Your mood, up in smoke
In the first article, I talked about the declining life expectancy in regions of the country. Now I'm going to get back on my soapbox and talk about smoking— which is contributing to that decline.
It could also be destroying your mood.
I'm sure you've heard the twin smoking-justification arguments:
1) "Smoking helps me feel relaxed."
2) "I've smoked so long, there'd be no benefit to my stopping after all this time."
If you're a smoker, you may change your tune when you learn that all of that smoke is puffing up your risk of depression by a whopping 41 percent.
Researchers did find some positive support for those who had kicked their habit. If it has been over 10 years since you've picked up a cigarette, you have less of a chance of developing depression—even than those who had never smoked to begin with.
And not to be forgotten was the level of physical activity in smokers. The more you smoke, the less you move—and the greater your risk of depression.
No one said stopping this horribly addictive habit was easy—but you'll be doing yourself a two-hit favor by stopping and trading those cigarettes for a bicycle, a pedometer or a tennis racket.
