Sometimes we all need a little extra incentive to break a bad habit. Smoking is one of the toughest habits to quit for good. However, continuing to light up has a negative and well documented domino effect on the body—including putting smokers at risk of heart disease, stroke, lung disease, and several types of cancer.
If that’s not enough to get you or a loved one to butt out for good, take in these overlooked reasons to quit smoking once and for all…
1. Snoring and obstructive sleep apnea
Does your partner or children claim you sound like a bear when sleeping? If you’re guilty of sawing an entire forest during an 8-hour sleep cycle, smoking may be to blame. In fact, a American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine study claims that even second hand smoke exposure can cause other residents of the same home to habitually snore and potentially develop sleep apnea. Overall, the study found that the more individual participants smoked; the louder and more disturbingly they snored. Study findings also showed that current smokers had a greater risk of developing moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) compared with nonsmokers, while high rates of OSA were not common in former smokers.
2. Breast cancer
Cancer has long been linked to smoking. However, research from the National Cancer Institute suggests breast cancer rates are approximately 30% higher among women smokers (including women exposed to secondhand smoke). Women particularly at risk:
Began smoking prior to 20-years of age
Puff than 20 cigarettes daily, and/or
Started smoking at least 5-years before their first full-term pregnancy
3. Macular degeneration
Our eyes naturally degrade with age. However, smokers may want to consider that blindness (or complete loss of central vision) due to age-related macular degeneration is 4 times higher in individuals who smoke, according to a 2004 body of research conducted by Bolton Hospitals in the United Kingdom. The same research shows that butting out for good can lower the risk of age-related blindness.
4. Rheumatoid arthritis
If you have a family history of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), lighting up is raising you risk of developing RA even more. A Swedish study published by the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism found that genetically-prone individuals who also smoke are 16 times more susceptible to developing RA compared to those with no history of smoking. During the study, researchers tested participant blood for a specific gene-encoding protein sequence, known as shared epitope (or SE), which is a major indicator of future RA. Current smokers were found to be 7.5 times more prone to containing the SE linked to rheumatoid arthritis development.
5. Acid reflux
There’s good reason why many smokers suffer from heartburn. A study from Norway, published in the Gut journal, found that individuals who smoked for longer than 20 years were roughly 70% more prone to gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) compared to nonsmokers.
6. Erectile dysfunction
Listen up guys, if you’re concerned with impotence, quitting smoking should be your first priority! Research conducted by the American Heart Association noted that smoking can impede ability to get and retain an erection if you smoke more than a pack of cigarettes per day. To put things in perspective, pack a day or more smokers were approximately 60% more likely to suffer impotence compared to non smokers.
7. Lupus
A body of Harvard research indicates that smoking can raise the risk of certain chronic autoimmune diseases, namely lupus. Study findings indicated that while smoking lead to a small but significant risk of developing symptoms of tissue pain and damage common to lupus, quitting smoking for good once again diminished that risk.
