Table of Contents
- HOW DOES TOBACCO IMPACT MENTAL HEALTH?
- HOW DOES SMOKING IMPACT YOUR FINANCIALS?
- HOW DOES SMOKING IMPACT YOUR APPEARANCE?
- HOW DOES SMOKING IMPACT YOUR PHYSICAL HEALTH?
- WHY IS SMOKING SO ADDICTIVE?
- WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN NICOTINE AND DOPAMINE?
- WHAT ARE THE BARRIERS TO FIGHTING YOUR ADDICTION?
- WHY DOES IT FEEL LIKE SMOKING HELPS US RELAX?
- WHY DO MANY SMOKERS HAVE MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS?
- IS THERE A LINK BETWEEN SMOKING AND STRESS?
- IS THERE A LINK BETWEEN SMOKING AND DEPRESSION?
- WHAT ARE THE MENTAL HEALTH BENEFITS OF QUITTING SMOKING?
- WHAT ARE SOME TIPS TO STOP SMOKING?
- CAN I SMOKE CIGARETTES AND E-CIGARETTES AT THE SAME TIME?
- SMOKING AND MENTAL HEALTH - CONCLUSION
- REFERENCES
Most people know the physical health risks associated with smoking tobacco cigarettes, but few understand the huge negative influence it has on your life expectancy, mental health and wellbeing. It is a common misconception that smoking helps relaxation and mindfulness. Smoking has the adverse effect and increases long term anxiety and depression. As a result, smokers are more likely to develop mental health issues than non-smokers.
HOW DOES TOBACCO IMPACT MENTAL HEALTH?
42% of cigarette smokers will be affected by some sort of mental illness at some point in their lives, showing that there is an even greater risk with smoking beyond physical health issues. Suffering from depression or anxiety can cut a person’s life by more than 10 years and the key reason for this, according to a 2016 report, is the effect of years of heavy smoking.
Years of using cigarettes as a form of self-medicating against mental health problems can make it particularly difficult for a person to quit, as well as dangerous. On top of this, smoking worsens your mental state, as you are not taking the proper action to seek help for your mental health. It can also affect your physical health, which can then negatively influence your mental well-being, as the physical and mental are interlinked. Below is a list of a few reasons why cigarettes might lead to mental health problems:
HOW DOES SMOKING IMPACT YOUR FINANCIALS?
An individual’s financial circumstance can have a huge baring on their mental health. Debt can be a huge burden, leading to lack of sleep, lower mood, anxiety, stress and negative effect on relationships with friends and families.
Nearly half, 46%, of people in debt also have a mental health problem (1), showing a direct correlation between the two. Further to this, 86% of respondents to a Money and Mental Health survey of nearly 5,500 people with mental health problems, said that their financial situation had made their mental health problems worse. On top of this 72% of respondents to Money and Mental Health’s survey said that their mental health problems had made their financial situation worse.
A pack of cigarettes in the UK can cost around £10 a day, which over time can have a huge influence on an individual’s financial predicament. This equates to an annual expenditure of £3,650 – money that could be going towards paying off debt.
Switching to an E-Cigarette like SMOKO could save you £8 a day, which works out to an incredible £2920 a year. Put towards a debit like credit card or mortgage, this extra disposable income could pay off a debt in record time, relieve some of the financial stresses and help to reduce anxiety and help you sleep better at night.
HOW DOES SMOKING IMPACT YOUR APPEARANCE?
An individual’s perception of their physical appearance (body positivity) is known to be a huge factor in someone’s mental health. Negative comments by others or an individual’s thoughts around their image can lead to depression, anxiety or even Body Dysmorphic Disorder. If you smoke, going to the gym or regular exercise may not be as much of a priority. This lack of exercise and poor diet may lead to putting on some extra pounds. The harder it is to lose weight due to smoking may lead people to smoke even more.
Other issues due to smoking include yellow teeth, bad breath and a linger stale cigarette smell. These hygiene issues with the poor diet can lead people to have self-doubt about the way they feel about their own appearance and can make them worry about how others may perceive them.
HOW DOES SMOKING IMPACT YOUR PHYSICAL HEALTH?
Physical health difficulties significantly increase the risk of poor mental health, as they are interconnected. About 30% of people with a long-term physical health problems may also smoke (2). Smoking has a massive impact on a person’s physical health and ability to exercise in various ways (3), such as:
Blood Flow - carbon monoxide in cigarettes narrow arteries which reduce the flood of blood to your heart, muscles, and other body organs, making exercise extremely hard.
