Smoking hookah, also known as waterpipe or shisha has gained popularity in recent years as a social activity, but its health risks have raised concerns among public health experts. Some argue that smoking hookah maybe worse than cigarettes in certain aspects.
While both forms of smoking involve inhaling harmful substances, hookah sessions often last longer, leading to increased exposure to toxins and potentially more serious health consequences. However, the comparison between hookah and cigarettes are complex and depend on various factors, including frequency and duration of use, so a definitive answer to which is worse may vary for different individuals.
So let’s discuss it more deeply with each of the aspects:
In the flavor aspect, most people who already tried them both (hookah and cigarettes) say that hookah has more better taste and aromatic compared to cigarettes. Hookahs have more flavors with various fruits, spice, and more. Hookah also can give you a cool and fresh experience of smoking in hookah, but some people also prefer cigarettes more because they do not like the flavors from the hookah. Cigarettes typically have a more concentrated and direct tobacco flavor, which some smokers prefer for its simplicity and familiarity.
In the smoke thickness aspect, people enjoy smoking hookah because the smoke it produces is thin and gentle. Unlike the heavy smoke from cigarettes or cigars, hookah smoke feels lighter and smoother. This makes the whole experience more enjoyable for many people, and it’s one of the reasons why hookah is so popular as a social activity.
Hookah uses heat to contain the smoke, also, hookahs do not burn tobacco, and not all of hookah have a nicotine because hookah is the difference compared to cigarettes or cigars. It has a long history, originating in Persia, and it’s known for its relaxing and social aspects.
But the question is is smoking hookah worse than smoking cigarettes or cigars? The short answer is yes, hookah contains more nicotine, carbon monoxide, and tar than cigarettes. 60 minutes of hookah session is equivalent to 8 carbon monoxide cigarettes. Hookahs have more amount of nicotine then a single cigarette, because it contains lots of smoke, longer sessions, and much more.
In a typical hookah smoking session, smokers attain up to 1.7 times the nicotine exposure and up to nine times the carbon monoxide exposure as a single cigarette. So, most likely hookah smokers will consume more nicotine compared to smokers who use cigarettes, this is something that you may need to be aware of especially for you who are active users, or people around you who get the smoke especially kids and babies.
So, how to limit those problems in hookah? There are some tips for limiting carbon monoxide, and the nicotine from hookah, you can see our article here: Reducing Carbon Monoxide Exposure in Hookah Smoking Safety Tips and Guidelines and Understanding Nicotine in Hookah: What You Need to Know
