If you have a heart, say no to tobacco!
Tobacco harms practically all of the body’s organs and is a key risk factor for heart disease!
Smoking can impact all aspects of the cardiovascular system, including the heart, blood, and blood vessels. I know from my experience over the years that about 25% of the patients who seek treatment from me for heart conditions smoke.
𝐈𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐦𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞?
Of course there is! Smoking definitely contributes to heart disease. The majority of smokers experience heart attacks.
Some claim that the only people at risk for heart attacks or strokes are those who are classified as heavy smokers. Although this is the case, did you know that smoking even 1 or 2 cigarettes a day might result in heart attacks?
Young smokers are on the rise, which unfortunately brings more cardiac patients between the ages of 20 and 25 to the cardiology unit.
𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭?
The harmful mix of more than 7,000 chemicals in cigarette smoke, including nicotine and carbon monoxide, can interfere with vital bodily functions when inhaled.
When you breathe, your lungs absorb oxygen and pass it on to your heart, which then pumps this oxygen-rich blood to the rest of your body through the blood arteries. However, when the blood that is circulated to the rest of the body picks up the toxins in cigarette smoke when you breathe it in, your heart and blood arteries are harmed by these substances, which could result in cardiovascular diseases.
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐦𝐨𝐤𝐞 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭?
❖ Atherosclerosis (Building up of cholesterol deposits in the coronary artery)
Endothelium dysfunction leads to atherosclerosis. The inner layer of coronary arteries or the arterial wall of the heart both function improperly and contribute to artery constriction when you smoke cigarettes. As a result, the endothelium-cell barrier that separates the arteries is breached, allowing cholesterol plaque to build up. It’s crucial to realize that smoking increases the risk of endothelial dysfunction in even those who have normal cholesterol levels.
❖ Heart Attacks
The plaque accumulated in the arteries can burst as a result of continued smoking or other factors like emotional stress or strenuous exercises. Heart attacks occur when these plaque rupture and turn into clots.
❖ Coronary artery spasm
Did you know you can experience a spasm immediately after a puff of smoke?
A brief tightening or constriction of the muscles in the wall of an artery that supplies blood to the heart is referred to as a coronary artery spasm. Part of the heart’s blood flow can be impeded or reduced by a spasm. A prolonged spasm can cause chest pain and possibly a heart attack.
People who usually experience coronary artery spasms don’t have typical heart disease risk factors like high cholesterol or high blood pressure. However, they are frequent smokers.
❖ Arrhythmia
An erratic or irregular heartbeat is known as an arrhythmia. The scarring of the heart muscle caused by smoking can cause a fast or irregular heartbeat.
Additionally, nicotine can cause arrhythmia by speeding up the heart rate.
𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐨 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐬𝐦𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠!
Did you know the positive impacts start to show as soon as you stop smoking?
After 20 minutes of quitting smoking, your heart rate begins to slow down. In just 12 hours after quitting, the level of carbon monoxide in your blood returns to normal, allowing more oxygen to reach your heart and other vital organs. 12 to 24 hours after you stop smoking, blood pressure levels return to normal. Your risk of developing coronary heart disease decreases by 50% after one year of no smoking.𝗦𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝘁 𝘂𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲, 𝗼𝗻 “𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗡𝗼 – 𝗧𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼 𝗗𝗮𝘆”, 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁 & 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗯𝘆 𝘀𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗼 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼!
