10 BENEFITS OF QUITTING SMOKING FOR PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH - GEOGRAFÍA - 2025

The most common benefits of quitting smoking are known to everyone. This harmful habit can lead to all kinds of health problems; But despite this, many are the people who still maintain this addiction. Unfortunately, constantly repeating its dangers doesn't seem to have much of an effect on most people.

And it is that smoking is a habit that costs a lot to change. Those who maintain it, assure that they feel more relaxed, that it helps them to be better with themselves; And not even being aware of all the long-term negative effects of this addiction helps them eliminate cigarettes from their lives.

However, what many smokers are not really aware of is all the positive things that quitting tobacco would bring to their lives for good. Knowing them, it is very likely that many people decided to get down to work to eliminate their addiction to this substance.

Therefore, in today's article we tell you what are the main benefits of quitting smoking. If you were still not sure if you wanted to stop this harmful habit, we hope that with the information you will find here you can make the decision to do it once and for all.

1- Your breathing will improve

We all know that one of the areas that tobacco affects most negatively is breathing. People who quit smoking experience an increase in their lung capacity of more than 10%.

You may not notice the harmful effects of tobacco on your breathing if you are under 40 and do not play sports. However, if you want to excel in a discipline such as running, or if you have already entered middle age, the difficulties in breathing correctly caused by this drug will sooner or later be noticed.

Therefore, if you are an athlete or have left your early youth behind, the ease that you will get to breathe when you quit smoking will bring you all kinds of benefits in your life. It can mean the difference between being able to function with ease in your day to day, and drowning every time you want to climb the stairs.

2- Increase your energy levels

One of the lesser known side effects of tobacco is the fact that smoking continuously for many years will lower your energy levels. This will make it more difficult for you to perform any task, not only those that require physical effort but also the mental ones.

Why does this increase in fatigue occur? Studies show that smoking affects the quality of your blood circulation, which decreases the amount of oxygen reaching your organs and muscles. Luckily, quitting tobacco can re-improve lost circulatory capacity after a while.

So if you feel that you get tired very easily or that you have trouble concentrating on a task for a long time, quitting smoking can help you enormously in this regard.

3- You reduce your stress levels

Many people think that smoking helps them to be more relaxed. In fact, this is one of the reasons most frequently mentioned in surveys trying to understand why this harmful habit continues. However, did you know that being addicted to tobacco actually causes more nervousness and anxiety?

The truth is that nicotine, one of the fundamental components of cigarettes, causes a feeling of high stress in people who are addicted to it. This discomfort only disappears when you are ingesting a dose of the substance; hence the apparent well-being that is achieved when smoking.

However, the problem is that the rest of the time smokers experience constant discomfort. If you manage to free yourself from the clutches of tobacco, you will notice that your mood improves considerably after passing the withdrawal syndrome, and that your stress levels will be greatly reduced.

4- Improve your sex life

Perhaps one of the lesser-known problems with tobacco is that its constant abuse makes it very difficult to enjoy sex. There are several reasons for this, but the main one has to do with the effects on blood circulation mentioned above.

To achieve a state of sexual arousal, it is necessary that there is a quality blood flow to the genital area. Because smoking decreases the amount of blood moved by each heartbeat, it can make it more difficult or impossible to enjoy sex.

For men, quitting smoking can lead to stronger, longer-lasting erections, as well as greater sensitivity. For women, it usually involves increased arousal, more natural lubrication, and an increased ease of reaching orgasm.

On the other hand, various studies show that smokers tend to be perceived as less attractive by the opposite sex, so giving up cigarettes could even help you find a partner more easily.

5- Improve your fertility

We have already talked about sex in the sense that quitting smoking will help you enjoy it more. But did you know that it will also make it more likely that you can have children naturally?

Tobacco has very marked effects on fertility, both male and female. In the case of men, the number of sperm present in each ejaculation and their quality decrease; in women, it directly makes them less fertile due to its effects on the uterus.

Finally, quitting smoking also increases the chances of conceiving a healthy child who does not have any kind of congenital problems. Therefore, if you are concerned about the health of your future offspring, quitting tobacco may be one of the best things you do for them.

6- It helps you save

When we think about the benefits of quitting smoking, usually the first thing that comes to mind is the positive impact this action will have on our health and well-being, both in the short and long term. However, have you ever stopped to reflect on how much money you would save if you got rid of tobacco?

Depending on how much you smoke per day, it may be a small expense or, on the contrary, it may cause you to lose a huge amount of money every month. If you think about it, one of the first aspects in which you will notice a change in your life when you stop smoking is financially.

