The effects of Smoking on the central nervous system

We’ve all seen cancer patients. We’ve seen cancer patients who got it as a result of their smoking / tobacco habits. But cancer is at the end of it, just one of the diseases caused by the menace of tobacco. It doesn’t stop there. Nor does tobacco stop at affecting your respiratory tract or oral cavity.  Tobacco is far more lethal than what we understand and imagine it to be. 

In this series, we’ll bring to you posts around what parts of the body can tobacco affect and how. Believe me; our volunteers were as shocked as you will be, when we first started researching the subject.

In this post let’s look at the harmful effects of tobacco on the Central Nervous System ( the organ system that includes your brain)

As all of us know, one of the most well-known, key ingredients of tobacco is a drug called nicotine. To those of us who have smoked or have smoker friends, have experienced first / second hand how nicotine can alter moods. We’ve seen chain smokers getting cranky if they can’t find cigarettes around.

Nicotine tends to reach the human brain, merely in seconds. It’s a stimulant to the CNS and hence makes the consumer feel energized for a while. However, as the effect fades out, we feel tired and crave for more nicotine. In fact a lot of us have commonly heard an argument - “It gives me energy and makes me feel fresh!” Now we know why! However, this is also why nicotine is addictive, habit forming and reaches a point of abuse very fast.

Further, this isn’t where smoking stops to show its effects. The human body has some stress hormones. That means the body secretes them to cope up with stress. They are the body’s natural defence mechanism against stress. One of these hormones is called corticosterone. It lowers the effect of Nicotine. This explains why people need to smoke more cigarettes when they are under stress. Actually, nicotine / tobacco / cigarettes aren’t helping you deal with your stress, but are in fact, weakening your body’s natural defense mechanism against it.

Similarly, smoking can also weaken the sense of smell and taste and makes food less enjoyable. It can increase the risk of poor eyesight, cataracts and macular degeneration. Withdrawal from smoking as a result makes you feel that your cognitive functioning is impaired and you may start feeling anxious, depressed or cranky. Sleep problems and headaches can seem obvious.

The crux of the matter is, that in essence rather than supporting your body, smoking damages it in multiple ways; not limited to your lungs or oral cavity. It’s also a proven fact that withdrawal symptoms may be tough but are short lived. Hence, the sooner one quits, the better it is!

At Core Cancer Foundation, we understand quitting smoking isn’t easy. But we’re here to support you in any possible way. Let us know if we can help!