Cigarette smoking:
Many people are aware of the dangers to the lung cancer, chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cardiovascular disease but it can also
cause slow, less noticeable damage to many other organs and body systems and
your marital life too.
Smoking not only affects lungs but also gives rise to infertility
problems. Smoking damages sperm, making them less likely to fertilize eggs and
making the embryos they do manage to create less likely to survive.
Human sperm cells carry, balanced,
two tiny highly charged proteins called protamine 1 and protamine 2. In
smokers, sperm cells carry too little protamine 2. This imbalance makes them
highly vulnerable to DNA damage. "When we inject these damaged sperm into
an egg cell, the sperm is not capable of fertilizing the cell. And even if it
does, the [miscarriage] rate is very high." The quality of sperm from study subjects was
assessed on the basis of density (number), motility, and morphologic
abnormalities. Spermatozoa from smoker’s possessed significantly decreased
density and motility compared with non-smokers (p 0.001). 75% of smokers versus
26% of non-smokers had a sperm density under 40 x 10 million/ml.
Smoking
cigarettes affects a man’s ability to maintain his erection. Erection occurs
when there is a swift flow of blood to the penis. If something interferes with
the blood flow, such as chemicals released during smoking, flow of blood may
drop. There are also
long-term effects such as endothelial dysfunction, which means a breakdown in
the normal biochemical processes carried out by the cells lining the inner
surface of the blood vessels. Long-term smoking has an effect on marital
relations.
One of the main impacts of smoking is
a decrease in lung function. The lungs consist of delicate membranes which are
able to filter oxygen out of the air and send it into the bloodstream. Oxygen
is essential for muscle function, especially during exercise, when muscles
demand more oxygen, this means a decrease in stamina and performances, as
muscles that get inadequate oxygen become fatigued more quickly.
Smoking also decreases your brain's performance, making you less
effective in your work.
The effects of smoking on your face will make you seem older
than you actually are, affecting your social life.
Smoking can affect your hearing. It has long been known that
active smoking produces a negative effect on middle ear function.
Smoking increases your blood pressure too.
Women are more at risk from smoking
Men and women are equally
susceptible to the damage caused by chemicals in cigarettes. For women,
cigarette smoking increases the risk of a number of specific health problems.
Women who smoke can experience irregular periods and secondary amenorrhea
(absence of menstruation);
Misconception on Smoking and Relaxation
Many smokers claim that they smoke
for relaxation. In fact, part of the relaxing effect of smoking a cigarette
results from deep breathing. Try inhaling as if you had a cigarette in your
mouth. Hold that breathe briefly and slowly exhale. Such deep breathing, pumps
up to 20 percent more oxygen to the brain.
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