Hypertension & Smoking

Cigarettes are smoked by over 1 billion people nearly 20% of the world population in 2014 and Smoking causes 1 in 5 deaths annually.

Are you a smoker? Smoking raises your heart rate and blood pressure, even leads to hypertension. You should plan to quit smoking to protect yourself against hypertension and heart disease. Learn how to stop smoking?

In the U.S., about 30% of heart disease deaths have linked with cigarette smoking, because smoking is a major cause of atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease, especially in younger people.

Does smoking raise blood pressure?

With the first few puffs of smoke, the blood pressure rises from 10 to 15 % and heart rate rises by about 30 % during the first 10 minutes of smoking.

Toxic chemicals in the tobacco,

1. Constrict blood vessels
2. Decrease oxygen to the heart
3. Increase heart rate
4. Increase blood clotting
5. Increase systemic oxidative stress,
6. Reduce nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability,
7. It causes endothelial dysfunction.

Smoking not only raises blood pressure temporarily, it even increases your risk towards hypertension and other heart diseases.

Smoking, passive/secondary smoking, or chewing tobacco raise your blood pressure immediately but temporarily. Additionally, nicotine can damage the artery walls lining; this narrowed your arteries, plaque formation, and permanent increase in your blood pressure.

As the plaque builds up, thus, the heart has to work harder to pump blood, and this might lead to a heart attack or stroke.

What do you feel when you quit smoking?

When you quit smoking, you may have some short-term side effects such as craving for cigarettes, irritability, feel hungry, cough often, headaches, unable to concentrate.

These smoking withdrawal effects are due to nicotine; your body practiced to it. Nicotine is an addicting agent present in cigarettes. You will experience these smoking withdrawal symptoms within the first few days of quitting; don’t lose heart, you must be patient and stay in control.

Do not consider these as side effects; it shows that your body has started healing and getting used to being without cigarettes. Smoking withdrawal symptoms are only temporary, which are stronger at the beginning but go away within 25 days.

Quit smoking benefits

Quit smoking does not only lower your blood pressure, but it also has numerous other benefits they are:

1. Reduce your risk of disease (such as heart disease, heart attack, lung cancer, throat cancer, emphysema, ulcers, and gum disease).
2. Feel healthier, fewer sore throats, increase stamina, and will not cough as much.
3. Your look improves; lessen face wrinkles, get rid of teeth strain, and your skin starts glowing.
4. Your tongue bud and nose sensors get a rebirth, sense of taste, and smell sense improvement.
5. Saves you lot of money,
6. Prolong your life; enjoy a new life with your loved once, fulfill your responsibilities.

How quickly can you expect beneficial effects of quit smoking?

Are you a smoker! There is good news, your body is quite resilient when you quit the tobacco habit, and then your risk towards life-threatening conditions begins to go away.

When you quit smoking,

1. Within 20 minutes, heart rate and blood pressure drop.
2. Within 12 hours, the carbon monoxide level in the blood back to normal.
3. Between 2 weeks to 3 months, blood circulation improves.
4. Within one year, heart disease risk is 50 % lower than the smoker.
5. Within 2 to 5 years, stroke risk is the same as a nonsmoker’s.

How do you quit smoking?

Repeat in mind the good reasons to quit smoking - get more energy & easy breath, smoking cause’s cancer, heart disease, stroke and lung disease, when pregnant quit smoking helps the child get more oxygen.

1. Prepare to quit - fix a date and throughout cigarettes and ashtrays from home, car, and place of work.
2. Get medication if needed - can use nicotine gum, the nicotine patch, or the nicotine lozenge available in medication stores. Ask the doctor about other medicines that can help - Nicotine nasal spray, Nicotine inhaler, Bupropion SR pills, and Varenicline pills.
3. Request Help - Tell the family, friends, and people at work that you are going to quit. Ask for their support by not smoking in front of you or offering smoke.
4. Be positive - should be confident on you, your ability and will have to quit smoking permanently.