The advantages of having sound mental health can’t be denied. It is a prerequisite to living a good life.
With sound mental health, man is able to make good decisions, cope with stress, build fruitful relationships with people, participate successfully in communal activities, and enjoy life in general.
Unfortunately, however, smoking has been an activity that is surreptitiously denying millions of people their right to enjoy a complete mental health. A ‘complete’ mental health!
Of course, many smokers will deny this. They will claim smoking has taken no atom out of their mental sagacity – a confident statement of denial. But can it be true?
They will say smoking hasn’t reduced the soundness of their mental health, but do they actually enjoy a “complete” mental health?
In the face of objective analysis, their statements fall. Even without going into the nitty-gritty of research works available to silence this whine of smoking advocates, cigarettes are already popularly known to contain many compounds with known toxicity to the brain and other body systems. [1]
Even though, to be fair, the level of smoking now compared to time past (like the 1950s) appears to be significantly reduced. [2][3] This reduction can be attributed to a now-widespread knowledge of the harm of tobacco on human health, coupled with a highly regulated tobacco industry. But all the same, we only have a reduction in the prevalence of smoking, not an elimination of the harms in smoking.
Today, it is clear that the regulation of the tobacco industry alone cannot halt the trend of smoking, nor will it bring back the health of those whom their products have ruined. Just like many policymakers have now realized, their regulation will have to go hand-in-hand with education.
Many educational materials have covered the harms of tobacco on various body systems and organs. However, we believe we also need to add our voices, and as we are passionate about educating people on their brain and memory health, we think the harm of tobacco on your mental health and memory will be best heard from us.
Let’s go deeper into it. Gradually.
There are Two Ways to Smoke
Science has taught us that there are two ways to smoke. One is deliberate, and unfortunately, the other is not often deliberate.
It happens this way: smokers smoke their cigarettes, while non-smokers who have no interest in smoking (but are hanging around the smoker) inhale the smoke. This is called secondhand smoke (passive smoking).
In simpler words, secondhand smoke is the tobacco smoke (from smokers) inhaled by people who do not smoke – This can be encountered anywhere from restaurants and bars to parks and waiting rooms.
It’s just bad that secondhand smoke has an effect on the brain in a way that is similar to what happens in the brain of the person doing the smoking.[24] It’s absolutely disadvantageous to the health to hang around smokers.
In fact, the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that around 41,000 deaths per year among adults in the United States could be attributed to secondhand smoke. [4]
This means it can be deadly to hang around smokers!
If it has been established that one can still suffer from the health consequences of smoking even without being a smoker, it is not hard to imagine what the health consequences will be on the people who actually do the smoking.
Smoking: A Fast Pathway to Health Issues and Death
Sorry, the answer is not only lung cancer, as you are probably expecting.
The answer is many diseases that can be triggered or made worse by a lifestyle that involves smoking.
Going into all of these diseases will be a digression from our mental health focus, so we will just highlight some that have been linked to poor brain health.
Some of the diseases, like diabetes, would need not be mentioned if not because they have been connected with mental health issues. Smoking actually makes you more predisposed to developing diabetes [25].
Other diseases (linked to smoking), like high blood pressure, hypertension, and a high BMI, have been linked to brain shrinkage and less healthy brain actions. [5]
But if there is a more direct way smoking can kill other than through lung cancers and other more well-known smoking malaises, it is through its ability to predispose smokers to Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia (e.g vascular dementia).[6] And please know, Alzheimer’s kills!
Its Effects on the Brain and Memory; What You Need to Know in Brief
In the long line of the negative impacts that smoking can have on the brain, Alzheimer’s is just one out of many.
Alzheimer’s is a disease that predominantly affects older people.
While its cause is not exactly known, a predisposing factor to developing it is living a lifestyle that involves smoking.
But before an individual grows old and develops Alzheimer’s, there are quite a number of ways smoking can affect their brain health.
