What danger awaits us from hookah poisoning?

More and more people are replacing cigarettes with other smoking devices. One of these devices was the hookah. Not everyone is able to comply with the norm in receiving pleasure. “I smoked a hookah. What to do?" - This is a common question from smokers who do not know when to stop and are not aware of the dangers of consuming hookah smoke. This question is asked very often and interests many people. Those who chose this alternative to cigarettes and others who did it just to be in trend. Both are interested in what to do in case of a smoke overdose, how to cope with deterioration in well-being.

Why do you get a headache after smoking a hookah?

The ill health of a smoke lover while smoking nargile is often called a hookah hangover. In order to understand why it occurs, it is necessary to better understand the influence of hookah on a person.

So, the smoker takes a puff, the smoke passes through the liquid filter. After such cleansing it becomes softer. Therefore, it is much easier to inhale it.

This smoke penetrates the lungs much lower than regular cigarette smoke. Therefore, a much larger amount of harmful nicotine tar enters the human body. They provoke poisoning.

Moreover, some smokers like to add alcohol to the flask. This is done to achieve greater relaxation.

With such smoking, alcohol vapors penetrate into a person’s blood and contribute to alcohol poisoning, which will cause negative consequences: a headache will begin, the pulse will increase, general weakness will appear, movement coordination will be impaired, etc.

This type of poisoning occurs mostly among beginners in hookah smoking. The result is a hookah hangover in the morning.

Among the reasons why you get a headache after hookah, you can also note:

• smoking shisha on an empty stomach;
• dehydration;
• low quality coal and tobacco;
• intense puffs.

We’ll look at the reasons why you feel nauseous and have a headache after hookah a little later.

The effect of hookah on the body and health

A hookah is a classic device for smoking tobacco and various mixtures, which is a container with a special bowl, two tubes (one is intended for inhaling smoke, the second connects the chilim and the water vessel) and the so-called shaft.

The device was invented in ancient India, but quickly spread to most countries of the Muslim world. In Europe, hookah gained popularity in the 19th century; in the countries of the former USSR, the system began to be used en masse at the beginning of the 21st century.

Despite the popular public opinion that smoking with a hookah is more harmless than classic cigarettes, since the smoke is filtered by water and cooled, modern medical research shows the inconsistency of this myth - this process is quite dangerous to health.

The most known negative consequences:

• Severe saturation of the lungs with carbon monoxide;
• The presence in the smoke of a fairly large amount of harmful substances even after filtration, including nicotine, cotinine, tobacco nitrosamines, residual forms of decomposition of benzenes and acroleins;
• The danger of transmitting various infections during joint hookah smoking through one mouthpiece.

Who is prohibited from smoking hookah?

Regardless of whether the smoker’s health worsens or not, there is a certain list of people who are not allowed to smoke shisha. This is due to the fact that nicotine entering the body harms the heart and lungs of the smoker.

Therefore, hypertensive patients (people with high blood pressure) and those with arrhythmia or other heart diseases are not allowed to smoke narghile.

The list of people for whom hookah is prohibited can be supplemented by those who have the following diseases:

• thrombosis;
• thrombophlebitis;
• respiratory tract diseases: tuberculosis, asthma, etc.;
• hepatitis;
• and even the usual flu and acute respiratory infections. Because there is a risk of infection among smokers in the company.

It has been said more than once that it is recommended that pregnant women and those who are allergic to tobacco or its components avoid smoking hookah.

Smoking while taking a course of antibiotics

During the course of antibiotics, it is advisable to refrain from both smoking regular cigarettes and using hookahs. In any case, smoke inhaled into the lungs irritates the mucous membranes, worsens the immune system in the long term, and can also contain various harmful substances - from nicotine and carbon monoxide to heavy metal salts.

The only exception to this rule is local antibacterial therapy, for example, treatment of candidiasis or other measures of a similar spectrum, when the drug affects the body locally and not systemically.

The main symptoms of a hookah hangover

Often, a hookah hangover is accompanied by symptoms such as:

• Headache. The smoker feels pulsating movements in the temples. It is difficult for him to speak and he has no desire to move.
• The perception of sounds and colors changes: the light seems very bright and is irritating.
• A complete deterioration in health. You begin to feel nauseous and feel a sharp headache accompanied by dizziness. There is tachycardia - difficulty breathing.

If tachycardia or shortness of breath occurs, it is better to seek help from a doctor.

What is a hookah hangover?

