If the public service announcements are not enough to outline the hazards of smoking, government regulations, stipulate that each pack must have a health warning on the side! It is safe to say that most people realize that smoking can be hazardous to your health. What you may not realize is exactly what these health risks are and that there are both long term and short term effects from using tobacco products.

Smoking effects, many parts of the body and each can feel either long term or short-term effects and in some cases both. Below are some common effects of smoking on different parts of the body.

Circulatory System

Short Term- The circulatory system is adversely affected nearly immediately after your first puff. Smoking raises your heart rate, increases blood pressure, decreases blood flow and thereby oxygen and can cause fat or cholesterol deposits in the blood vessels.

Long Term- Over time the short term effects can really take their toll on your body. You are twice as likely to have coronary heart disease, hardening of the arteries in the brain, heart and more, Arteriosclerosis and peripheral artery disease due to long-term restrictions.

Respiratory System

Short Term- The day you take your first drag of a cigarette you will notice the short term effects of smoking on the respiratory system. You may experience coughing, irritation of the eyes, nose or throat and have trouble breathing. Smoking can also irritate any allergies you may presently have.

Long Term- The real bad stuff comes from long-term cigarette smoking, especially when you are talking about the respiratory system. You may experience cough, infections or cancer of the larynx and your chances of suffering the following are doubled for those who smoke:

* Lung cancer
* Chronic bronchitis
* Emphysema
* Shortness of breath

As you can see, the effects of smoking are serious whether you are talking about long or short term. While this may sound disheartening there is a bit of light on the horizon, if you quit smoking now your body can begin to heal itself.

20 minutes after quitting

The very day you quit smoking the healing process begins, within 20 minutes you have decreased your chances of suffering a heart attack. Your heart rate will fall, blood pressure will decrease and the temperature of your extremities will increase.

8 hours

At the end of 8 hours smoke, free the carbon monoxide in the blood drops and oxygen levels return to normal.

24 - 48 hours

At the end of just two days, amazing things are beginning to happen in your body. Your heart attack chances continue to fall and damaged nerve endings begin to re-grow, not to mention your sense of taste and smell immediately improve.

All of this occurs within the first few hours of quitting smoking, however the key is to stay off the tobacco and that is where many people have a hard time. Some quit cold turkey with no outside help; however, they are in the minority. You will want to choose a good program to help you through the process.