Prominent among such ways is the development of cognitive problems, common among young smokers. [7] Note that this might not be immediately obvious, in fact, it may not be obvious until the smoker reaches middle age, when age-related disorders like MCI (Mild Cognitive Impairment) worsens faster in the smoker than the general average, especially if the smoker continues to smoke.
Of course, and expectedly, the negative effects of smoking on such individuals’ mental deterioration are likely to be worse if they are consumers of alcohol along with their smoking habits. [8] Unfortunately, finding a smoker who doesn’t take alcohol is not a common thing.
Smoking does not also leave the memory of smokers untouched, often for the worse. Experts have insinuated that mid-life smokers may have a worse memory than their non-smoking counterparts. [9]
In a parallel investigation, a study that aims to test the memory (and associated cognitive abilities) of smokers when compared to ex-smokers shows that ex-smokers are 30% more likely to perform better on vocabulary and verbal frequency scores than active smokers. [10] Apart from suggesting a slight superiority of the memory of ex-smokers over that of active smokers, this study also suggests that recovery of better memory abilities is possible if smoking is stopped.
Lastly, there is an agreement among some experts that people who smoke are twice more likely to experience symptoms of depression and anxiety than non-smokers. [11]
The Full Reality of Memory and Brain Problems Caused by Smoking
There is a reality not quite well known among the general populace, but which already is well known among psychiatrists and mental health researchers and practitioners, and it is the reality of the prevalence of smoking among patients with serious mental health problems.
Patients with serious mental issues like schizophrenia as a matter of fact do often smoke more than people without mental illness. This has been measured empirically, and the results are shocking.
According to Sane Australia, 32% of people with mental illness smoke cigarettes, compared to just 18% of the general population. Even more worrisomely, experts have confided that the rate is far higher specifically among people with schizophrenia. [12]
In another line of investigation into this phenomenon from the UK, it has been discovered that 33% of people suffering from depression and anxiety smoke, and their smoking have been noted to be heavier than other smokers. [13]
The paradox to this discovery is that it is not yet known with certainty whether mental illness tends to make people smoke or if smoking builds mental illness.
It is well documented that psychiatrists allow their patients to smoke for many reasons, two of which are: to use cigarettes as a reward for desirable behavior and to allow cigarettes as a form of self-medication for patients in relieving their own symptoms.
But more recent knowledge and research have changed all that. Independent research works into the connections between various mental illnesses, and cigarette smoking are increasingly establishing that smoking do not help mental patients at all. In fact, there are fears that it might have been making their symptoms worse.
On the other side, researchers from the realm of neurophysiology and other associated studies are hypothesizing that smoking can lead to atrophy of parts of the brain, or damage brain areas such as the prefrontal cortex or hippocampus; key areas in memory formation and recall. [14]
A similar discovery to this was also made in the study of the left medial orbitofrontal cortex (a region involved in our impulse control and decision making) of smokers and non-smokers.
In the study, this section of the brain was found to be averagely smaller in every smoker’s brain than in the brain of non-smokers investigated. [15]
The study suggests the smallness is commensurate with the level of smoking common with each individual investigated.
As a whole, this study might subtly be pointing out that smoking might be having detrimental effects on the ability of smokers to control their impulses and in making good decisions.
And as if to buttress this, a study from Israel that compared the IQ of male smokers with that of non-smoker of the same age (18 years) concluded that smokers in that age have a lower IQ than their non-smoking agemates! [16]
Other Interesting Research Works That Smokers Might Find Sobering
To really give a more comprehensive picture of the harms of tobacco on mental health, it might be necessary to describe the conclusions reached from some other research works different from those we have mentioned above.
Smokers really have no excuse that there is no writing on the wall!