A hookah hangover or hookah disease is a common consequence of a lack of oxygen and an excess of carbon dioxide in the blood, which were caused by improper hookah smoking. Separately, it is worth noting that its symptoms differ in nature and origin: a decrease in the concentration of oxygen in the blood leads to oxygen starvation, which, in turn, depresses the central nervous system - that’s why hookah makes you feel dizzy. Most often, hookah disease manifests itself in migraines and nausea, but a whole bunch of symptoms can appear, their full list is given below:

• Sharp headache radiating to the back of the head. Sometimes there is a throbbing headache.
• Pronounced photophobia, rarely - noise phobia.
• Confusion
• Sluggish speech
• Severe dizziness
• Nausea
• Cardiopalmus
• Distortion of perception
• Loss of orientation in space

Causes of headaches from hookah

The feeling of pain in the head is a leading indicator of hookah poisoning. Why it might occur. Let's look at the most popular reasons.

Newbie

Most often, newcomers to the hookah business do not understand how to smoke a hookah correctly. They take intense and deep puffs. The body is very quickly saturated with nicotine. The headache in this situation is only a consequence of poisoning.

Smoking on an empty stomach

Nicotine and smoke affect brain cells. If the brain does not have enough nutrients, then the smoker gets a headache. Therefore, before smoking narghile, you must eat.

Dehydration

Hookah smoke also affects the condition of blood vessels and the speed of blood circulation. The blood vessels narrow and the blood moves more slowly. It is important to take care of the amount of fluid in the body. It is recommended to drink tea (preferably green) or plain water during a nargile session.

Bad coal

When smoldering, low-quality coal will emit significant amounts of carbon monoxide and chemicals that, if ingested by a smoker, can cause headaches.

Room

It is extremely important that the hookah session takes place in a well-ventilated room. Otherwise, the smoke concentration will be too high. Such smoking will lead to hookah intoxication.

Tobacco

Using poor quality tobacco will also lead to negative consequences. Moreover, even improper packing of tobacco can cause headaches.

When tobacco burns in a bowl, it releases large amounts of carbon monoxide. The result is that the smoker experiences oxygen starvation. It provokes headaches.

Long and frequent puffs and headaches

The smoking technique itself affects the well-being of the hookah smoker. The “over-smoking” condition is inseparable from a headache and appears with intense and long puffs. As a result, nicotine accumulates in the body very quickly and hookah intoxication appears.

Interesting read:
How to smoke hookah correctly

Treatment of hookah poisoning

Any intoxication, especially chemical intoxication, causes significant harm to the body. Therefore, it is impossible to get rid of it with simple first aid; complex therapy is needed in a hospital setting, the complex and duration are determined by the doctor.

• A course of injection of a substance that absorbs carbon monoxide in the body, for example “Unitiol”;
• Nourishing the body, restoring vitality, blocking seizures with vitamin droppers with glucose;
• Saturating the body with oxygen, raising its high pressure with a special barometer (hyperbaric oxygenation);
• A course of respiratory inhalation through an oxygen mask, tube and other devices that provide a free flow of clean air into the lungs;
• Treatment of consequences, infectious diseases, if they are detected.

To restore vitality, complex therapy is needed, the duration and method of which is determined by the doctor.

Treatment of acute cardiovascular failure resulting from carbon monoxide poisoning requires drip administration of blood substitutes (adrenaline, norepinephrine, cardiac glycosides, mesaton, corticosteroid hormones). Saturation of the body with oxygen is carried out through hyperbaric oxygenation. Antibiotics are prescribed when an infection is diagnosed.

What to do if you have a headache after smoking a hookah?

What to do if you still get a headache from hookah? After all, ignoring a bad state can even lead to loss of consciousness. So, if you feel a headache, you need to:

• Provide fresh air: open the window, go outside. This will prevent vomiting. If vomiting begins, you need to rinse your stomach and then drink tea. It is better with lemon, as vitamin C thins the blood.
• Drink weak coffee. This will help dilate the blood vessels and speed up the movement of blood through them.
• Have a snack. It is recommended to eat some food if your head pain occurs due to smoking on an empty stomach. Important: a snack is only possible if the food does not cause vomiting.
• Headache tablets. Medications containing acetylsalicylic acid help relieve spasms. The tablet should be taken with plenty of water.

If a smoker's health worsens, consult a doctor immediately.

