Around 7 million people per year die due to the consumption of tobacco (Source: Tobacco). One of the most significant steps a person can take to enhance their health is to stop smoking. A person can increase life expectancy, lower the risk of certain types of cancer, reduce the probability of various health conditions, decrease the chances of developing abnormalities in their offspring, improve their sense of smell and taste, and improve conditions of sexual dysfunction.

Today, there exists a range of therapies that a person can go through to quit smoking. In a methodical way, counseling sessions, group therapies, medication, aversion therapy, specially curated programmes, seminars, and much more aid in reducing the urge for nicotine. Medications such as nicotine patches, lozenges, nasal sprays, inhalers, and nicotine gum are a few such easy-to-use methods that combat cravings.

The benefits that these therapies reap go beyond improving the physical health of the individual. It provides a holistic solution that helps rebuild social relations, improves interpersonal skills, and enhances the overall quality of life.

While there are greater health advantages to quitting earlier in life, quitting smoking is good for your health at any age. Quitting smoking has advantages for everyone, even those who have smoked for a long time or heavily. Let's take a look at the benefits of quitting smoking:

●     Heart Health:

One of the most crucial steps smokers may take to lower their risk of cardiovascular disease is to stop the intake of tobacco. Quitting smoking reduces the risk of premature death, heart disease, and the risk of a heart attack. Smoking makes your arteries narrow, which raises your risk of heart disease.

Heart attacks, strokes, and angina are all significant and frequently fatal effects of heart disease.

Compared to people who continue to smoke, your chance of dying from heart disease is reduced by half within a year of quitting. Your risk of developing heart disease in ten years will be the same as that of someone who has never smoked.

●     Respiratory Health:

Smoking severely impacts the respiratory tract of a human. The benefits of quitting suggest a lower likelihood of developing COPD (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). It also reduces respiratory symptom severity such as cough, sputum production, and wheezing.

Cutting down on the intake of nicotine also reduces respiratory infections (e.g. bronchitis, pneumonia). After quitting for a while, lung functioning may enhance, lessen the symptoms, and enhance the effectiveness of asthma medication.

●     Cancer Risk:

Smoking severely impacts the immunity system of our body by destroying the cells that prevent us from developing cancer. By quitting smoking, a person can prevent 12 different types of cancer such as bladder, lung, leukemia, cervix, kidney, liver, and much more. For people who have already been diagnosed with cancer, quitting helps improve their prognosis and reduces the risk of premature death.

●     Reproductive Health:

Many people may not be aware of the fact that smoking can lead to sexual problems. In many cases, smoking can also impact the health and well-being of the offspring.

Smoking can reduce the weight of the baby, affect the baby’s growth, and may lead to preterm delivery.

One of the most crucial steps smokers may take to ensure a safe pregnancy and unborn child is to stop smoking. The ideal time for women to stop smoking is before trying to conceive. However, giving up at any point during pregnancy can be good for both the mother and the fetus.