1. In a study conducted in an Italian hospital by Orsitto et al., it was found that patients with mild cognitive impairment have a history of more frequent encounters with secondhand smoke than patients with normal cognition. [17]
2. In a study involving over 17,000 participants over the age of 65 who are tested for dementia, over 11,000 maintain their non-demented status after 2 years of follow up. However, the study reveals that smoking may accelerate cognitive decline in non-demented elderly. [18]
3. In a study by Jiansong Xu et al. examining a group of long-term smokers, published in the Journal of the National Library of Medicine, it was found that the decline of memory function, cognitive function and attention abilities can be attributed to smoking. [19]
4 According to a Yale research work examining a group of adolescent smokers, with results published in Biological Psychiatry, it was found that smoking can do serious damage to the working memory of adolescents. [20]
5 Some research works have found that subtances found in tobaccco can negatively interfere with people’s sleep quality and thus damage their cognitive and memory functions. [21]
6 Researchers from the University of Bristol using a large database of information from smokers and non-smokers found out that people who smoke have a higher risk of developing schizophrenia and depression. [22]
Some Common Misconceptions About Smoking and Memory Health
There are several misconceptions going around on the impact of smoking on brain and memory health. Many of these misconceptions center around smoking having a positive impact on brain activities either in the long or short term.
Let’s examine some of them:
1. Nicotine Patches Help Improve Memory and Processing Speed:
Nicotine works by stimulating the release of dopamine in the brain pleasure reward center. Unfortunately, this mechanism also plays a big role in causing the addiction known with cigarettes.
This misconception can only make people remain hooked on cigarettes, which is ruinous to their brain health in the long term.
While some studies[23] have actually suggested nicotine patches can increase memory and processing speed, there is no evidence that it works for people without memory loss. Using nicotine this way can also foster dependence on nicotine with users. This, paradoxically, will lead to deterioration of memory and processing speed in the long term.
2 Smoking Relieves Stress:
Smoking doesn’t truly relieve stress. The feeling of stress-relief after a session of smoking is actually an illusion. This is because what seems like stress is only the smoker’s nicotine cravings, and once this craving is satisfied, the smoker feels relieved of it. But unfortunately, the craving will return, and the smoker will have to smoke more cigarettes.
So, in essence, smoking is actually not relieving any stress. It is only masking a nicotine addiction problem.
You can know how to relieve yourself of real stress (without smoking) by reading this.
Reasons for You to Quit Smoking
If you are currently an active smoker, there are several reasons why you should quit smoking; although we believe all the harms in smoking we have enumerated above speak volumes about why you should quit smoking if you want to safeguard your health.
But there are many other health and material benefits you stand to gain by quitting smoking, some of which are:
1. It can give you an improved mood by taking away the burden (compulsion) of smoking out of your daily life.
2. Quitting smoking will make it possible for you to work and socialize anywhere, not just where smoking is permitted.
3. Quitting smoking can help improve your appearance. It’s finally bye to stained teeth, stained fingers and wrinkled lips!
You will also stop smelling of smoke.
4. Quitting smoking will leave extra money in your pocket. You might be surprised to know how much you are spending monthly to nurse your cigarette cravings.
Conclusion
Your mental health stands to gain a lot if you do not embrace smoking, or if you quit it if you are already a smoker.
Part of loving yourself is loving your brain health. Please stay away from smoking.
Frequently Asked Questions on Smoking and Mental Health
How Does Smoking Affect Your Mental Health?
Smoking can affect your mental health in many ways. For example, it can predispose you to Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. It can also lead to the development of cognitive problems and worsen your memory.
Can Smoking Cause Anxiety and Depression?
Yes. According to mental health experts, people who smoke are twice more likely to experience symptoms of depression and anxiety than non-smokers.
Does Smoking Affect Cognitive Function?
Yes, a number of studies have found that the decline of memory function, cognitive function, and attention abilities can be attributed to smoking.
