{"id":8280,"date":"2022-01-02T17:37:00","date_gmt":"2022-01-02T12:07:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pharmeasy.in\/blog\/?p=8280"},"modified":"2026-04-16T04:44:31","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T04:44:31","slug":"how-smoking-affects-the-brain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pharmeasy.in\/blog\/how-smoking-affects-the-brain\/","title":{"rendered":"Does Smoking Really Affect Your Brain?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n<\/head>

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Table of Contents<\/p>\nToggle<\/span>

Introduction<\/a><\/li>
What Does Nicotine Do to Your Brain?<\/a><\/li>
Do E-cigarettes Affect the Brain?<\/a><\/li>
Tips to Help You Quit Smoking<\/a><\/li>
Can Quitting Help?<\/a><\/li>
References<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n \n <\/span>\n $\"Join$ \n <\/a>\n
<\/span>Introduction<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n31st May is known as the \u201dWorld No Tobacco Day\u201d\u009d and for a good reason too ^{1<\/sup><\/a>. Did you know that more than 10 million die each year in India due to tobacco? India is home to 12% of the world\u2019s smokers, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). You have heard numerous people tell you that smoking affects your lungs. You have seen the gross pictures on cigarette packs but smoked anyway. But did you know that smoking affects your brain too?<\/p>\n\n\n\n}
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<\/span>What Does Nicotine Do to Your Brain?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nNicotine works like the various neurotransmitters that are already there in our brain. It activates dopamine signals that result in a pleasant sensation in your brain. With the passing of time and more smoking, the brain reduces acetylcholine receptors to compensate for the increased signalling activity. As a result, nicotine tolerance is created in the brain ^{2<\/sup><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n}
The brain ends up needing more nicotine. As nicotine mimics the work of dopamine that provides the feel-good factor, your brain starts associating smoking (nicotine use) with feeling good. The nicotine in cigarettes changes your brain and makes you suffer from withdrawal symptoms when you try to quit. You start feeling irritable, anxious, and your body has a strong craving for nicotine. As a result of these symptoms, most people reach for another cigarette, and then another and are unable to quit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. Loss of Brain Volume<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
$\"brain\"$ <\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n
Brain size and volume is associated with higher intelligence and better cognitive functioning. The average brain volume in adult males is 1260 cubic cm and 1130 cubic cm in adult females. According to a 2017 study ^{2<\/sup><\/a>, the longer you smoke, the more your brain loses volume with vital tissues shrivelling up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n}
Smoking affects the subcortical brain regions. The subcortical areas of the brain are associated with pleasure, hormone production, emotion, and memory. Smokers thus develop age-related loss of brain volume that leads to an increased risk of dementia and is one of the ways how smoking harms the brain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. Dementia Due to Smoking<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
$\"dementia$ <\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n
Dementia is a syndrome that is characterized by deterioration in thinking, memory, behaviour, and the ability to perform everyday activities. It is said to affect older people mainly, but it is not a normal part of ageing. Since smoking affects the subcortical regions of the brain that are associated with memory, it puts smokers at a higher risk of dementia.<\/p>
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