What is the Difference Between Shisha, Cigarettes, and Other Smoking Material?

Smoking shishas has become a popular way to relax and is widespread everywhere - you can order it in a bar or "score" at home yourself. The boom of home shishas is not surprising: not everyone can afford to visit establishments often, so the "home" shisha quickly pays off. And the cooking process is quite simple: water in a flask, tobacco in a bowl, coals on top - you're done.

Due to its availability and widespread opinion about harmlessness, this type of recreation has become very popular. Various tastes, thick smoke, and bubbling water in a flask give an atmosphere to simple gatherings with friends. However, do not forget that any tobacco (be it for shisha or cigarettes) contains substances harmful to the body that settle in the lungs during smoking and negatively affect health. It should be noted that you can buy hookah tobacco at general stores and also Hookah Tobacco Online is a great alternative.

Are Shisha And Vape Harmful To Health?

In a shisha, tobacco does not burn, as in cigarettes, but gives off steam from hookah tobacco flavors. The smoker is free from most of the harmful substances formed during the combustion process. For example, there are more than 4000 of them in cigarettes. However, this cannot be called harmless entertainment.

What Is Included In The Shisha Tobacco Blend?

• Tobacco leaves
• Sugar syrup (or "molasses")
• Glycerol
• Preservatives
• Flavors

And here is what the lungs get in the process of smoking a shisha:

• Nicotine is a potent neurotoxic poison: 

It is addictive and damages many-body systems (respiratory, digestive, reproductive, etc.). It causes an increase in heart rate, an increase in pressure, and harms the vessels of the brain. There is less nicotine in shisha tobacco than cigarettes: up to 0.6% in popular shisha tobacco versus 0.6-3% in cigarettes. If you smoke shisha infrequently, you will get much less nicotine from the shisha. But still, this is not a harmless dose.

• Resins 

Albeit in small quantities, are still present in shisha tobacco and get into the lungs. The water in the flask stops some of the polishes, but not all.

• Carbon monoxide 

It is a product of coal combustion when smoking a shisha. Notice burning coal, not tobacco. Promotes the development of oxygen starvation of the heart and brain, displacing oxygen. At the same time, the load on the heart increases, the pulse quickens. Carbon monoxide causes nausea, headache, and fainting. All the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are familiar to people who have tried shisha for the first time or have gone too far with it.

• Glycerin

It is a natural substance and is harmless to the body. But when heated over 300 degrees, it releases a carcinogen - acrolein.

• Flavors 

They are another "dark horse" in smoking blends. It is impossible to say unequivocally whether they are harmful or beneficial; it all depends on the specific flavor. For example, one of the best hookah flavors is natural flavors, they do not carry any harm.

Preservatives, the best hookah flavor, are not all harmful. For example, sugar is a natural preservative. You need to look at the specific preservative on the package.

Vape: Harmful Or Not?

We take the composition of liquids for vaping from the packaging and official websites of the manufacturers. Handicraft fluids may contain other substances not listed in the composition.

Unlike a shisha, the vape does not emit carbon monoxide or tar. Glycerin, food flavors, and preservatives are relatively safe to take by mouth, but the effects of inhalation are not well understood. There is no research showing that the ingestion of these substances in the lungs is not harmful to health.

Shisha and Vape: harm or benefit?

Comparing the best herbal shisha and one vape for the release of harmful substances, we must pay tribute to the vape - when using it; there are no combustion products. With both methods of smoking, the body receives large doses of nicotine with related substances. The palette of harmful substances is more petite, but they still enter the lungs and, from there, into the blood. The inhaled "smoke" or "vapor" will not add to the health. There can be only one benefit from shishas and vapes - to help you quit smoking cigarettes. By choosing the lesser of evils, you can do less harm to health.

What is more harmful: Shisha, Vape, or Cigarettes?

In terms of the content of toxic substances, cigarettes are more dangerous. We have positioned these smoking aids as harm decreases as follows:

• cigarettes
• shisha
• vape

However, the frequency and amount of smoking must be considered. To vape every day without stopping or smoke one cigarette a day? One cigarette will do less harm. If we compare a pack of cigarettes per day and at the same time vape smoking, vape wins. Many people smoke shisha 1-2 times a month, and the harm from such smoking cannot be compared with cigarettes.

Vape Instead Of Cigarettes

Replacing smoking cigarettes with vapes is worth it if you can't just quit smoking. The harm is much less; there is no discomfort to others, loved ones will cease to be passive smokers. Do not forget that you also need to know when to stop and not be sore all day in vaping.

Are Shisha And Vaping Addictive?

Lebanese scientists conducted research and concluded: 90% of people who smoke shisha up to 3 times a week and 60% of people who smoke 3 to 6 shishas a week do not have a nicotine addiction. The situation is similar to vaping. In moderate quantities, shishas don’t cause physical dependence while other similar things like cigarettes and vapes cause it.

Psychological dependence is another matter. Holidays with a shisha have become a tradition for many; they smoke everywhere: in a cafe, outdoors, at home. Vapers soar all day long: this goes from a mere hobby to a tradition of filling empty time. If you can't relax or get distracted without smoke, this is the first sign of psychological dependence.