Pledge to #QuitForCovid this Ramadan

Ramadan Mubarak, Sheffield!

Ramadan will be celebrated differently this year. Thank you to everyone who will be staying at home this Ramadan to protect their family, friends and community from COVID-19.

It is vital at this time of national emergency that we all stick to the social distancing rules put in place by the government and stay at home to reduce the spread of coronavirus, protect the vulnerable, save lives and protect the NHS.

Healthy lifestyles during Ramadan

Almost all Muslims try to live more healthily throughout this month-long period. With the coronavirus outbreak, there has never been a more important time to look after your health.

If you smoke, one of the most important steps to take is to #QuitforCovid. Anyone can catch COVID-19, but smoking increases the risk even more. The latest research shows that smokers are 14 times more likely to develop severe respiratory illness from coronavirus.

Smoking and COVID-19 risk

COVID-19 (coronavirus) is a respiratory infection that affects the lungs and airways. Smoking harms the immune system, lowering your body’s natural protection against infections, like coronavirus. Also, the repeated action of putting your hand to your mouth when smoking also gives the virus an easy route into your body.

Smokers are therefore at greater risk of:
● getting acute respiratory infections like coronavirus
● the infection lasting longer
● the infection being more serious than it would be for someone who does not smoke

Pledge to #QuitForCovid this Ramadan

Ramadan offers you a great opportunity to make some healthy changes, and this includes stopping smoking.

There are lots of reasons why Ramadan is the perfect time to quit smoking.

Think about it this way, abstaining from smoking during daylight hours means you’re already halfway there. Why not harness this willpower and determination to quit smoking for good?

Normal routines are broken during the month of Ramadan, which gives you the chance to break your addiction to nicotine.

Smoking improves mental health with people reporting feeling less stressed and anxious once they have stopped. Visit Every Mind Matters website for more information on how to look after your mental health and that of others. This has also never been more important when dealing with the lockdown situation we find ourselves in.

Saying no to Shisha is another way to reduce your risk from COVID-19

We know that smoking Shisha is a popular way to socialise during Iftar and Suhur, for both smokers and non-smokers alike. However, the impacts on your health and the risks to COVID-19 are just as serious as smoking cigarettes.

You are still exposing your body to the same risk by smoking Shisha as smoking traditional cigarettes.

An hour-long Shisha session is equivalent to smoking 100 cigarettes. Exposure to tobacco in any form is bad for your health and even in small doses can make asthma and other chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases worse.

Whatsmore, the act of sharing Shisha or cigarettes increases the risk of spreading COVID-19.

Creating a smokefree environment for your family

The benefits of stopping smoking and refraining from using Shisha during Ramadan will be felt by your family too.

A wonderful thing about Ramadan is having the opportunity to spend extra time withyou’re immediate family who you live with whilst the lockdown in place. Keeping your home a smokefree space is, therefore, really important.

Exposure to secondhand smoke from cigarettes or Shisha increases the risk of serious complications from coronavirus, plus the other health implications. Children are more vulnerable to the dangers of second-hand smoke. They have small airways and breathe faster meaning their lungs take in more of 4,000 dangerous chemicals found in secondhand smoke, putting them at risk of health problems like Asthma, Pneumonia and Bronchitis.

Learn more about Smokefree Homes

Why not take the first steps towards quitting smoking and creating a healthier lifestyle for you and your family this Ramadan.

By quitting smoking during Ramadan, you will experience many benefits like:

● Less risk of catching COVID-19
● Less risk of serious complications from COVID-19
● More chance of a quicker recovery if you are infected by COVID-19
● Less risk of developing smoking-related illness like cancer, heart disease and stroke
● Shielding family from secondhand smoke
● A boosted immune system
● Less risk of worsening pre-existing health conditions like COPD and Asthma
● More energy
● Improved sense of taste and smell

The benefits of quitting smoking start as soon as you stop, even in the hours where you are abstaining from cigarettes during fasting periods your body starts to recover. Just 2 hours after your last cigarette, your heart rate and blood pressure fall. The longer you stay smokefree the better the outcomes.

Smokefree Sheffield is here to support you to #QuitForCovid and stay smokefree during and after Ramadan.

Fasting in itself can be challenging but dealing with nicotine withdrawal at the same time makes is even harder. But you don’t need to struggle. There are a range of options available to help you deal with the temporary side-effects of nicotine withdrawal. Specialist stop smoking advisors can help find the best method or combination of methods for you.

Instead of reaching for a cigarette to break your fast, Nicotine Replacement Therapy is available in lots of different forms including gum, patches or lozenges. Or consider switching to e-cigarettes to satisfy nicotine cravings – which are much safer than smoking cigarettes or Shisha.

Prescription stop smoking medications like Champix, which can be taken once a day before fasting, and are also available.

Stop smoking support is available over the phone and online:

0800 612 0011 FREE from landlines

0330 660 1166 FREE from most mobiles

Or request a callback

sheffield.yorkshiresmokefree.nhs.uk