Whether your 40th is ten years from now or ten days from now, there’s always time to give up smoking for good before the clock strikes midnight on your 40th birthday. Quitting before you’re 40 can help you enter middle age with confidence, good health, and a better outlook on things. Not to mention, you can sink those cigarette funds into something more worthy of such an investment; like your retirement fund.
We all know that smoking is a dangerous habit, that’s no secret. The surgeon general has a warning on all tobacco products that states the dangers of cancer and other complications, and yet, millions of Americans still smoke. It’s time to join the ranks of the healthy, happy ex-smokers and ditch your habit for good. Here are six benefits that you’ll enjoy if you quit before you’re 40!
1. You’ll Save Your Heart
The heart keeps oxygen-rich blood flowing throughout the body, supplying vital organs and tissue with much-needed energy and gases. Without a healthy heart, you can run into a myriad of issues during your middle-age years. Heart health should be a top priority for anyone pushing 40, and smoking isn’t exactly heart-conscious.
When you smoke, you’re depriving the heart of maximum oxygen by inhaling carbon monoxide. This builds up in your red blood cells, affecting the hemoglobin, thereby making the process of oxygenation that much more difficult.
Smoking also increases blood pressure, which can damage blood vessels and heart tissue and even lead to a heart attack or stroke. The bottom line? Quitting might just save your most vital organ.
2. Decreased Risk Of Cancer
Cancer is one of the most destructive and merciless ailments ever to afflict the human body. It comes in many forms and can ravage a body beyond recognition. Cancer was the second leading cause of death in the world in 2017, right behind heart disease.
When you smoke, you’re inhaling thousands of harmful chemicals and toxins, around 70 of which have been directly linked to cancer in humans. Whether it’s lung, throat, or mouth cancer, you’re pretty much increasing your risk with every puff.
The body has much more difficulty fighting off disease and repairing itself as you age, which means your chances of successfully recovering from something like cancer drops every year. It’s time to quit smoking and leave behind that risk factor forever.
3. More Energy
You probably noticed that you feel drained from smoking. This is because your cells, organs, and tissues simply aren’t getting enough oxygen. You’re essentially starving your body of precious gases by inhaling a dangerous concoction of chemicals and toxins. When your muscles and organs don’t get enough oxygen, they can’t operate at full capacity.
This goes for the brain, too. People forget that the brain is an organ just like the heart, and without an adequate oxygen supply, it has trouble functioning at full capacity. Once you put down cigarettes for good, your energy will return and you can live a healthy, productive life. Better concentration and more energy; what’s not to love here?
4. Better Skin/Teeth
Smoking has the amazing effect of aging you beyond your years. If you’ve ever seen a decades-long smoker, you probably noticed the discolor in their teeth, the sag of their skin, and the overall aged appearance they seem to have. Smoking decreases blood flow around the mouth, nose, and eyes, causing drooping and wrinkles. It also discolors teeth and can even cause mouth cancer and other dental issues.
If you want to keep your teeth and your youthful appearance as you enter middle age, it’s time to put the cigarettes down.
5. Lung Disease
Nearly all cases of lung disease can be linked to smoking in one form or the other. The lungs are designed to accept just one thing: oxygen. When you put a foreign gas in them, you’re putting some of your most important organs at risk. The lungs play a crucial role in supplying the blood with precious oxygen, and they can’t exactly do their job when they’re coated in tar.
Minimize your risk of developing deadly lung disease by ditching the cigarettes once and for all. Your body will thank you!
6. Money!
We all know cigarettes aren’t’ cheap. In some states, a pack of regular cigarettes can cost around $10. Let’s say you smoke 5 packs per week at $10. That’s $50 per week, $200 per month, and $2,400 per year. That’s $2,400 that could go into your retirement account or savings!
Quitting smoking will save you thousands of dollars in upfront costs and even more in future medical bills. Imagine having to pay for 6 months of cancer treatment because of smoking; your habit almost cost your life, and essentially wiped out your savings. Is it worth it?
Interesting related article: “What is Health?“