QUIT SMOKING: ALL THE IMMEDIATE AND DAY-TO-DAY BENEFITS! - IN SHAPE

Quitting smoking: immediate day-to-day and long-term benefits!

Quitting smoking has countless benefits, some immediate, day-to-day, and others more long-term. These are benefits that mainly affect the health of the body, but also psychological and aesthetic (do you have any idea how good it is for the skin to quit smoking)?

Unfortunately, smoking remains the first completely avoidable cause of death in Italy, with over 70,000 victims every year. It is one of the greatest public health problems worldwide and one of the major risk factors in the development of cardiovascular, respiratory and neoplastic diseases.

Every six seconds a person in the world dies from smoking and, according to statistics, by 2030 there could be about 8 million deaths a year due to this bad habit! smoking ... But let's deal with it in more detail: information on this subject is never enough! Here are all the benefits of quitting smoking.

Quitting smoking: immediate day-to-day and long-term benefits

You may not believe it, but some of the benefits of quitting smoking are completely immediate! Others, however, arrive day after day. Over the years your state of health improves in a clear and evident way, and it is science to prove it!

According to what was stated by the World Health Organization, in fact, already after 20 minutes from quitting smoking, the heartbeat slows down and blood pressure drops. After 12 hours, the level of carbon monoxide in the blood returns to normal levels.

From 2 to 12 weeks after quitting smoking, there is a marked improvement in circulation, with a consequent increase in lung function. From 1 to 9 months, cough and shortness of breath also improve ... you will notice it even just climbing the stairs!

One year after quitting smoking, the risk of developing coronary heart disease is halved compared to that of a smoker. From 5 to 15 years, on the other hand, the risk of stroke is reduced, which becomes equal to that of a non smoker.

After 10 years also the risk of developing lung cancer is halved compared to smokers and the chances of incurring cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, cervix and pancreas significantly decrease. After 15 years finally, the risk of coronary heart disease also becomes equal to that of those who have never smoked.

The benefits of quitting smoking based on age

The right time to quit smoking is always one: now! The sooner you stop, the better, but it's worth doing at any age. Every age, in fact, can still benefit from quitting smoking, and it is always the World Health Organization to tell us!

If you stop at 30, you can earn around 10 years of life expectancy. If you quit at 40, you earn about 9. If you quit at 50, on the other hand, you can earn 6 more, 3 and quit at 60. Furthermore, if you are suffering from serious illnesses, by stopping smoking you have a better chance of recovery: those who have had a heart attack and stop smoking reduce the chances of having a new attack by 50%.

The benefits of quitting smoking if you are a mother or want to become one

Quitting smoking does not only bring benefits for you, but also for those around you, and above all - if you are a mother - for your children. Passive smoking, in fact, can expose them to the risk of developing respiratory diseases and ear infections.

Children of smokers are twice as likely to become smokers themselves than children of non-smokers. They are also more affected by respiratory problems, from asthma to chronic cough. Finally, the risk of premature death of the newborn is greater if the parents smoke.

Do not forget, then, that smoking can cause serious difficulties in pregnancy, premature births, low birth weight babies, but - even before - it can be the cause of female infertility (as well as male impotence).

Quitting smoking: the aesthetic benefits, starting with the skin

The benefits of quitting smoking are also aesthetic and affect our skin in particular. Everyone knows the harmful effects of smoking on the skin. Smoking dehydrates the epidermis, turning off our complexion. The toxins cause the vasoconstriction of the capillaries of the skin, thus accentuating the effects of carbon monoxide on the skin. The skin becomes more easily irritable, the level of retinol decreases, free radicals increase ( first cause of premature skin aging), with the inevitable appearance of wrinkles.

There is good news, however: if you stop smoking right away, the aging of your skin will be reversible! One of the benefits of quitting smoking, in fact, is precisely that of stopping the aging process. Your skin, if you stop, in a few years will gain in brightness, elasticity, with improvement of the vascular state, from the general consistency of the "epidermis and its pigmetation. One more reason to stop instantly!

The psychological benefits of quitting smoking

Finally, the benefits of quitting smoking are also psychological. In fact, quitting smoking improves not only the health of the body, but also that of the mind! Science shows that quitting smoking reduces stress, depression and anxiety states, acting favorably on general mood.

Those who smoke live in a state of constant oscillation between abstinence and contentment, a mechanism that is not healthy at all caused by nicotine, which acts directly on neuronal receptors. If you stop smoking, after 3 weeks your brain will be able to normalize its neurological functions, restoring balance in your psychic life.

Smoking also leads to loss of concentration and attention span due to its toxicity. If you stop smoking, you will find that your memory and organizational and management skills will also improve! In short, you just have to stop as soon as possible.

AIRC's campaign against tobacco and nicotine

AIRC Foundation returns as every year to raise awareness among citizens about the dangers of smoking, through the voice of its researchers and the testimony of the world high jump champion Gianmarco Tamberi.

World high jump champion and Foundation ambassador since 2017, Gianmarco adheres to the campaign, launching a challenge on Instagram and inviting other sportsmen, influencers and the entire public to try their hand at a "breath-taking" challenge. “As an athlete I know how important it is to follow the correct lifestyles to always be at the top. Our body stays healthy if we take care of it: doing regular physical activity and following a healthy diet helps us stay in shape. The thing that certainly does not help us and always hurts is smoking, even one cigarette a day is risky because it is carcinogenic. Cigarettes contain chemicals that have repercussions on skin elasticity, teeth health, hair loss ... And then guys I'll be honest with you, smoking is not even as cool as they want you to believe, indeed with that bad guy. smell that sticks to clothes, you play a good part of girls and boys who can't stand it ”. These are the words of the sportsman which aim above all to catch the attention of the youngest.

In Italy, in fact, already between 13 and 15 years of age, one in five children smokes traditional cigarettes daily, while 18% use electronic cigarettes. "I always say that if there was no smoke I would cure a rare disease" - states Marina Chiara Garassino, AIRC researcher and head of the Simple Structure of Thoraco-Pulmonary Medical Oncology of the IRCCS Foundation National Cancer Institute of Milan, who continues: "Only 10% of lung cancer patients have never smoked. Those who start smoking as a boy are very likely to continue as an adult. We cannot therefore accept that children smoke because they risk becoming addicted to smoking today and future patients tomorrow. A fact that is even more worrying if we talk about young women who are approaching smoking in a 24% higher percentage than in the past. "

Support research

To support the research, a donation can be made in one of the following ways:

with all credit cards on airc.it or by calling an AIRC operator on the toll-free number 800 350 350 (Active from Monday to Saturday from 8.30 to 19.30);
by calling 4 5 5 2 1 from a landline to donate 5 or 10 euros or by sending one or more SMS worth 2 euros to 4 5 5 2 1 (Until 31 August donate 2 euros with an SMS to 45521 from your personal mobile phone Wind Tre, TIM, Vodafone, Iliad, PosteMobile, Coop Voce, Tiscali or call 45521 to donate 5 euros from a landline phone with TWT, Convergenze and PosteMobile, or 5 or 10 euros with TIM, Vodafone, Wind Tre, Fastweb, Tiscali) .