WHAT ARE CIGARETTES DOING TO YOUR BODY

Cigarettes are a menace on our mouths. They stain our teeth and give them that yellow tinge that is not really appealing and give us terrible bad breath.  

But beyond the cosmetic appearance, according to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, "Gum (periodontal) disease is an infection of the gums and can affect the bone structure that supports your teeth. In severe cases, it can make your teeth fall out". Smoking weakens our immune system which makes it harder to fight off gum infection.  

Getting rid of the tobacco and tar that leads to yellow teeth can make a big improvement to those pearly whites!

Some call them wisdom lines, others credit them to excessive laughing. However you spin it, smoking cigarettes can have a serious impact on our skin. According to the Mayo Clinic some of the 4,000 chemicals in cigarettes can "damage the collagen and elastin, which are fibers that give your skin its strength and elasticity. As a result, skin begins to sag and wrinkle prematurely because of smoking".  

As well, "repeated exposure to the heat from burning cigarettes and the facial expressions you make when smoking — such as pursing your lips when inhaling and squinting your eyes to keep out smoke — may contribute to wrinkles".

With every puff you take, your body is taking in carbon monoxide which is abosrbed 200 times faster by your blood compared to oxygen. The less oxygen in your blood means the less nutrients are getting to your skin. Presto - winkles.  

But cutting out that carbon monoxide will improve oxygen flow to your skin. Many people see a dramatic improvement in their skin's appearance when they give up the cigarettes - some saying they look 10 years younger!

It's a little known fact that smoking can even have an impact on how our food tastes. There are over 4,000 chemicals in cigarettes, some of which have a "dulling" effect on your tastebuds. So while you are feeding your habit, you are missing out on the amazing taste of your food.

However, this dulling effect is not permanent. In fact, many people who give up the ciggies experience a very rapid improvement of their tastebuds within the first couple of weeks.  

So of all of life's little pleasures, enjoying the food we eat can only get better as our tastebuds come out of hibernation.

One of the craziest things we have seen are people who religiously hit the gym, workout hard, eat right... and then step out of the gym and have a cigarette. What they don't realize is that cigarettes could be holding them back on their physical goals. A study in the Journal of Applied Physiology "found that cigarette smoking decreased blood oxygen and increased pulse and heart rate, making it harder to catch that next breath. The slower your heart beats while working out, the better shape you are in".  

As well, the carbon monoxide that is found in cigarettes is what decreases blood oxygen levels, meaning your muscles aren't getting enough oxygen which can have an impact on your workout. A study of 3,000 U.S. Navy servicemen showed those who smoked had a propotionately lower level of physical endurance compared to their non-smoking counter-parts.  

So cutting out the cigarettes will lead to more oxygen, higher levels of energy and an overall better physical state!

We know many people don't like to talk about the taboos of the boudoir, but your habit could be stifling things in the romance department. Some of the chemicals found in a cigarette can damage the blood vessels in a man's "nether regions" leading to erectile dysfunction (ED). In fact, research has shown that men who smoke have a 60% higher risk of ED than men who don't puff.  

There is also a correlation between sexual performance and testosterone levels. Testosterone is the hormone that drives the libido in both men and women. When you smoke, you temporarily increase the level of carbon monoxide in your blood which over the long term reduces our ability to produce the hormone. So the lower your level of testosterone surging through your system, the lower your libido.  

And if the goal of your bedroom romps is to have kids, you should definitely think twice about lighting up. Men who smoke have 23% less sperm on average and the remaining sperm have lower motility levels (meaning they are not great swimmers)!

Obviously the best thing to do to re-ignite the fire is to quit smoking.

Many of the electronic cigarettes that are sold in petrol stations and convenience stores, in grocery stores and on-line use Chinese-made ingredients.  

At SMOKO, we only use pharmaceutical-grade ingredients of the highest-quality that are all Made in the UK. So we know exactly where our ingredients come from.

So with SMOKO you can be assured that you are getting Quality You Can Trust!