoking aids available these days that you can use to help you through this, including the stop smoking patch, gum, and pill.

The effects of smoking will vary from person to person but all you need to know is that there are no good effects of smoking. There is nothing positive that can come from smoking and so if you do already smoke you should consider quitting as soon as possible.

Besides the stop smoking aids that you can buy there are also stop smoking courses and classes that you can attend which will be useful to you here, and hypnosis is also a very popular option. Whichever method of treatment you use to help you stop smoking, the main thing is that you are taking steps towards quitting and this is what really matters above all else.