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What Smoking Does to Your Heart
Smoking is not just bad for your lungs, the chemicals in cigarettes, especially the nicotine, can do damage to the heart and blood vesicles as well. Here is what smoking does to your heart and circulatory system, as well as some of the heart related diseases connected with smoking:
The Chemicals in Cigarette Smoke Damages the Walls of the Arteries
Carbon Monoxide, the toxin in cigarette smoke, and nicotine, the addictive toxin found in cigarettes, NRT such as the patch, chewing tobacco and electronic cigarettes, damages the walls of the arteries. This causes the walls of the arteries to thicken and both plaque and fatty deposits to adhere to the lining. This in turn makes it harder for the heart to pump blood around the body.
Nicotine makes the Heart Work Harder
Nicotine raises blood pressure, increases heart rate, narrows the arteries and decreases blood flow. This makes the body need more oxygen to do the same tasks.
Carbon Monoxide Decreases the Amount of Available Oxygen in the Blood
Just when the body is in need of this extra oxygen, the same cigarette smoke that is providing the nicotine is reducing the available oxygen to the system by displacing it with carbon monoxide. Talk about a double whammy to the heart.
Smoking Changes Blood Chemistry
Not only does carbon monoxide hitch a ride where oxygen should be, the other chemicals raise cholesterol and triglyceride levels. The good cholesterol goes down, and the bad goes up. The chemicals also affect heart rhythm and clotting factors as well.
Heart Attack and Other Diseases are Directly Linked to Smoking
Because nicotine, carbon monoxide and a host of other chemicals are playing havoc on the system, smokers open themselves up for a host of heart related diseases and symptoms. Some of these are sudden death, heart attack, stroke, angina, aneurysm, circulatory disease and high blood pressure.
If you need help quitting, there are sources available. Develop a plan with your doctor that addresses the social, emotional and physical reasons you smoke and you could be well on your way to non-smoker status.
Resources:
http://www.upmc.com/HealthAtoZ/patienteducation/Documents/SmokingYourHea...
http://www.webmd.com/smoking-cessation/quit-smoking-heart
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