Effects Of Smoking On Your Cardiovascular System
Cigarette smoking is a major preventable cause of premature cardiovascular disease, with the risk particularly high in people with hypertension. Cigarette smoking increases the likelihood of having a heart attack or stroke because it adds to the damage done to the blood vessels by high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels.
Chronic smoking also stiffens the arteries making them less flexible as blood passes through them. As a result the heart has to work harder to move blood through the body in cigarette smokers.
Nicotine, the addictive chemical found in combustible cigarettes and other tobacco products, has been found to acutely increase blood pressure through its effects on the sympathetic nervous system. Therefore all people, especially those who already have hypertension, should quit smoking as soon as possible.
Many people, including cigarette smokers, are unaware that they have high blood pressure because the symptoms are nonspecific and therefore can be attributed to many other medical conditions.
Does Marijuana Lower Or Raise Blood Pressure
To answer this question, we should focus on two of the primary cannabinoids present in cannabis: cannabidiol and tetrahydrocannabinol . Both may exert an influence on blood pressure levels.
Dr. Bonni Goldstein, a medical adviser to Weedmaps and the director of Canna-Centers in Lawndale, California, outlined the potential effects of THC on blood pressure:
THC can affect blood pressure depending on the dose, the route of administration, a person’s experience with THC, and a person’s underlying health. Healthy volunteers that took THC had an increase in heart rate and decrease in blood pressure. In studies where people used THC while lying down, they had elevated blood pressure. When they stood up, their blood pressure dropped and they experienced low blood pressure.
These sudden drops in blood pressure, also known as white outs or green outs, may indeed be linked to cannabis use. Dr. Melanie Bone, a board-certified OB-GYN and cannabis specialist who practices in West Palm Beach, Florida, told Weedmaps that “cannabis may cause a drop in blood pressure on standing known as postural hypotension.” This type of drop in blood pressure is not desirable, as it can cause vertigo and even fainting. So, when we talk about “lowering blood pressure,” we do not necessarily consider that effect beneficial to health.
What Is High Blood Pressure
Each time a persons heart beats, blood is pumped through their circulatory system. Blood pressure is created by the amount of force that this process places on the walls of their arteries and veins. Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, occurs when this pressure is higher than it should be. Hypertension is sometimes referred to as the silent killer because it often does not have any symptoms. When symptoms do occur, it is generally only when hypertension has increased to life-threatening levels.
Hypertension increases a persons risk of cardiovascular disease, heart attack, and stroke. Poor diet, physical inactivity, obesity, poor diet, stress, tobacco, and alcohol use all can be factors that can increase the risk of developing hypertension.
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Weed And Blood Pressure Medication
You might also be wondering, what if youre smoking weed while taking blood pressure medication? Will there be an adverse reaction? If you are smoking THC-rich cannabis and taking medication for high blood pressure, the answer is that there could be.
Goldstein explained, Smoking cannabis can be harmful for those with heart disease or hypertension since the smoke contains carbon monoxide. This gas binds to the hemoglobin in red blood cells, displacing oxygen off of the red blood cells which results in less oxygen going to the bodys tissues, including the heart. People with heart disease or high blood pressure should avoid smoking.
Instead, Goldstein recommends other methods of cannabis use, such as sublingual tinctures or edibles, which she says are safe to use if someone is on blood pressure medication. Further, Bone stressed that people who use cannabis and are on blood pressure medications need to be mindful of the possibility of an interaction with other prescription medications. This means monitoring blood pressure and reporting any dizziness to your doctor, who can adjust your dosages accordingly.
Nicotine Causes High Blood Pressure
Hypertension is high blood pressure. The known causes are high cholesterol, obesity, chronic stress and cigarette smoking. High blood pressure increases the workload on the heart and the left ventricle gradually enlarges. When this happens the increase in size of the heart muscle means the heart requires more oxygen. When the extra oxygen required by the heart is not delivered the heart muscle suffers from starvation and over time this can lead to infarction.
Heart AttackMyocardial Infarction is the medical term for a heart attack. Myocardial = heart, Infarction=dead tissue. .
With hypertension comes increased stress on the walls of the blood vessels throughout the body which increases the risk of aneurysms, heart attack and strokes. Quite often the vessels most affected are those supplying the retinas of the eye the result of which is disturbed vision.
