Tobacco use kills approximately five
million people worldwide every year. Cigarette smoking is one of the world's
leading causes to many serious diseases and human deaths, and it reduces both
the quality of life and its duration. Tobacco use, especially cigarette
smoking, has been associated with many life-threatening diseases, such as heart
disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, and lung cancer. On top of that, tobacco
affects the health of your teeth and gums, disturbs sleep patterns and reduces
fertility both in men and women. If no people smoked, one of every three cancer
deaths in middle-aged men would not happen.
Health Hazards of Tobacco Smoking for Athletes
Professional athletes are no exception
to both immediate and long-standing effects of tobacco smoking – they are prone
to the same dangerous health effects. Smoking takes a toll both on exercise and
physical activity as the respiratory and the cardiovascular systems are
severely damaged by smoking because our heart, lungs and muscles need
oxygen-rich blood. In fact, smokers have lungs that operate at 70% capacity and
that can impede the body's normal function and lead to reduced athletic
performance. In order to be able to perform at the competitive level and
function optimally, athletes need to lead a healthy and tobacco free lifestyle.
Quitting Smoking
The reasons why quitting smoking is a
life-changing decision are indeed many. If you are looking to quit smoking, but
find it hard to give up the addiction, the journey to a healthier life can
start with replacing cigarettes with snus. In terms of health effects, snus
falls into the middle – it's safer than traditional cigarettes as it is
smoke-free, but not as safe as abstinence. Furthermore, switching to nicotine-
or tobacco-free snus can be an
essential part of your plan to quit smoking as it reduces nicotine cravings and
helps you manage other withdrawal symptoms and reduce the addiction-related
stress.
