A transient ischaemic attack (TIA or mini-stroke)
You might associate strokes with older people, but this is not the case for smokers. While a major stroke can be life changing (or even fatal), a transient ischaemic attack, or mini stroke, is a sure warning sign that something needs to change. Quickly.
A TIA means you get the same symptoms of a stroke (lopsided face, slurred speech, drowsiness, weak arms) but it is short lived. It happens because a clot is blocking the blood supply to the brain. When the clot moves, the symptoms stop.
Even though you might feel fine again after a TIA, it is a sign that a major stroke could soon follow. This can frequently happen within the first few days of a TIA. The TIA could have been caused by an underlying factor such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol or diabetes.
Clots develop due to a build-up of fatty deposits in the blood vessels or sometimes because of an irregular heartbeat. Unless these issues improve, another stroke could happen any day.
If you do have a major stroke, you could lose mobility, lose bladder and bowel control, find basic tasks more difficult, or even suffer seizures. So, if you have had a TIA, it’s vital that you take positive action now.
While a TIA is serious, it’s a useful health scare to have as a warning sign that something needs to change. According to the Stroke Association, the following lifestyle changes should be made following a TIA.
- Lose weight / stay a healthy weight
- Change your diet to reduce cholesterol and high blood pressure
- Stay within the NHS guidelines on alcohol consumption
- Stay physically active
- Check / reduce any medications that might increase risk of stroke
- Stop smoking / switch to vaping.
Smoking is a major risk factor for a TIA. A 20-a-day smoker is 6 times more likely to have a stroke than a non-smoker. When it comes to vaping, there are mixed opinions on the relationship between vaping and stroke, but the general consensus is that vaping provides a lower stroke risk than smoking cigarettes. Furthemore, vaping can be used as a tool for a person to completely stop smoking altogether, and eventually they may stop vaping as well. If you are at risk of stroke and want to stop smoking tobacco, a disposable vape kit might be all you need to reduce your nicotine intake and eventually ditch the habit altogether.
Problems Getting Pregnant
An unfortunate health scare can be finding out that the chances of pregnancy are low due to an underlying problem with either the male or the female. Infertility can cause mental and social problems within your life, and be incredibly stressful to manage.
If you have been told that trying to conceive will be tricky, one of the first pieces of advice you will be given is to quit smoking.
Women who smoke are twice as likely to have fertility problems than women who don’t. And men who smoke can have low sperm count, or low quality sperm.
Quitting smoking can reverse some of these problems and drastically improve your chances of conceiving.
A great way to quit smoking is through using a vaping kit. However, the nicotine in vaping could still have an impact on fertility - studies are ongoing. Therefore, you could opt for a very low nicotine vape, a 0mg vape, or CBD vape instead to try and improve your chances of conceiving.
A Family Member Develops Cancer
While it might not be a direct health scare that affects you, watching a family member struggle with cancer of any kind can be truly eye opening. We all know that smoking elevates your risk of developing cancer. Quitting smoking reduces this risk considerably, and vaping is 95% safer than smoking.
It is especially important to take note if a family member has developed cancer at a young age, for example, breast cancer under the age of 50 or early prostate cancer. The reason for this is that some cancers are influenced by genes, and a sign of having one of these genes is when cancer develops at an unusually early age. If you have a biological parent, sibling or aunt / uncle who has developed cancer young, it is worth speaking to your doctor about your own risk factors for developing this cancer. Your doctor will almost certainly advise you to stop smoking to reduce your chances, and live a longer and healthier life.
Vaping is a much healthier alternative to smoking and can help far more with cravings and withdrawal from nicotine than any other nicotine replacement therapy. Vaping also protects those around you from intaking second hand smoke, which is also a cancer risk for them.
Visit Our Vaping Page
Vaping is much healthier than smoking. If you are interested in taking up vaping for the first time, you can view our range of starter kits by clicking here. Many new vapers wish to start with disposable vape kits, especially disposables that mimic real cigarettes. You can start on 20mg of nicotine or have a lower dose of 15mg or 10mg. Alternatively you can enjoy a CBD vape to enhance your health further. We are here to help, so if you have any questions about vaping, CBD or quitting smoking, send us an email and we will get back to you.