Lungs - tar in cigarettes coat your lungs, whilst the phlegm makes your lungs congested, as a result decreasing your lung capacity, damaging your ability to use oxygen and exercise properly.
Heart - smoking makes your heart do extra work due to an increase in resting heart rate, potentially elevating to dangerous levels. Additionally, cigarettes harm blood vessels and reduce oxygen to the heart, making any intense exercise tremendously difficult.
Smoking can cause various diseases and physical health problems such as diabetes, cancer, arthritis, stroke, dementia, and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (also known as COPD) to name but a few.
Many of the health risks involved in cigarettes due to the toxins and chemicals can be eradicated when switching to electronic cigarettes or Vapes. Here at UK based SMOKO, we ensure that we only use the highest-quality ingredients that are all Made in the UK, so we know we are eliminating at least 99% of the chemicals and toxins that are found in traditional cigarettes.
As a result of quitting cigarettes, an individual’s arteries will widen allowing for normal blood flow again and increases oxygen movement within the body.
Feeling better physically can foster a desire to participate in normal exercise, as well as reducing various potential long-term health problems.
WHY IS SMOKING SO ADDICTIVE?
One of the main ingredients to a traditional cigarette is unfortunately nicotine, and it is this chemical that is an addictive nature.
At first, nicotine improves your mood and concentration whilst decreasing stress and anger symptoms. However, this is short-lived as the effects of nicotine fade within 20 minutes, hence why you continue to reach for another cigarette.
When smoking, you are inhaling regular doses of nicotine as well as 4,000+ other chemicals and 50 known carcinogens.
Yes, Nicotine is addictive, but if you take a look at all the other known chemicals within a cigarette, it is not actually poisonous, so therefore it would cause the least harm.
WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN NICOTINE AND DOPAMINE?
When you eventually try to quit smoking, your brain is no longer receiving nicotine, so the feeling of pleasure you get is now cut off. Symptoms of withdrawal from nicotine include anxiety, irritability, restlessness, depressed mood, anger, increased hunger and difficulty sleeping.
The fastest way to soften withdrawal symptoms is to try a SMOKO e-cigarette (with nicotine refill) as this releases dopamine and activates the pleasure response without the additional chemicals found in a cigarette.
WHAT ARE THE BARRIERS TO FIGHTING YOUR ADDICTION?
There have been so many smokers (current and past) who have had to struggle with the cravings and withdrawal of nicotine when they decide to stop smoking, but there are ways of dealing with these temporary setbacks.
Nicotine withdrawal (cravings, feeling sad, trouble sleeping, restless, feeling hungry): Nicotine is, unfortunately, the addictive ingredient within cigarettes and is one of the toughest barriers you will face when giving up smoking. The good news is that it isn’t dangerous and withdrawal from nicotine usually lasts less than two weeks, however, this can be really tough.
One good idea would be to make a list of what to expect when going through a lack of nicotine and also note down the reasons you have for easing this barrier – it differs for everyone, and then you have a written document to refer to.
Cravings: The best way to put your cravings to a harsh stop is to understand them, again they differ from person to person.
Firstly, make a list of all your triggers and then prepare a list of activities that you can do that will help you over this time period.
Stress: Stress comes in many forms and there are lots of ways to combat it – relax, breathe, visualise, exercise and talk.
Managing your mood: Mood changes are very common when you quit smoking. If you have these feelings, there are some things you can do to help – Stay active, structure your day, group exercises or seek out support.
Weight gain: It is very common to have a bigger appetite after giving up smoking. Try snacking with smart foods (apples, raisins etc…), eat mindfully by eating slower, turning off tv’s when eating food and go gadget free during mealtimes. All of this will help you to pay attention to your food and you may notice flavours and textures that you may have missed before.
WHY DOES IT FEEL LIKE SMOKING HELPS US RELAX?
When you smoke a traditional cigarette, most people are not aware that it interferes with certain chemicals in your brain.
When a smoker has not had a cigarette for a while, they can then start to feel anxious, and this leads them to want yet another cigarette.
We always feel like smoking helps us to relax, because when we light another fag, the anxiousness goes for a little while, but then after a short period of time, you end up getting anxious again.
Cutting out smoking really does improve your mood and reduce levels of anxiety.
WHY DO MANY SMOKERS HAVE MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS?
There is a lot of evidence that links smoking with increases in mental health issues as well as the widely accepted physical health problems. Triggered by financial constraints and debt, perception of one’s physical appearance and reduced physical health can all foster negative psychological environments where serious mental health issues can grow.