Treatment must first and foremost include lifestyle changes quit smoking if you smoke, lose weight if you are obese and try to remove stress factors from your life if you are stressed. Regular exercise and restricting salt, fats and calories will improve circulation.
Medication
If you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure, antihypertensive drugs will probably be prescribed such as calcium channel blockers, beta blockers, diuretics and vasodilators.
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What Are The Cardiovascular Effects Of Cannabis
Another frequently asked question about cannabis and cardiovascular health is: can weed cause a heart attack?
First, let’s again distinguish between the cannabinoids THC and CBD. For example, CBD oils containing trace levels of THC may have very different effects than smoking a high-THC strain of marijuana. Various studies have indicated that THC may have detrimental effects on cardiovascular health, whereas CBD could be helpful to the heart.
Goldstein added, “CBD does not appear to have the same risks for the heart as THC and in fact, appears to be somewhat cardioprotective.” To support this assertion, Goldstein cited a 2010 study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology in which researchers concluded that CBD has therapeutic potential in treating complications of diabetes, as well as some cardiovascular disorders. Most notably, CBD could reduce inflammation, a condition that can ultimately damage the blood vessels, arteries, and vital organs. So, if you apply CBD oil to your skin or swallow a few tablespoons, the impact could differ greatly than if you smoked a blunt.
To this point, there is some research that suggests smoking THC could directly or indirectly lead to a heart attack. One 2019 study titled “The Cardiovascular Effects of Marijuana: Are the Potential Adverse Effects Worth the High?” and published in the Journal of the Missouri State Medical Association showed that some people experienced a heart attack within an hour of smoking cannabis.
Smoking Damages The Heart And Blood Vessels
The heart relies on a generous supply of oxygen and nutrients from the coronary arteries and their branches. Over the time, fatty deposits can build up inside one or more of the coronary arteries . This narrowing of the arteries reduces the flow of blood to the heart and increases the risk of heart attack. Smoking speeds up the clogging and narrowing of coronary arteries.
A heart attack occurs when a blood clot forms at a narrowed point in a coronary artery and suddenly blocks the flow of blood to the heart. If the artery remains blocked, the lack of blood supply permanently damages the area of heart muscle supplied by that artery. The severity of the heart attack depends on how much heart muscle is permanently damaged.
Smoking also damages other blood vessels. This peripheral arterial disease can reduce blood circulation, particularly to your hands and feet, and result in blood clots, gangrene and even amputation.
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The Effects Of Smoking Does Smoking Affect Your Blood Pressure And Heart Rate
I know, I know constantly harping about the repercussions of smoking is becoming a bit tedious already. After all, youre here to learn whether or not e-cigarettes can help you quit smoking, and not read why smoking is bad for you.
Well, tough luck.
In order to quit smoking, you first need to learn exactly why are cigarettes ruining your life. Dont worry, Ill be approaching this one with a bit of a twist. Well run down all the obvious ways in which smoking is bad for your health, but, what I want to really focus on, is how smoking affects your heart and blood pressure.
Why?
Because most smokers die of heart illnesses caused, in some cases, by chronic hypertension . High blood pressure is a sneaky killer, damaging your heart and blood vessels slowly and silently, until both are so weak that somethings got to give at one point.
What Are The Possible Side Effects
Medicines affect everyone differently. Not everyone will have the same side effects from a certain medicine.
Antihypertensive medicines might make you feel dizzy when you stand up. They also might lower the levels of potassium in your blood. You may have trouble sleeping or feel tired during the day. You might have a cough, dry mouth, and headaches. You may feel bloated, constipated, or depressed. Some antihypertensive medicines can cause men to have erection problems.
Talk with your doctor about any side effects you notice. If one medicine does not work for you or if it causes side effects, you can try another medicine. Let your doctor help you find the right medicine for you.
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A New Generation Is Getting Hooked On Nicotine
Among youth, e-cigarettes are more popular than any traditional tobacco product. In 2015, the U.S. surgeon general reported that e-cigarette use among high school students had increased by 900%, and 40% of young e-cigarette users had never smoked regular tobacco.
According to Blaha, there are three reasons e-cigarettes may be particularly enticing to young people. First, many teens believe that vaping is less harmful than smoking. Second, e-cigarettes have a lower per-use cost than traditional cigarettes. Finally, vape cartridges are often formulated with flavorings such as apple pie and watermelon that appeal to younger users.
