each One cigarette reduces a smoker’s life expectancy by 20 minutes. We don’t say that. This was highlighted in a study by University College London (UCL).
According to the study, smoking a cigarette reduces a woman’s life expectancy by 22 minutes and a man’s by 17 minutes. The average for both sexes is 20 minutes.
This means that if someone smokes even 10 cigarettes a day, their life expectancy decreases by 3 hours and 20 minutes each day.
Previously, the University of California study published in 2000 was considered the basis for this calculation. According to this study, each cigarette smoked reduced life expectancy by 11 minutes.
The harms and diseases caused by cigarettes are considered the basis of these calculations. We then see how many people died from diseases caused by smoking and at what age. Today, a new study worries smokers around the world.
That’s why today in “Sehatnama” we will talk about this new study on cigarettes. You will also learn that-
How many days does it take to see improvement after quitting smoking? How much is life shortened by smoking 10 cigarettes a day for 10 years? What steps should you take to quit smoking?
10 million people die every year from smoking in India
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), each year around the world, more than 80 million people die prematurely due to smoking. In India, every year, more than 10,00,000 people die due to smoking. If we also add the figures of deaths due to consumption of other tobacco products, every year in India, around 13.5 lakh people die due to tobacco consumption.
Improvements start to happen as soon as you stop smoking
You should never wait for the right time to quit smoking. It can be left at any age and at any time. According to pulmonologist Dr Ankit Singhal, our body begins to recover as soon as we stop smoking. Even though its positive effects appear late, improvements begin to occur in the body from the first minute.
Life shrinks with every cigarette
According to University College London, people’s life expectancy is decreasing rapidly due to smoking. Smoking a cigarette reduces your life by 20 minutes. Whereas if someone smokes 10 cigarettes a day for 10 years, that means 500 days of their life have been reduced. See the full calculation graph:
Quitting smoking will get your life back on track
Dr. Ankit Singhal says that if we quit smoking, healing begins in our body from the first minute. If someone smokes one less cigarette each day, 20 minutes will be added to their life each day. While those who smoke 10 cigarettes a day, if they do not smoke for 10 years, their life will increase by 500 days.
Some Common Questions and Answers Related to Smoking and Recovery
Question: What does it mean to reduce life expectancy by smoking cigarettes?
Answer: Life expectancy means the number of years a person lives. Life expectancy in India in 2024 was 70.62 years. This means that Indians live on average 70 years.
If a person’s life expectancy is reduced by 10 years because of smoking, that does not mean they will live to be 60 years old. In this, the average age of the person is mainly affected. Understand it this way that a person will not only live 60 years, but at the same time his state will become like that of 60 years old at the age of 50.
Question: The risk of which diseases increases due to smoking?
Answer: Smoking poses a risk of more than 10 types of cancer, heart disease, stroke and asthma. Cancer and heart disease cause most deaths worldwide. Apart from this, the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), premature birth, diabetes and vision loss also increases.
Question: Why is it so difficult to quit smoking?
Answer: Cigarettes contain over 7,000 chemical compounds and contain nicotine. These chemicals are psychoactive and control our nervous system. Nicotine causes the release of dopamine chemicals, which put us in an active, alert, and relaxed mode simultaneously.
This is why the mind becomes addicted to cigarettes. If it is not available, confusion, agitation and irritation begin to occur. Our brain knows that when we are stressed, smoking a cigarette relaxes us. So, even after quitting smoking, when stress increases, the smoker starts smoking again.
Question: What should you do to quit smoking?
Answer: To quit smoking, it is very important to find the right goal and make a specific plan according to your lifestyle. To do this, keep the following things in mind:
Find the right goal to quit smoking. The goal should be very clear and simple: you don’t want your family or your children to become passive smokers. You want to live your life in a healthy way with minimal risk of diseases. Everyone has their own smoking triggers. The most common trigger point is emptiness. If your trigger point is emptiness, stay busy in one job or another. If you have time, you can watch a movie or listen to music. If you have free time, your mind turns to smoking, so during this time you can do the work of cleaning and decorating your house. This will not only make the house more beautiful, but the idea of smoking will also disappear. If you find it difficult to do office work or household chores because of quitting smoking, you can take a break for a few days.
…………………….
Health note – Shahrukh had breathing problems after quitting smoking: heart became as healthy as before two years after quitting smoking
Shahrukh Khan made it public on November 2, his birthday, that he had quit smoking. Shahrukh Khan said that he is currently having difficulty breathing. …