There are a few stop smoking treatments available that can help you try and overcome your smoking habit such as nicotine replacement therapy and stop smoking medicines, e-cigarettes etc… Certainly, we are not suggesting that e-cigarettes are some magic pill and they can solve all of our woes, but finding a way to quit smoking that works, can have so many incredible benefits for you to improve physical and mental states and overall enjoyment of life.
Because smoking can give us a high at one moment and then take it away in a short period of time, this can give a false impression to people who have mental health problems (stress, anxiety, depression). Smoking prevalence is a lot higher among adults with mental health disorders.
IS THERE A LINK BETWEEN SMOKING AND STRESS?
The British Medical Journal (BMJ) published a study of mood over time in smokers who either continued smoking or stopped (4). Results showed measures of stress and anxiety all significantly decreased in people who quit compared with people who continued to smoke.
For anxiety, the average difference in symptom scores was a 0.37 decrease for quitting, compared with continuing smoking. While for depression the difference was a 0.25 reduction in symptoms, and for mixed anxiety and depression it was 0.31.
IS THERE A LINK BETWEEN SMOKING AND DEPRESSION?
The BMJ study also noted the summary effect size for depression was greater than the effect estimates seen in previous studies of antidepressant medications in patients with mild-to-severe depression, which usually ranges from -0.17 to -0.11 decrease in symptoms.
On top of this, it also discovered significant improvements in mood and mental-health-related quality of life among quitters compared with ongoing smokers.
WHAT ARE THE MENTAL HEALTH BENEFITS OF QUITTING SMOKING?
When adults stop smoking, studies have shown that they retain a positive mood/quality of life and anxiety, depression and stress levels are lower. Because of these studies dosage of some medicines used to treat mental health issues are reduced.
WHAT ARE SOME TIPS TO STOP SMOKING?
There are few people who do not need any help to quit smoking but do not be afraid to ask for help if you need it.
When you first give up smoking, be aware that It is very normal to have a craving for a cigarette, this is due to your body withdrawing from the Nicotine that is still in your body.
There are a couple of different ways you can attempt to quit smoking, but some work better than others. Below, we have given you some ways which have been medically proven to stop you smoking for good:
Stop Smoking Medicines like Champix or Bupropion (5)
Talking to Someone Important to you (spouse, friend)
*2024 Update - The largest review of evidence conducted to-date by Cochrane found that E-Cigarettes are more effective for quitting smoking than nicotine replacement therapy! (6)
CAN I SMOKE CIGARETTES AND E-CIGARETTES AT THE SAME TIME?
Many people who have been smoking for a number of years or decades may find it hard to quit smoking straight away using an e-cigarette. We would suggest that it is ok for you to use an e-cigarette while you are weaning yourself off the normal cigarettes. It can take a bit of time for some people, but if you slowly cut down the number of cigarettes you are smoking and use your e-cigarette instead, you should be smoke-free soon!!
When you get a craving for a cigarette try your SMOKO e-cigarette first and then if you find that you need bigger nicotine hit, then maybe have a couple of drags of a cigarette, but gradually try and wean yourself off the traditional style of cigarette.
SMOKING AND MENTAL HEALTH - CONCLUSION
Since we started the SMOKO brand of e-cigarette, we have prevented over 2750,000,000 cigarettes from being consumed and our customers have saved over £100 million of their hard-earned money from going up in smoke! SMOKO provides realistic smoking sensations and amazing flavours that are Made in the UK, so you know it is a quality you can trust!
So, if you have struggled with cigarettes and want to try something that has worked for thousands of people around the world, why not try a SMOKO E-Cigarette or the SMOKO VAPE POD and quit smoking today!
REFERENCES
(1) Money and Mental Health Policy Institute - The Facts: What you need to know
(2) Long-term conditions and mental health - The cost of co-morbidities
(3) How Smoking Affects Your Workout
(4) Stopping smoking may improve mental health, Cochrane review finds
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Written by Mike Cameron
Mike Cameron is a former smoker of 15 years (2 packs a day) until he successfully quit using a cigalike. Mike is the Co-Founder and CEO of SMOKO E-Cigarettes and over the last 10 years, SMOKO has prevented 600M+ cigarettes from being smoked, helped their customers save £320M+ of their hard-earned money from going up in smoke and helped 10,000’s of adult smokers in 25+ countries to live smoke-free.
