Tobacco in cigarettes contains nicotine which alters the mood and makes you feel energised for a while. However, once this effect wears off you feel tired and crave more, and the withdrawal can impair your ability to think besides invoking negative feelings like anxiety, irritability, and/or depression.
Smoking increases your risk of age-related macular degeneration, which is the leading cause of blindness in adults over the age of 65.
These birth defects, commonly known as orofacial clefts, occur when a baby’s lip or mouth don’t develop properly during pregnancy. Women who smoke during pregnancy are more likely to have babies with cleft lip and cleft palate.
Smoking causes permanent lung damage and tissue loss. It also makes you more susceptible to certain infections that affect the lungs, like tuberculosis and pneumonia.
Smoking can affect the ability to conceive as it also impacts hormone production which can make it harder for couples to become pregnant.
Smoking can damage the cardiovascular system including heart, arteries, and blood vessels. It also raises blood pressure, weakens blood vessel walls, and increases your risk of blood clots.
Gary Ballance