Many of us may pride ourselves on not smoking. While it is commendable not to smoke or engage in this bad habit, there are some drawbacks if you surround yourself with those that do. What many people don’t realize is that second hand smoke can be just as damaging as breathing it in for yourself. This comes as a shock because you assume that if you stay clear of it as a habit that you won’t be negatively affected. This couldn’t be further from the truth and shows why so many restaurants and bars are starting to ban smoking from their environment. So what can second hand smoke to do your health?
You Can Get Sick Too
If you didn’t already know it, there are some serious dangers to second hand smoke in terms of your long term health. The reality is that all of the health risks that smoking poses, second hand smoke can do the same. You can get sick later in life with lung disease or even cancer if you breathe in enough second hand smoke throughout the course of your life. This is alarming to many and doesn’t make sense as they never took the bad habit for themselves. However as you breathe in all the toxins that this smoke has, you are getting all the same negative drawbacks that a smoker would. Sad but true!
Your Breathing Can Be Affected
Most people know that smoking can start to impact your lung capacity after awhile. You may readily notice this by the fact that you get winded faster than you used to, and that’s only the beginning. Though you would expect this only from smokers, it can happen to nonsmokers who breathe in second hand smoke as well. The lungs are affected in a very negative way, you can’t breathe as deeply, and your overall capacity is far lower than it would have been if you hadn’t breathed in the toxic smoke. So if you needed a reason to quit being around second hand smoke, this is a good one.
You Are More Likely to Feel Ill
The truth is that when you smoke you are ill more often. It wears down your immune system and therefore you find yourself down with a cold or other virus more often. The same can most certainly be true for those who breathe in secondhand smoke on a regular basis. As the smoke goes into your body, you are doing some serious damage to your immune system and the cells that protect you. This is a foreign substance to your body and therefore it doesn’t know how to react or process it. So if you want to stay healthy and well, learn how to stay away from second hand smoke on a regular basis.
Mary Frederick writes posts on where one could get a Masters in Public Health online.