Smoking is unhealthy. However, it also appears to be unfavorable for restless legs.
I think it is unclear to many people why smoking is a disadvantage when you are dealing with RLS. I hope to shed some light on that.
In this blog I will first discuss the general adverse effects of smoking. Then I make the link with restless legs.
Effects of smoking
Smoking increases the risk of all kinds of diseases, for example of all kinds of cancer. But also on cardiovascular diseases such as a heart attack, a stroke or shop window legs. And lung diseases such as asthma or COPD. With cancers you should think of mouth cancer, throat or esophagus cancer, larynx cancer or lung cancer.
The risk of, among other things, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, rheumatism and infertility is greater. Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of complications. Smokers are more likely to experience anxiety or depression. Conversely, depression increases the chance that you will smoke.
Secondhand smoke is unfortunately also quite unhealthy.
Nicotine makes smoking addictive. This substance gives a pleasant feeling for a short time. Someone who smokes lights a new cigarette over and over again just to maintain this feeling. If you, as an inveterate smoker, do not smoke for a while, you will also suffer from withdrawal symptoms. These are expressed in, for example, restlessness, abdominal pain, insomnia, tension or irritability.
In addition to the addictive effect of nicotine, smoking also has other adverse effects on your health. This is due to the many toxic substances in tobacco smoke, such as tar, carbon monoxide, nitric oxide and cadmium. Smoking causes, among other things, inflammation and damage to the lungs, and the narrowing of your blood vessels. It gives a higher blood pressure and a higher heart rate.
You get a bad shape from it. As a smoker, you cough a lot or are short of breath. You have less appetite and you taste your food less well. Smoking ages your skin.
Neighbour
My new neighbor smokes. Several times a day he opens the door to the garden and lights a cigarette. The smoke enters my house through the fence. It’s like he’s in the living room with me. If he smokes inside, I can smell it too. Especially when I have to be in the bathroom.
For a non-smoker like me this is very annoying. Smoking stinks and I unintentionally ingest all kinds of unhealthy substances. Secondhand smoke is another term for this.
I’m still building up the courage to ask him to blow the smoke the other way from now on. Or to stand a little further in the garden. I find this difficult, because I want to keep the relationship good.
Restless legs
Smoking is not the direct cause of restless legs. However, it may be a trigger for your complaints. By that I mean that smoking can be unfavorable for your RLS.
In addition to smoking, the list of foods that you should not take with restless legs also almost always includes chocolate, alcohol, coffee and other drinks with caffeine. Each of these can aggravate your symptoms.
They all have an effect on your brain. For example, they affect the production of neurotransmitters. You have to think of substances such as dopamine, endorphins and serotonin. The food contains a stimulating substance, but unfortunately causes a downward spike when the substance has worn off.
This is also the case with nicotine in cigarettes. The nice, relaxed and clear feeling turns into the opposite a few hours later. Essentially, these are withdrawal symptoms. One of them is insomnia. Another is restlessness, for example in your legs.
