In this new generation, many young teenagers have taken to the trend of swapping cigarettes for vapes. Vaping has become the new trend in recent years, but how is it that teenagers are gaining access to these vapes. It’s become aware that it’s much easier for teenagers to buy e-cigarettes and tobacco-based products online than-in store.
In recent years vaping has become increasingly popular, with already around 3 million people using them in the UK alone.
Smoking has caused around 80,000 deaths in the UK alone. The NHS has made it a priority to get the UK public to stop smoking. However, the new health concerns are e-cigarettes on the body and mind especially for young adolescents/adults. You may be wondering what the effects of vaping can have on your overall health.
Harmful effects of nicotine
Firstly, using nicotine in your adolescence years can have huge negative effects. These effects can harm parts of the brain that control attention, learning, mood and impulse control. Not to mention majority of e-cigarettes and vapes contain nicotine. Nicotine is highly addictive and can harm an adolescents brain development. Research has shown that young people using e-cigarettes are more than likely to suffer from a chronic cough than compared to those who don’t smoke. They can also lower immunity which will increase the risk of respiratory infection.
The dangers of vaping include lung and other organ damage, breathing problems, addiction and more. People tend to think of vaping as “safer” than smoking, but it isn’t that much healthier than smoking itself. There are a variety of problems linked to vaping such as addiction.
Due to nicotine being highly addictive, teenagers are more susceptible to addiction than adults because their brains are still developing, which makes them more likely to experiment with drugs and alcohol. However, due to teens being easily addicted to nicotine, the withdrawal symptoms will be worse.
Despite the various harmful side effects of e-cigarettes/vapes on young adolescents overall health, the long-term risks of vaping are not yet clear. E-cigarettes do not produce tar or carbon monoxide which are two of the most harmful elements in tobacco smoke. The liquid and vapour within e-cigarettes contain some potentially harmful chemicals also found in cigarette smoke, but at a much lower rate.
You will experience some short-term side effects of vaping such as:
- Coughing
- Shortness of breath
- Headaches
- Dry and irritated mouth and throat
It is true that vaping does damage your lungs, but they can be healed over time with medication. E-cigarettes are 95% safer than normal cigarettes and dramatically reduce your risk of cancer, heart disease, and lung disease. However, they can still harm you by decreasing blood flow to the heart which can result in long-term health problems.
If you have any questions regarding the contents of this blog, get in touch with us today for more information.