References:
1. Recent Advances – Smoking and Cognitive Functioning: The Dilemma | International Psychogeriatric Association – https://www.ipa-online.org/news-and-issues/recent-advances–smoking-and-cognitive-functioning-the-dilemma (Retrieved 16-6-2020)
2. CDC. Surveillance for selected tobacco-use behaviors–United States, 1900-1994. In: CDC surveillance summaries, November 18, 1994. MMWR 1994;43(no. SS-3). (Retrieved via https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm4843a2.htm on 16-6-2020)
3. US Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service. Tobacco situation & outlook / TBS-241/ April 1999. (Retrieved via https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm4843a2.htm on 16-6-2020)
4. Tobacco-Related Mortality – https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/health_effects/tobacco_related_mortality/index.htm (Retrieved 16-6-2020)
5. Smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity each linked to unhealthy brains – https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-03/esoc-shb030719.php (Retrieved 16-6-2020)
6. Heavy smoking in midlife may be associated with dementia in later years – https://medicalxpress.com/news/2010-10-heavy-midlife-dementia-years.html (Retrieved 16-6-2020)
7. Impact of Smoking Abstinence on Working Memory Neurocircuitry in Adolescent Daily Tobacco Smokers – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17505817/ (Retrieved 16-6-2020)
8. Smoking – https://www.memory-key.com/research/topic/nicotine (Retrieved 16-6-2020)
9. Smoking and Cognitive Decline Among Middle-Aged Men and Women: The Doetinchem Cohort Study – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18923116/ (Retrieved 16-6-2020)
10. Midlife smokers may have worse memory than non-smokers – https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-06/jaaj-msm060508.php (Retrieved 16-6-2020)
11. Smoking and Mental Health – https://makesmokinghistory.org.au/why-should-i-quit/smoking-and-mental-health (Retrieved 16-6-2020)
12. Smoking & mental illness – https://www.sane.org/information-stories/facts-and-guides/smoking-and-mental-illness (Retrieved 16-6-2020)
13. Smoking and Mental Health – https://ash.org.uk/information-and-resources/fact-sheets/smoking-and-mental-health/ (Retrieved 16-6-2020)
14. Quitting Smoking Improves Memory – https://www.livescience.com/16144-quitting-smoking-improves-memory.html (Retrieved 16-6-2020)
15. The more someone smokes, the smaller the number of gray cells – https://medicalxpress.com/news/2010-10-smaller-gray-cells.html (Retrieved 16-6-2020)
16. Cognitive test scores in male adolescent cigarette smokers compared to non‐smokers: a population‐based study – https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1360-0443.2009.02740.x (Retrieved 16-6-2020)
17. Relation of Secondhand Smoking to Mild Cognitive Impairment in Older Inpatients – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22666146/ (Retrieved 16-6-2020)
18. Effect of smoking on global cognitive function in nondemented elderly – https://n.neurology.org/content/62/6/920.short (Retrieved 16-6-2020)
19. Brain Activity in Cigarette Smokers Performing a Working Memory Task: Effect of Smoking Abstinence – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16038685/ (Retrieved 16-6-2020)
20.Effects of Smoking and Smoking Abstinence on Cognition in Adolescent Tobacco Smokers – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15607301/ (Retrieved 16-6-2020)
21. How Smoking Affects Sleep: A Polysomnographical Analysis – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23026505/ (Retrieved 16-6-2020)
22. Smoking and mental illness – https://www.bristol.ac.uk/news/2019/november/smoking.html (Retrieved 16-6-2020)
23. Nicotine Treatment of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) – https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00091468 (Retrieved 16-6-2020)
24. “Moderate Levels Of Secondhand Smoke Deliver Nicotine To The Brain”. National Institutes Of Health (NIH), 2015, https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/moderate-levels-secondhand-smoke-deliver-nicotine-brain. Accessed 19 June 2020.
25. “Smoking And Diabetes”. Centers For Disease Control And Prevention, 2020, https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/campaign/tips/diseases/diabetes.html Accessed 19 June 2020.
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