The Dangers and Facts about Smoking, Vaping, and the Pandemic

By now, everyone is familiar with the safety guidelines on how to protect yourself during the global pandemic.

Apart from the regular use of hand sanitizers, wearing a face mask, and staying social distanced, it is also crucial to avoid smoking or vaping.

Although smoking and vaping seem similar, there is a difference in how they both work.

Smoking produces nicotine by burning tobacco, which gives people smoke-related health problems and diseases. On the other hand, vaping produces nicotine in a somewhat less harmful way through the heating of a liquid.

The ongoing pandemic has claimed thousands of lives. You must improve your immunity and overall health during this pandemic period. Since the present virus attacks the lungs, smokers or people who vape are at higher risk if they contract it.

While it is essential to protect yourself from getting infected in the first place, it is also necessary to keep your lungs healthy.

Hence, to avoid the worst symptoms or to die from this virus, you should consider stopping smoking or vaping. 

Essential Facts on Smoking and Vaping

There is no safer option between vaping and smoking as both are dangerous for your health.

As you use your hand sanitizers and protection tools, it is also vital that smokers and people who vape quit and protect their health.

Let's take a look at some essential facts on smoking and vaping:

1)     Decreased Immunity to Fight Viruses

Using e-cigarettes and cigarettes limits your body's ability to ward off bacteria and viruses.

Smoking produces higher protein levels, ACE2 receptors, which allows a viral invasion to happen quickly.

2)     Vaping Is Somewhat Less Detrimental Compared to Smoking 

E-cigarettes are still unsafe especially during this pandemic even though it is a bit less harmful than smoking.

There is no doubt that vaping exposes people to fewer chemicals compared to traditional smoking. However, Vitamin E acetate, a thickening agent in most vaping products, is a significant cause of lung injury and disease.

3)     Rate of Lung Infections and Diseases 

Smoking is a serious health problem as it is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States of America. Excessive smoking and vaping leads to cardiovascular injury and lung diseases like pneumonia and emphysema. 

As these habits raise your blood pressure, your probability of a heart attack and negative symptoms is also high. 

The increased rate of these infections and diseases results in millions of deaths yearly worldwide. 

4)     Smoking and Vaping are Equally Addictive 

Both electronic cigarettes and traditional cigarettes contain nicotine, which is a very addictive substance.

The long-term effects of nicotine are known to be very destructive to your health. 

For young people, the prolonged use of nicotine damages the developing brains. The brain of adolescents can still develop until the age of 25.

The Detriments of Smoking and Vaping

Unknown to most people who share e-cigarettes and cigarettes, smoke can contain the newest virus and bacteria strains. 

Hence, the chances of smokers becoming infected and then transmitting the virus are high.

The long-term effects of these habits are detrimental. You are vulnerable to complications when you get an infection or even the flu. Another threat to smokers and people who vape e-cigarettes are damaged lungs and weakened immune systems.

A weakened immune system increases your risk of contracting viruses, severe health, and respiratory infections.

In addition to weak immune systems, the overall damage caused by e-cigarettes and smoking can shorten your lifespan. The safety and dangers of e-cigarettes remain unclear. Many e-cigarettes contain high amounts of nicotine.

Also, vaping may be a gateway into other forms of nicotine, like cigarettes or chewing tobacco.

Conclusion 

The healthiest way you can protect yourself and improve your chances of not getting the virus is not smoking and vaping.

In addition to wearing masks, social distancing and using hand sanitizers, stopping smoking or vaping is a crucial step to take.

Due to its potentially severe effects on increasing infection levels, it is advisable to quit now to reduce the virus's risk.

You should break this habit immediately and substitute it with healthier alternatives so your body can quickly recover from its effect.