Secondary and tertiary education can be the most exciting part of anyone’s academic life. In this period, students are much more immersed in their studies and form opinions and ideas on their topics of interest.
Unfortunately, it is during secondary and tertiary learning periods that many students become curious about (and are exposed to) certain ‘items of curiosity’. Among the many substances in this category are cigarettes.
In this post, we’ll take a look at the relationship between smoking and academic performance, and why quitting is the best course for any secondary and tertiary school student.
The Physiological Impact of Smoking on Cognitive Functions
Nicotine is a relatively harmless but highly addictive substance, and it has a huge impact on the brain. In younger adults and children, nicotine can affect areas in the brain responsible for learning, attention, mood, and impulse control.
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Students who smoke may seemingly feel much more concentrated and focused on their studies after a smoke. However, this perceived improvement is actually the relief from the nicotine withdrawals they feel after a period without smoking.
Rather than getting a ‘boost’ over their non-smoking peers, they’re really just coming back up to the baseline.
Behavioural and Lifestyle Factors
Smoking and academic performance have a poor relationship given that smoking can cause students to pop out for a smoke and miss important information during a class (and even entire classes in some cases).
Young people aged below 25 years old also rapidly form synapses in the brain. These synapses are responsible for building and reinforcing routines.
So, if you throw in anything addictive like smoking, excessive video game playing, exessive drinking, and even long periods of social media scrolling, students will create routines around these activities rather than regular study and practice.
Even if a student just picks smoking among the rest of the other addictive activities, it can be the reason they’re often late to class or lose focus as their withdrawal symptoms start to kick in.
Severe Nicotine Addiction and Concentration
Anything addictive has the potential to cause significant interruptions in the academic life of a student.
Aside from the dangerous health effects of smoking to the organs and the entire body, a student can cause extreme alterations to their internal rewards system, only looking for the ‘high’ nicotine brings each time they take a hit.
Therefore, a smoking student’s best reprieve and solution to improve their concentration is to stop smoking for good. A ciggie may ‘seem’ to alleviate their withdrawal anxieties temporarily, but it really pushes them further into nicotine addiction and significantly affects their academic performance.
Social and Environmental Influences on Academic Performance
Perhaps one of the clearest reasons why most students smoke – even the ones who weren’t interested in the first place – is the social factor of cigarette smoking.
In secondary and tertiary school, most students get coerced into trying new and potentially dangerous activities with the intent to belong with a certain social circle. Substance use is one of these activities.
Moreover, if a student studies with a group who smokes but are not even coerced into trying it, they may become desensitised and curious enough to eventually try it. This is also true for students who frequent bars, pubs, common areas, and other areas where other people are smoking.
Smoking Cessation and Academic Improvement
There’s no doubt that by stopping smoking an unfocused student can improve their academic performance. By ceasing cigarettes, they can bring balance back to their internal rewards system – making academic achievements much more pleasurable than a ciggie.
It’s true that the path towards successfully stopping is quite rocky – students will likely encounter severe withdrawal symptoms, a possible inability to focus, and even physical symptoms like headaches and vomiting. But all of these will fade away after the first few days and weeks.
Once they’ve stopped smoking, it’s highly likely that an ex-smoking student will find that their academic concentration and performance has improved for the best.
Summary
Smoking and academic performance clearly have a negative connotation. The best way to improve any student’s concentration is by stopping smoking as soon as possible and finding pleasure in their academic achievements.
If you need help stopping smoking, you’re in the right place.
Smokefree Clinic gives you access to many medically reviewed and trustworthy resources that can inform and aid you in your path to wellness, so have a look around!
If you’re ready to get started, Smokefree can connect you to friendly Australian healthcare professionals who excel in helping patients quit smoking for good, including via the use of pharmacy NVPs.