Smoking
With the changes in your routine, including spending a lot more time at home, have you noticed you are smoking more? Or have you been thinking more about how smoking could affect your health and the people you live with? Now is the right time to be thinking about stopping smoking.
Smokers are more at risk of getting coronavirus due to their lungs being weaker and because they have more hand-to-mouth contact. Once infected, a smoker is much more likely to get serious complications from the virus. In addition, many smokers will also have existing lung conditions which we know makes them much more vulnerable to the effects of the virus. By quitting smoking, you can increase the efficiency of your lungs and the flow of oxygen into your blood. This is important because the more efficient your lungs are, the better your chances of recovering from coronavirus.
If you are smoking in your home or in the garden near the people you live with they will be exposed to second-hand smoke. Exposure to second-hand smoke increases their risk of respiratory infections such as coronavirus.
You may have tried quitting before or feel that now isn’t the right time because you are stressed and worried about your family and the future. However, the good news is that if you quit smoking your mental wellbeing will improve and you are less likely to feel anxious or depressed. This is because although people often think that smoking reduces stress, it is in fact the body’s craving for nicotine that makes them feel anxious or stressed.
So what’s stopping you? Quitting smoking is the best thing you can do for you and your family’s health and will help to reduce the huge pressures on NHS.