What can it mean to have an extra 100 or 200 euros a month for whatever you want? Maybe it will allow you to save money to have a safety mattress; Maybe it means going out with your loved ones more, being able to go on a vacation trip, or buying that new car you dream of.

In any case, there are many things you can spend your money on that will give you more satisfaction than smoking. You just have to think about what you would do with that extra every month to get the boost you need.

7- Improve your appearance in the long term

Perhaps one of the effects of tobacco that we pay less attention to is the negative impact that this substance has on our appearance. Smoking for years can cause our skin to age before its time, our teeth turn yellow or even fall out, our hair is weaker…

Fortunately, by quitting smoking we can avoid the worst of these long-term effects, and alleviate to some extent those that have already occurred. When you give up cigarettes once and for all, for example, your skin will regenerate little by little as your blood circulation improves.

It is important to note that it is never too late to notice this benefit. Even if you quit smoking at age 60, after a few months you will see appreciable differences in your skin, hair, and teeth. Of course, the sooner you start to be healthier, the better.

8- Protect your loved ones

Perhaps one of the worst aspects of tobacco is that it not only harms those who use it, but also all those around them. So-called "passive smokers" suffer many of the catastrophic effects of cigarettes on their own skin, even if they have never touched one for themselves.

Among other things, second-hand smokers are more likely to get lung cancer, heart disease and stroke. Even when there are not such dire effects, the chances of suffering from diseases such as pneumonia, asthma and respiratory problems also increase.

These effects are even more marked in children, especially in those living in a household with two smoking parents. Therefore, by quitting tobacco, you will be protecting the health and life of your children directly.

For many people, this is what ends up deciding to quit smoking once and for all. Your health may not be that important to you, but what is more fundamental than protecting the well-being of our children?

9- Increase your longevity

For many years, it was believed that tobacco had no negative effect on our health. However, today we know that its continued use can cause all kinds of problems, from the less serious such as tooth or hair loss, to the most worrisome ones such as lung cancer.

Unfortunately, people who smoke for many years tend to live considerably less than those who do not. All their health problems, added to the stress caused by nicotine, noticeably shorten their life while reducing the quality of it during the time they are addicted to tobacco.

Of course, it doesn't matter how long you've been smoking: if you can quit, the effect this action will have on your longevity will be quite significant. According to some studies, if an individual stops smoking at 30, they will have an average of 10 more years of life; But if you do it at 60, you can still add another 3 years to your existence.

So now you know: no matter how old you are right now, quitting will allow you to live longer and do it in a more enjoyable way.

10- Improve your mental health

Finally, did you know that smoking has quite detrimental effects on your psychology? We are no longer talking only about the stress caused by nicotine, but about a phenomenon known as "cognitive dissonance." When we know something is harmful, but we do it anyway, our mind drastically punishes us.

If you know that you have to quit smoking but don't, research shows that your self-esteem will tend to drop, you'll feel more helpless, and you're more likely to indulge in other harmful habits like alcoholism, overeating, or gambling addiction.

On the contrary, if you manage to perform a feat as complicated as quitting smoking, your brain will reward you with greater psychological well-being, more confidence in yourself and a significant increase in self-esteem.

This, added to all the positive effects that quitting tobacco has on your physical health, makes this action one of the best things you can do for yourself.

conclusion

Millions of people around the world tell how much their life has improved once they have successfully quit tobacco. Although it can be really difficult to give up cigarettes once and for all, doing so will bring you so many benefits that you will never want to go back.

Still, be patient with yourself: tobacco is an extremely addictive substance, and as such it may take you several attempts to quit completely. Don't throw in the towel, try various approaches until you find one that works for you, and always keep in mind how drastically it will improve your life when you do.

And remember that you can always ask a professional for help if you think you can't do it yourself. A doctor or psychologist can make your path to a tobacco-free life much easier.

References

1. "Benefits of quitting" in: Smoke Free. Retrieved on: October 20, 2018 from Smoke Free: smokefree.gov.
2. "Benefits of Quitting Smoking and a Quit Smoking Timeline" in: Health Line. Retrieved on: October 20, 2018 from Health Line: healthline.com.
3. "Stop smoking recovery timetable" in: Why Quit. Retrieved on: October 20, 2018 from Why Quit: whyquit.com.
4. "Quit smoking" in: NHS. Retrieved on: October 20, 2018 from NHS: nhs.uk.
5. "What Happens to Your Body When You Quit Smoking?" in: WebMD. Retrieved on: October 20, 2018 from WebMD: webmd.com.