Can smoking affect hiking?

Nothing worse than trying to enjoy the fresh smell of the outdoors, but having to smell someone's cigar or cigarette smoke instead.

Smoking, as one of the most popular bad habits, is widely prevalent among millions of people around the world for centuries. According to the statistics from Very Well Mind, 1 billion human beings smoke with eighty percent of them from developing countries and countries with middle income. Andorra is known as the country where people smoke most by Tobacco Atlas.

Talking about the United States, statistics from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention estimates the number of smokers as 34.2 million adults. Besides, 16 million Americans suffer from a smoking-related disease. The good news is the decline in the number of smokers since the start of the 21st century.

People tend to give up smoking, and sports activities are becoming more and more popular nowadays. Not only traditional ball sports are popular, but also various martial arts and oriental practices are blooming now. However, there are those who quit smoking to switch to vaping devices such as mod pods or dab vape pen (information resource).

The question that is important to answer today is whether it is possible to combine sports activities and smoking. In particular, the talk today is about hiking.

Hiking, in general, is a long, vigorous walk, which people usually take in the countryside or on trails. Hiking requires the procession and the knowledge of how to use a compass. The other equipment that you might need is a flashlight, first aid kit, a knife, and some other stuff. Except for the equipment, hiking requires some physical effort’ expenditure. 

You need to have good control over your breath because while hiking, it is important not to start gasping after half a kilometer. It also involves a proper stance of your heart and vessels, as well as lungs, respiratory system generally.

The point here is that smoking results in shortness of breath, which means that to get out of your house and walk along, it might make you wheezing if you are smoking. Therefore, we can confirm that smoking negatively influences hiking as well as any other activity. In terms of such reaction to the smoke, the situation is similar even though you use the best vape pen for wax. Vapes help to avoid tars and some other non-healthy chemicals. Nevertheless, vaping liquids, waxes, powders, etc. still contain chemical elements that harm your lungs, larynx, and so on.

Also, smoking might have a lazy effect during prolonged consumption. Cigarette consumption makes people less ambitious. It does not mean that people become lazy bone after they start smoking cigarettes. The fact is that people get relaxed and stop wanting to do something new. They do not feel they need any further emotions. The only thing they have to think about is the next cigarette that they will smoke. It is because nicotine is addictive and takes hold of its consumers.

Some people believe that smoking does not affect their health and body, just because they do not see any external changes. And all because most people are not aware of the fact that cigarettes harm them.

The main harm for a hiker that cigarettes do is their interaction with red blood cells. Red blood cells have the function of transmitting oxygen from the lungs to all other parts of your body. It means that all your body functioning depends on the cells. Nicotine, when getting into your blood, makes some of the cells unable to transmit oxygen. It results in difficulties with breathing and with oxygen supply to all the organs, including your brain. For a hiker, who might be already stressed by an enduring walk or a high pressure in the mountains, lack of oxygen is a curtail problem.

Lack of oxygen means that our muscles have to work harder to get some oxygen, and they are already exhausted the activity. Here you can be hard to catch your breath. That is the moment when you might get a tissue inflammation.

Some of the smokers prefer to change to vaping devices, mainly because it is possible not to consume nicotine with it. Some people start using wax vaporizers because they want to try something new. When you try a wax pen or a dab pen, mostly it is about cannabis. For sure, there exist some innocent concentrates, but most of them are developed to consume marijuana, which means that people chance from one addictive substance (nicotine) to another (marijuana). The last one also has adverse effects on your psychological and physical health.

Marijuana might relieve your pain and anxiety, which would help you to overcome some difficulties while hiking, but at the same time, it might be difficult to control yourself after taking cannabis, and it might be dangerous while being on your way.

It also depends whether you use usual marijuana or one of its extracts in your wax vape pen. The main two excerpts are CBD and THC. The first is used for medical purposes and helps your body to relax, to decrease pain, anxiety, and stress. It also betters your appetite and might be used as a medicine against insomnia. THC, on the other hand, makes you high, increases your anxiety, might cause an adverse psychological reaction. After taking THC, people get irritated; they do not eat a lot and acquire some difficulties with sleeping. THC gets you high and is highly addictive.

Doctors all over the world agree that those who are in sports (be is hiking, swimming, football, running, bicycling, and so on) are better to give up smoking and other alternative activities to reduce the negative impact on the body. They emphasize that sports people need more time to recover each day than a white collar, so additional enduring activities, such as smoking, are counter indicative.

To conclude, smoking and its alternatives badly influence the health of people and make it more difficult to do sports. Nicotine and other substances create physical obstacles for those who do any exercise.

Dănuț Încrosnatu
Dănuț Încrosnatu
As the founder of Sociedelic.com, my passion for exploring the depths of consciousness and enhancing personal growth has led me on an incredible journey, delving into the world of psychedelic compounds, natural medicines, and responsible drug use. I have a burning desire for spiritual growth and mental well-being, and I truly value open-mindedness, curiosity, and self-exploration. With a strong drive for personal development and creative expression, I am fueled by a vision of social change and sustainability. My experimental nature and empathetic personality make me deeply introspective and socially responsible, and I am constantly inspired by the power of art, creativity, and community. :)