Help and treatment

It is better to provide medical assistance in case of such a “hangover” immediately or in the first hours:

1. First, you need to completely stop smoking, ventilate the room, go outside or carry the victim out;
2. Remove excessively warm clothing that causes discomfort from the victim;
3. Place cold objects moistened with water (ice, bandages) on the forehead;
4. Rub your temples, wrists, elbows, and earlobes intensively to improve blood flow;
5. Moisten a cotton swab with ammonia and bring it to the victim’s nose;
6. If the victim has lost consciousness, it is necessary to call an ambulance. If the company has people with medical education, it is necessary to perform artificial respiration and chest compressions on the victim before the doctors arrive.

If the consequences of an overdose are not too strong, their treatment is symptomatic. The competent use of the method of using therapy aimed at weakening and eliminating adverse manifestations will help to effectively alleviate the condition.

To avoid serious consequences, smoking hookah is not recommended:

• People with chronic diseases, allergies to tobacco components or liquid in the flask;
• Minors;
• Pregnant and lactating women;
• People on a strict diet or during a strict fast.

To avoid serious consequences while smoking, drink more fluids, eat low-fat snacks rich in carbohydrates and vitamins (citrus fruits, apples, bananas). Use only special coal for hookah (coconut, walnut, wood), well lit and evenly laid in small pieces. Do not let it get into tobacco. Do not smoke the same portion of tobacco for a long time. In general, try not to smoke for more than half an hour. And after each smoking session, wash the hookah thoroughly; harmful substances can settle in it, which also negatively affects your health. Choose a well-ventilated area for smoking. It is better not to take long, deep breaths of smoke, but to enjoy alternating, infrequent breaths. In public places for smoking hookahs, you should use individual mouthpieces to protect yourself from contracting any diseases.

Hookah poisoning can be both acute and chronic. Inhaling a smoking mixture for a long time harms the body's systems. This can cause serious health problems, the treatment of which will take a long time and a considerable amount of money. In some cases, an overdose of hookah can even lead to death.

How to prevent hookah headaches

In order not to fight a headache, but to get pleasure from smoking nargile, it is necessary to “think through” a nargile session. So, how to smoke a hookah without getting a headache?

Water balance

As mentioned above, during smoking narghile it is necessary to give the body additional fluid. Therefore, consider having tea or water on the table with your hookah. It is better to avoid drinking alcohol.

Correct filling of the bowl

For comfortable hookah smoking, it is important to take care of:

• quality tobacco;
• good angle;
• competent scoring.

Tobacco must be subject to excise duty in order to exclude an untested product that does not exclude the possibility of poisoning. It is better to use wood or coconut charcoal for narghile. It is natural products that do not cause harm to the body. Moreover, when such coal smolders, it does not emit an unpleasant odor or chemical impregnation. Don't forget to remove ash from burnt coal. This rule will make smoking narghile longer and more comfortable.

The filling must also be correct. Tobacco should not smolder in the bowl and emit large amounts of carbon monoxide. Therefore, it is important to pay special attention to heating the tobacco. It should be uniform. And even if it takes more time, health is more important in any case.

The liquid in the flask is of no small importance. It must be fresh and in sufficient quantity.

Food

To avoid headaches, it is important to eat before smoking. There is no need to eat up “like the last time.” While smoking a hookah, you should also not forget about additional nutrition for the body - fruits are an ideal option for a snack.

Relaxation while smoking

Smoking a hookah should be a pleasure. An event that cannot be rushed. Therefore, it is important to remember to relax and calm during a smoky session. Nervously and convulsively, you can only smoke a cigarette.

Avoiding hookah with alcohol

Hookah and alcohol are not friends or even comrades. You shouldn't try to combine them. Always choose one thing. And your body, and your head in particular, will only thank you.

Don't forget about fresh air. Ventilating the room will only improve the session. And remember, the best thing is in moderation. Excess hookah smoking is unlikely to bring pleasure and benefit, but a hookah hangover will. It is doubtful that such a broken state will be to anyone's taste. And most importantly, take care of your health and always put it above all else.

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Prevention

The best preventive measure is to refuse this entertainment activity. If you decide to “treat” yourself to a hookah, do it exclusively in ventilated areas, and ideally in the fresh air.

For smoking mixtures, you should always choose certified products from reliable suppliers. When using a hookah at home, it is necessary to regularly wash its components.

One smoking session should last no more than 50 minutes. Carbon monoxide should be released from the flask no more than once every 15 minutes. At the slightest suspicion of poisoning, you must immediately stop smoking and take appropriate measures, otherwise the consequences may be unpredictable.

