If you are aged 65 or older and still smoke, you’re not alone. Close to 10% of your fellow seniors do too.
Smoking may be a long-time habit that’s hard to quit, and you may be unaware of medications and resources to help you. You may also not realize that stopping now can still be beneficial for your health. Quitting, even as an older adult, can help you to not only extend your life but also to age with vitality as you reverse smoking’s damaging effects.
Poor senior health and smoking can go hand in hand. This is because smoking can worsen ailments you may already experience due to growing older.
For example, your risk for high cholesterol increases with age, and smoking can compound the issue. That’s because, even if your LDL (or “bad” cholesterol) is within normal range, smoking can lower your HDL (or “good” cholesterol). When this happens, LDL can build up in your arteries and increase your risk for heart disease.
Aging also raises your risk of cancer due to decreased function of your cells and tissues, and smoking also decreases their function. This can intensify the threat.
Tobacco use is associated with breast, colorectal, esophageal, and especially lung cancer. Up to 90% of lung cancer cases are linked to smoking. This makes the act of quitting vital to ensure optimal lung health for seniors and to help avoid other lung conditions, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and emphysema.
Other less serious, but still concerning, smoking and aging effects include those to your appearance. Smoking robs your skin of oxygen and destroys collagen. This can lead to hair loss, saggy skin, wrinkles around your eyes and mouth, uneven skin tone, and other issues. In short, smoking can make you look older than you are, but it’s not too late to change that.
If you’ve wondered, “Is it too late to quit smoking?,” the answer is no. At any age, you’ll begin to see benefits and reclaim certain aspects of your health almost immediately.
After just 20 minutes of not smoking, you lower your blood pressure and heart rate. Within as little as one year, any coughing and shortness of breath improve, and you reduce your risk for lung disease and a heart attack. Keep going for a few more years, and your chance of getting multiple cancers lowers by half. Even better, you can extend your life.
When you reach age 50, the amount of muscle mass you lose each decade doubles. This condition — known as sarcopenia — may be compounded for smokers since smoking damages muscles. Quitting can not only lower your risk but also allow you to more easily perform strength training that fights sarcopenia. In turn, you’re able to stay active, avoid falls and injuries, and maintain your independence.
Cognitive decline is also an unfortunate, yet natural condition of aging, and it’s also affected by smoking. Yet, research shows that if you quit smoking in midlife, you can slow down the decline of your memory by 20%.
While the earlier you’re able to stop smoking, you’ll see more benefits, you can still enjoy big benefits of quitting smoking at 60 and even 70 and up. Quitting smoking at any point in your life can allow you to extend your life.
For example, if you’re aged 65 and continue to smoke, you may lose six years of your life — up to eight years at age 75. Yet, if you quit smoking, you have a good chance of increasing your life expectancy by one year or more.
Once you’re ready to quit smoking, your first step is to talk to your doctor. They may be able to recommend local resources to help your efforts. They may also be able to put together a plan specific to smoking cessation for older adults and recommend the best nicotine replacement therapy for you.
The CDC reports that the avenues to help you stop smoking are safer than smoking itself. You have choices, and your doctor can guide you to the best one.
Your physician may prescribe a cessation medication — varenicline or bupropion — to help you get started. Some nicotine replacement therapies (NRT) — nasal sprays and inhalers — also require a prescription. Other forms are available over the counter, including nicotine patches, lozenges, or gum. They work by continuing to provide the nicotine that makes smoking so addictive. They deliver a reduced amount to your brain to satisfy the craving at a slower rate and to help you adapt to the change. Plus, these therapies don’t contain the harmful chemicals that cigarettes do.
Still, use of NRT is only recommended for up to four months. While it’s a valuable component of your cessation plan, the best way for seniors to quit smoking requires more.
The best way for seniors to break nicotine dependence is to have a comprehensive plan that focuses on long-term success. These plans outline strategies for coping and identify support options. As you make yours, consider:
If planning seems overwhelming or you want guidance, online resources are available through Smokefree.gov. Answer a few questions, and the site will create a personalized plan for quitting. If you’d like help in person, you can join a smoking cessation program.
The best smoking cessation programs for older adults offer strategies and counseling to help you through the tough times.
The American Lung Association offers the multi-week Freedom From Smoking® program, which includes a personalized plan that focuses on managing stress and being active and has an online community and live support. While this is a paid program, some free resources offer components of it.
For instance, the National Cancer Institute offers LiveHelp, which enables you to chat with information specialists about quitting smoking. You can also find community on Smokefree.gov’s social media pages, SmokefreeUS. Connecting with others who share the same goal can provide motivation and strength.
Other ways you can get support in your mission to break the habit of smoking are:
If you wish to join a support group for older adults quitting smoking, Nicotine Anonymous offers in-person and online meetings. Visit their website to search for events that meet your preferences. You may also check with your hospital, health department, or community center for stop smoking support programs near you.
If you like the idea of meeting face-to-face but can’t find a support group near you, search for a smoking cessation counselor in your area. Medicare Part B will provide coverage for up to eight counseling sessions per year to help you quit smoking.
After you’ve achieved this milestone of healthier aging, you may find yourself motivated to accomplish others that will help you live your best life in retirement. Download our milestones guide to continue your success.
Photo credit: iStock
When you sign up for Wellabe's monthly email newsletter, you'll receive tips to protect your health and financial well-being in retirement.
Wellabe Rewards was created to thank loyal customers. Every action you take with Wellabe Rewards is a step toward improving your well-being and earning points toward rewards.
Wellabe's Critical Illness insurance is supplemental health insurance that helps fill gaps between what's paid by original Medicare and the overall cost of treatments for cancer, heart attacks, strokes, and more.
Wellabe offers life and supplemental health insurance plans to help you prepare for good days and bad. We’ll always be here to empower you to be well — well prepared, well protected, and well loved.
