Vaping Health Studies and Research
What Happens When You Quit Smoking And Start Vaping?
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If you’re a smoker, and have been for a long time, then choosing to give up can be one of the hardest choices you can make, but it’s a task that is more than achievable with the right tools, which range from willpower, determination as well as some form of Nicotine Replacement Therapy.
On the subject of Nicotine Replacement Therapy, the use of E-Cigarettes is becoming the most preferred method used by people as it makes the entire process a lot easier than using any other form of NRT such as Nicotine Patches, gum or sprays for example.
You may be asking yourself the question of what happens when you quit smoking and start vaping, and it’s a completely valid question as it may be somewhat unknown if you’re not sure. Which is why I’ve written this blog to give you more of an insight to what to expect if you make the change from smoking to vaping. Let’s get into it!
The Effects That Smoking Has On Your Body
Smoking is one of the leading causes of unavoidable deaths every year, not just in the UK, but globally as well. This is because smoking can pose serious health implications on the body in numerous different ways, which is largely down to the sheer amount of chemicals that are produced when a cigarette is lit and lurks in the cigarette smoke.
At least 70 of these chemicals are known to be proven cancer causing chemicals as well, and these are regularly being inhaled into your body if you’re a smoker. On top of these, the levels of Tar as well as Carbon Monoxide present is unfathomable and these will lurk around in your body and wreak havoc without you knowing the full extent.
Carbon Monoxide will creep in and replace the oxygen in your blood, and this then triggers your heart to work harder as well as stopping your lungs from functioning properly also. We all know how crucial these two main organs are for keeping you alive and kicking, and if they’re not functioning properly, you’re leaving yourself prone to some serious health problems such as heart disease and lung disease as well.
Tar is a thick gloopy substance that will find a home in the base of your lungs, and remain there and just keep being topped up with every cigarette smoked. Tar is where the cancer causing particles, or carcinogens as they’re known as, tuck themselves away as well.
Tar also really affects and damages your lungs as well by narrowing the tubes that absorb oxygen and this is where lung related issues such as COPD and Emphysema can start to form and once these set in, they’re near irreversible.
However when you quit smoking, this will mean that you won’t be adding more chemicals into your body that you get from cigarettes, and your body will start to regulate somewhat back to normal levels after certain period of time, let me explain more.
What Happens To Your Body When You Quit Smoking
When you quit smoking, the changes that will happen in your body will be near enough instant, albeit it small. But these changes will become bigger and more impactful as more time goes on, I’ll break it down in a sort of timeline to give you more of an idea
In The First Week Of Quitting
A lot will happen within the first week of quitting smoking, more specifically within the first 72 hours of quitting. After 48 hours from quitting, all of the carbon monoxide that was lurking in your body will be gone and the oxygen that should be cycling round your body will return. Your lungs will also start to clear out the mucus which was heightened from the tar.
And a mere day later, you’ll notice that your breathing will start to vastly improve as well thanks to your brachial tubes starting to relax down as well, which have previously been restricted due to the carbon monoxide, thus making breathing a much easier task. You might also start to feel more energetic as well and physical activity won’t be as strenuous as before like walking or going to the gym.
From 2 to 12 Weeks Of Quitting
Blood will be pumping through your body in the way that it should be, and you’re going to really start feeling better which is the ideal situation! Circulation will greatly improve as well, because of the blood pumping round properly and getting to all of the right places like your heart and muscles.
After 3 to 9 Months Of Quitting
This is where the big things start happening that you’ll really notice. It’s estimated that your lung function will increase by at least 10% which is huge! Any consistent coughs, wheezes or breathing issues that you may have been experiencing would have gone now, and you’ll be feeling fresh and clear!
After 1 Year Of Quitting
Now this is where all of the good news starts coming in! If you’ve successfully quit smoking for one year, then big congratulations as this isn’t something to be looked over!
And another thing that comes with this which is definitely worth celebrating is the fact that your chances of having a heart attack will be 50% less when compared to that of a smoker.
After 10 Years Of Quitting
Going way forward to the future but again, this is worth mentioning. If you successfully quit smoking for 10 years, your risk of death from lung cancer will be halved compared to what it would be for a smoker.
Giving up smoking really is one of the best things that you can do, and the benefits listed above are plentiful so the choice to quit after seeing these should be an easy one!
Is There Any Of These Risks Associated With Vaping?
It’s a pretty understandable concern to have when it comes to effectively replacing smoking with vaping, and I’ll try and clear up any questions or concerns you may have.
The full extent of the risks involved with vaping does remain unknown due to the fact that there has been no long term research done on vaping simply because Vaping has not been around long enough to give any clear cut answers on it.
Public Health England declared Vaping to be 95% safer than Vaping in a statement released in 2016, and this was further backed in a report conducted by Cochrane which was commissioned by Public Health England themselves. The reason they can’t give it the full 100% is because of the reasons listed above, meaning lack of long term research.
There are some of the same chemicals found in both cigarette smoke as well as vapour, but the levels found in vapour are so miniscule they’re not actually considered hazardous compared to the high volumes found in cigarette smoke which are then considered harmful to the body.
No Tar or Carbon Monoxide has ever been found, nor will it ever be found, in vapour simply because vape liquid doesn’t contain it and this is what’s heated up to create the vapour that’s inhaled and exhaled. And also contrary to popular belief, Nicotine is not harmful nor is it one of the cancer causing chemicals found in cigarettes. Whilst Nicotine is highly addictive, it is not harmful and there’s been no evidence to prove this otherwise.
