Do you know someone who smokes? How many sticks of cigarettes does he smoke in a day?
In a study conducted, cigarette smoking is the leading cause of death of 480,000 people every year, or 1 out of 5 people die from diseases caused by smoking. In 2019, 14% of 100 people in the US aged 18 years older smoked cigarettes; more than 16 million Americans live with smoking-related diseases. The statistics showed that more people have become current smokers or the people who had taken 100 cigarettes in their lifetime. In this study too, it was stated that men tend to be smoke more than women (at around 15% of the respondents were male smokers while the women smokers fell into 12.7%). Looking at the figure, we might safely conclude that more men are likely to fall into the vice of smoking. As we all know most men use it as an outlet when they feel triggered or stressed from work. In some cultures, it is deemed to be more masculine to see a man who smokes hence probably this is also part of the social bias that a real man smokes. Yet, in today's article, we will know the
a.triggering factors
b.signs that a person is considered a heavy-smoker
c.the ways physical activities offset harmful effects of smoking with the help of Flexispot's
Despite the warnings given by the government and private sectors, most people could not avoid smoking as it could give them satisfaction which later becomes an addiction. Despite the efforts of showing advertisements related to smoking and all the warnings on images of people who had acquired illnesses because of smoking, people could not avoid the vice because it has already run in their system and it would take time and lots of interventions to help them get rid of the habit. As they say, most cigarettes have effects similar to narcotic drugs as it makes the person feel relaxed. So, if we notice most of these individuals are the ones who are in a toxic environment. We all know that the more toxic a work environment is, the more we tend to release stress hormones that affect our bodies. Meanwhile, there are other reasons people smoke which are:
I.Triggering Factors:
a.Nicotine Addiction:
-Nicotine is the chemical found in cigarettes. It alters the feeling of being down and releases hormones that make you feel relieved or happy. Thus, it affects the brain and sends the signal to your system. Through this, your body starts to crave for more. In actuality, 80-90% of people who regularly smoke are addicted to nicotine.
Now, once a person starts withdrawing from his intake of nicotine, he usually experiences the following things that are considered withdrawal syndromes that include:
-feeling exhausted
-feeling irritated
-feeling gloomy
-having the feeling of being mentally lost
-having a slower heart rate
-feeling hungry or gaining weight
This may be challenging for people who withdraw from smoking but medical intervention has been done such as the NRT or Nicotine Replacement Therapy which can reduce your cravings and withdrawal symptoms.
b.Coping with PSTD:
Most smokers are trauma victims or are people who a post-stress traumatic disorder that occurs after a traumatic experience or an incident that triggered the most. Some PSTD victims resort to vices as a way to escape the bitter memories. PSTD could have affected their mobility and mental health hence the vice of smoking. As mentioned earlier, cigarettes have nicotine content that makes their brains relaxed and feelings of pleasure and energy.
c.Peer Pressure:
This occurs among teenagers. Most teens experience looking for their social circles. During their teenage years, they become vulnerable to temptation or peer pressure especially because they are at the age when they starve for acceptance. Most find it difficult to be part of social groups. As a result, they heed to pressure and tries everything they think would make them accepted in the group. Despite the parents' advice and prohibitions, they are forced to disobey these (prohibitions). After all, they are very eager to follow the crowd because they long for acceptance from other people outside their home. Hence, they tend to give in to a habit that later might become a form of vice.
Addiction is difficult to combat. It takes years of intervention and therapy to help a person survive and become successful in withdrawing from his cravings for nicotine. In the next part of our discussion, we will talk about the signs that a person is already a heavy smoker. Hence, here are the signs:
II. Signs that a Person is Considered a Heavy-smoker:
Heavy smokers or what we call chronic smokers. The following are signs that a person is a chronic smoker:
a.stains on the nails and fingers:
Chronic smokers have stains on their nails and fingers because of the yellow stain due to the exposure to the smoke and tar
b.bluish-black color on the lips:
Due to the chemical inside the cigarettes, chronic smokers begin to have discoloration on their lips.
c.black stains on the teeth and gums:
Chronic smokers tend to have stains on their teeth and gums. This is because of the chemicals that damage the gums and teeth.
d.premature wrinkling
This is due to the chemicals from the smoke which causes blood vessel constrictions. The presence of carbon monoxide also reduces the delivery of oxygen to the skin. Then, the exposure of the skin to the smoke cause dryness and irritation. The nicotine also causes the loss of skin moisture and elasticity.
e.smell of smoke:
The smell of nicotine is left on the clothes, breath, and hands that are very detectable. It is also difficult to get rid of no matter how thorough the cleaning of hands or brushing of teeth is.
These signs are evident among chronic smokers because of the nicotine inside the cigarettes. Most of the time, beauty products or hygiene products could not eradicate the effects of smoking from the body.
Hence, in the last part of our discussion, we'll be talking about how to avoid smoking through physical activities and with the use of Flexispot's Sit2 Go 2-in-1 Fitness Chair.
III. The Ways Physical Activities Offset Harmful Effects of Smoking with the Help of Flexispot's 2-in-1 Fitness Chair:
In an article posted online, it was mentioned that exercising could improve the cardiovascular condition and HDL cholesterol of a person. As cigarettes could cause lung cancer. Hence, when we exercise, we tend to lose the tendency of being at risk of developing lung disease as it slows down the effects of smoking on our organs. A lot of smokers are stressed workers too. To alleviate their stress from work they seek solace in smoking. Hence, instead of doing it, it is better than a worker would try a product that was built with an ergonomic solution without straining your foot. It is a combination of sit and fitness that while a worker focuses on his paperwork, he could improve his productivity, keeping his mind and body alert and active.
IV.Final Thoughts:
Smoking is inevitable. As mentioned above, it will take years before one can fully withdraw from Nicotine addiction but with huge willpower combined with a reliable ergonomic product from Flexispot, one can finally enhance his physical health.
