Tribune News Network
Doha
Quitting smoking and exercising are healthy behaviour patterns that safeguard health and prevent diseases. Smoking and exercise are two factors that affect each other. Participating in exercise has been associated with the reduction of cigarette craving, as exercise reduces stress and pressure, and many believe this is a contributing factor to smoking.
Performing regular physical activity and exercise can reduce nicotine withdrawal symptoms experienced by people who are trying to quit smoking by smoking less cigarettes or quitting smoking. Performing exercise helps distract you from cravings to smoke and reduce their intensity.
According to Head of Wellness for Community Interventions at PHCC, Abdul Hameed Al Khenji, smoking leads to long-term effects on the ability to perform exercises and physical activity, as smoking weakens muscle strength and reduces its flexibility.
“Smokers suffer from shortness of breath three times more often than nonsmokers. This makes exercising normally more difficult for smokers. Smoking also increases the risk of osteoporosis, which hurts your athletic performance, in addition to the possibility of developing arthritis, which causes pain during exercise,” explains Al Khenji. Further, smoking slows down healing of many common sports injuries, requiring more time for those injured to heal from their injury or they do not recover at all.
Al Khenji noted that studies and statistics have shown the extent of the effect of smoking on patients infected with COVID-19, as smoking in its various forms affects body systems, including the cardiovascular system and the respiratory system.
COVID-19 can also affect the same body systems. Information shows that cardiovascular and respiratory patients are more likely to develop severe symptoms of COVID-19 due to tobacco use. Laboratory research has shown that the initial death rate due to COVID-19 is much higher among patients with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, chronic respiratory diseases and cancer, compared to those who do not suffer from chronic medical conditions. Regardless of age, quitting smoking is associated with substantial health benefits for the smoker.
