Quit Smoking to Boost Your Sex Life

Read about the author Samantha Evans

The number of smokers in England has fallen to its lowest level, with just one in five adults now lighting up following the widespread use of e-cigarettes, nicotine patches and gum helped many smokers to quit.

The percentage of adults in Great Britain aged 16 years and over who said they smoked cigarettes decreased from 11.2% in 2022 to 10.5% in 2023.

Those aged 25 to 34 years had the highest proportion of current smokers (14.0%) in the UK in 2023.

Those aged 18 to 24 years have had the largest reduction in smoking prevalence (15.9 percentage points) between 2011 (25.7%) and 2023 (9.8%)

Even though cigarette smoking rates in the UK are going down, which is fantastic as many turn to vaping to help them to quit cigarettes, more people, especially younger people, are vaping, having never smoked cigarettes

Around 5.1 million adults aged 16 years and over (9.8%) currently use an e-cigarette daily or occasionally in Great Britain in 2023, based on the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (OPN).

E-cigarette use was highest among people aged 16 to 24 years in Great Britain, with 15.8% using e-cigarettes either daily or occasionally.

How does Smoking and Vaping affect your Sex Life?

Poor sexual function

Smoking can affect your sexual performance by restricting blood flow to the penis, leading to erectile dysfunction. This occurs because smoking damages blood vessels by increasing the build-up of plaque in the arteries which hinders the blood flow, creating an array of circulatory problems throughout the body, including the penis.

In a 2003 study, researchers examined data on 4,764 Chinese men with an average age of 47. They completed a health survey that included information about smoking history and quality of sex life. The researchers found that:

Those who smoked more than 20 cigarettes daily had a 60% higher risk of erectile dysfunction, compared to those who never smoked.

15% of the past and present smokers have experienced erectile dysfunction.

Those who currently – and formerly- smoked were about 30% more likely to suffer from impotence.

Among those who had never smoked, 12% had erection problems.

Another study by Harte.C and Meston.C (2011) in the British Journal of Urology International looked at the association between smoking cessation and sexual health in men and found that it’s not just smoking that causes erectile problems, but the effects of nicotine on sexual function.

The study found that the those who successfully quit smoking enjoy thicker, more rigid erections and became more aroused five times quicker than the those who relapsed.

Nicotine can cause erectile dysfunction as it is a vasoconstrictor, which narrows the blood vessels, thus reducing blood flow.

Research has found that sexual performance problems are far more prevalent among those under 40 years than previously thought as a result of stress. When you feel stressed, you may smoke more, thus affecting your sexual performance further as it impacts upon cardiac function, impeding blood flow to your penis.

Research has been found that those who vaped daily were more than twice as likely to experience ED when compared to those who never vaped.

Popular among younger men, one study (2022) found that 23.1 % of e-cigarette users had never smoked cigarettes and most were younger than 35 years old. This may explain why ED is becoming more common in younger people.

Too Tired for Sex

Smoking can decrease your energy levels, leaving you too tired for sex. Cigarette smoke contains carbon monoxide, which sticks to haemoglobin – the pigment in the red blood cells that carries oxygen. Raised levels of carbon monoxide in the blood as a result of smoking affects the body’s ability to carry oxygen. Even after only 72 hours of stopping smoking, you should notice an improvement in your energy levels.

Less Stamina

Smokers often experience shortness of breath due to cigarette tar damaging the airways and lungs, which can impact on your ability to keep going during sex. Heavy breathing may be considered sexy over the phone, but when accompanied by a hacking cough during sex, it is a complete turn-off.

Quitting will improve your breathing with an improvement in lung capacity of up to 10% within nine months, giving you more energy and stamina to last longer during sex.

Low Libido

Smoking negatively impacts upon testosterone levels in both males and females, the hormone responsible for maintaining libido. Initially, testosterone levels in the body rise temporarily when you inhale your first cigarette, but, it doesn’t last long, and decreases after some time. Cigarette smoking increases carbon monoxide levels in the body, ultimately leading to inhibited production of testosterone, bringing down libido.