Conclusion

Despite the fact that manufacturers unanimously declare that hookahs are absolutely harmless, it must be remembered that even this alternative to cigarettes is dangerous.

Harmful substances from tobacco, dissolved in the smoking liquid, penetrate deeper and are absorbed by the lungs much faster. Before choosing a form of entertainment such as smoking a hookah, evaluate all the risks to your health. Unfortunately, this “innocent” pleasure can end very badly, causing irreparable harm to the body.

NATALIA ZASYADKO, specially for Evrikak.ru

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Mixing with alcohol

The most common is “mixing” with alcoholic beverages. Often, at any party or just family gatherings, it is customary to drink, to enhance the effect, they resort to a unique method that will help you relax faster - this is a hookah. Some, more experienced ones, decide to add alcohol directly to the hookah, thereby provoking a fun evening. But this is absolutely not true. When used together, intoxication occurs much faster. Both ethyl alcohol and nicotine enter the human bloodstream. Tissue hypoxia occurs many times faster, which causes intoxication and, consequently, poor health.

Helping a person who has smoked a hookah

What to do immediately if a person smoked hookah for a long time and became ill? The sequence of actions should be like this:

• the victim is provided with access to fresh air. To do this, you can open the window and doors to create a draft, or take the victim outside;
• the person is placed comfortably, the head is slightly turned;
• Tight clothes, belts and ties are removed from the patient. If it is impossible to remove, cut it;
• rub the victim’s limbs and whole body to improve blood circulation and bring him to his senses;
• a cotton napkin soaked in cold water is placed on the forehead, you can use an ice pack, only it is first wrapped in a towel;
• if respiratory and cardiac activity are impaired, resuscitation measures are carried out.

The victim should not be pushed too hard. If he partially lacks reflexes, urgently call a resuscitation team.

Before going to the victim for assistance, it is worth taking some of the smoking mixture that he consumed. This will allow laboratory tests to be carried out to prescribe the correct treatment for the patient and prevent similar cases in the future.

Lots of tobacco

Tobacco. When you smoke cigarettes, you have a certain amount of tobacco mixture. When you smoke a hookah, you yourself must calculate the dose you need. Because of this, you can overdo it and create a strong concentration of tobacco and nicotine. Also, you must properly pack the tobacco so that the coal does not burn and even more carbon monoxide does not enter your lungs. An unaccustomed body will immediately begin to push out all harmful components, this manifests itself in nausea and vomiting.

How to avoid feeling bad

Consequences after smoking a hookah are inevitable even for experienced ones. High levels of nicotine and excess carbon dioxide have a very detrimental effect on the smoker's body. There are some rules, following which you can at least alleviate the discomfort:

• before smoking you need to eat;
• During the process, you should absorb more liquid;
• You should not drink alcohol during the session;
• It is recommended to smoke slowly;
• after the process it is necessary to ventilate the room well;
• Low quality coal should be avoided.

The preparation of hookah should be done by a person who knows all the nuances. Technical problems and non-compliance with safety rules can also cause painful symptoms in a smoker.

Bad day? Or an irritated state

An equally important point is considered to be calm. Your irritated state will only ruin the whole evening. Frequent and sharp breaths can cause increased blood pressure and headaches. When smoking a hookah, it is important to remember that, be that as it may, this is smoking, that is, poisoning the body with nicotine and vapors emanating from the hookah, so you need to be extremely careful so that the entertainment does not lead to consequences. Avoid smoking a hookah with booze, use only high-quality tobacco and charcoal, properly “prepare” the hookah for smoking, and do not smoke on an empty stomach. Maintain hookah hygiene so that various bacteria and toxins do not settle in it. If any side effects occur, it will be enough to ventilate the room, drink a strong drink like coffee, or eat a product high in vitamin C. Always remember that if you decide to smoke a hookah, do it wisely. Find out from more experienced people everything you need and don't smoke too often. Do not expose your body to excessive tobacco use. Take care of your health.

Many of you have probably encountered situations where, after smoking a delicious hookah in good company, you suddenly developed a sharp headache.

The phenomenon known as a hookah hangover, hookah sickness or simply a headache is primarily the cause of a bad mood.

But the good news is that it's pretty easy to get rid of, and even easier to avoid.

How to correct the consequences?

As a rule, the consequences are very short-lived. All you need to do is go out into the fresh air, limit your movement, drink coffee or milk, and have a snack with low-fat foods rich in carbohydrates. Vitamin C will be useful, it will relieve the symptoms of oxygen starvation - these are any citrus fruits.

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