Impact upon Fertility

If you are trying to conceive, giving up smoking is the first thing you should do. Studies have proven that nicotine affects egg maturation, ovulation rates and fertilisation rates, in addition to chromosomal abnormalities. However, research shows that female smokers can boost their chances of conceiving by quitting at least two months before trying to get pregnant.

Women who smoke have a higher risk of miscarriage too.

Smoking also affects sperm quality and motility, which can make conceiving take longer and lead to birth abnormalities too.

The impact of secondhand smoke should not be underestimated, so encourage your partner to quit to improve both your health.

Increased risk of early menopause

A report, involving 79,000 women, published in Tobacco Control (2015) showed those who smoked from the age of 15 went through the menopause, on average, 21 months earlier than women who did not smoke. The women who said they smoked heavily (more than 25 cigarettes a day) were likely to have faced the menopause 18 months earlier than non-smokers. Even those women who had experienced years of passive smoking went through the menopause earlier than those women not exposed to passive smoke.

Endocrine disrupters in vapes can have a negative impact upon your hormones. ⁠

Using nicotine products while taking estrogen can increase the risk of blood clots, strokes and heart attacks so it is another good reason to quit

More Vaginal Infections

The chemicals in cigarettes find their way into your vagina, altering your natural pH and impacting upon your friendly bacteria that protect our vagina’s health and prevent infections including thrush and bacterial vaginosis ( a fishy smelling grey discharge). Smoking can also cause vaginal dryness too.

Increased risk of HPV

Smoking weakens your immune system. You become more likely to be affected by HPV (human papilloma virus). This virus can cause genital warts, precancers, and cancer of the cervix and genital area. Smoking reduces the immune system cells that are important in fighting the HPV virus.

Smoking affects your sex appeal

A survey of 1500 men and women by watchmywallet.com in 2012 found that 57% of men found women unattractive if they smoked, but surprisingly only 22% of women found men unattractive if they were a smoker.

When trying to attract a mate, smoking impacts upon your oral health, giving you smelly breath which is unpleasant when you kiss! Revealing those yellow stains on your teeth is not going to increase your chances of attracting a new partner when you start chatting them up either!

Cigarette smoke clings to your hair and clothing, leaving a stale odour which is not very attractive.

Smoking can accelerate the skin ageing process in the skin, causing your face to droop, develop wrinkles and lines and become dry and coarse with uneven skin colouring and broken blood vessels. People who smoke often develop a grey or orange complexion and can appear gaunt.

Many studies have indicated that smoking results in more premature facial wrinkling than sun exposure. By the age of 70 years, smoking 30 cigarettes a day could lead to the equivalent of an extra 14 years of skin ageing!

Switching to Vaping

Many people switch to E-cigarettes as a way of cutting down on smoking and consider it a healthier option. However, research from University College London (2017) has found that some of the flavourings can reduce sperm motility and even damage testes cells, in particular cinnamon and bubblegum flavourings.

What is concerning, is the number of young people who vape, having never smoked cigarettes. In 2023, nearly 8% of 11-17 year olds in the UK vaped, according to an online survey by Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), and nearly 1 in 10 secondary school pupils vape, according to an NHS study

The long-term effects of vaping on your health are still being studied; Some flavourings used in e-cigarettes may be safe to eat but not to inhale because the lungs process substances differently than the gut. E-cigarettes produce a number of dangerous chemicals including acetaldehyde, acrolein, and formaldehyde. These aldehydes can cause lung disease, as well as cardiovascular (heart) disease. E-cigarettes also contain acrolein, a herbicide primarily used to kill weeds

So, if you need a reason to quit smoking or vaping, look no further than increasing your sex appeal and sexual performance. Giving up will not only improve your overall health by decreasing your risk of cancer and heart disease and save you money, but will also boost your sex appeal and add a spark to your sex life!

Useful Websites

Allen Carr’s Easyway : www.allencarr.com
NHS : Smoking Cessation- speak to your GP.