Both youths and adults find the lack of smoke appealing. With no smell, e-cigarettes reduce the stigma of smoking.
What I find most concerning about the rise of vaping is that people who wouldve never smoked otherwise, especially youth, are taking up the habit, says Blaha. Its one thing if you convert from cigarette smoking to vaping. Its quite another thing to start up nicotine use with vaping. And, it often leads to using traditional tobacco products down the road.
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Next Steps For Vapers With High Blood Pressure
The best and most effective way to lower the health risks associated with vaping, including high blood pressure, is to stop smoking or vaping nicotine containing e-liquids. Ingesting nicotine is one of the most dangerous things you can do to your heart and heart disease leads to over half a million deaths a year.
If you are unable or unwilling to break your nic addiction altogether, you may want to choose lower nicotine level juice. Most vapers dont need more than 20-25 mg of nicotine a day to stave off the effects of withdrawal, and that can be slowly stepped down over time to ease off of the effects.
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What Do The Numbers Mean
Blood pressure is measured by two numbers. The first number is called the systolic pressure . This is your blood pressure when your heart is squeezing blood out. The second number is called the diastolic pressure . This is the pressure between heartbeats when your heart is filling with blood.
Normal blood pressure is less than 130 over 85 . High blood pressure is 140 over 90 mm Hg or higher. If your blood pressure is between 120 over 80 mm Hg and 140 over 90 mm Hg, you have something called prehypertension
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 dont 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.
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Is Vaping Safe For High Blood Pressure What Are The Health Risks
Cigarettes Vs Vaping
Many people want to quit smoking. If you have thought about trying to kick a smoking habit, youre not alone. Nearly 7 of 10 smokers say they want to stop. Quitting smoking is one of the best things you can do for your health smoking harms nearly every organ in your body, including your heart. Nearly one-third of deaths from heart disease are the result of smoking and secondhand smoke.
Research Study
A study from the University of Dundee, published in November 2019 and funded by the British Heart Foundation, suggests that vaping may be less harmful to your blood vessels than smoking cigarettes. Within just one month of switching tobacco for electronic cigarettes, measures of blood vessel health, including blood pressure and stiffness of their arteries, had started to improve. The study looked at 114 people who had smoked at least 15 cigarettes a day for at least two years. This is a relatively small number of people, and the study does not prove that vaping is completely safe.
Professor Jeremy Pearson, Associate Medical Director at the British Heart Foundation, said: This study suggests that vaping may be less harmful to your blood vessels than smoking cigarettes. Within just one month of ditching tobacco for electronic cigarettes, peoples blood vessel health had started to recover.
Despite the some what positive results from this study, there are a host of other health risks involved.
Is Vaping Safe?
Vaping Causes Irreversible Lung Damage
AFib :
Smoking Tobacco Raises Blood Pressure But Does Cannabis Have The Same Effect
High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is a disease that affects 1 in 3 American adults. With this fact in mind, and the number of states who are legalizing recreational and medicinal cannabis, many people are asking what kind of effect that cannabis has on blood pressure. Smoking tobacco raises blood pressure, but does cannabis have the same effect? The answer largely depends on who you ask or which study you find to read.
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Smoking Is Riskier Than Other Methods Of Consumption
When it comes to risky behavior as it applies to high blood pressure, the act of smoking anything may be a major risk factor. Combustion releases dangerous carcinogens that are not healthy. However, the vaporization of cannabis is a viable alternative for those looking to utilize medical marijuana products to help regulate blood pressure. Using a dry herb vaporizer or perhaps another portable vaporizer such as a vape pen along with a cannabis concentrate may be healthier than smoking.
How Long Does Nicotine Stay In Your System
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How long does nicotine last?
Whenever you smoke or chew tobacco, or inhale secondhand smoke from a cigarette, nicotine is absorbed into your bloodstream.
From there, enzymes in your liver break most of the nicotine down to become cotinine. The amount of cotinine will be proportionate to the amount of nicotine you ingested. These substances are eventually eliminated through your kidneys as urine.
Cotinine, nicotines main breakdown product, can usually be detected in your body for up to three months after ingestion. How long it stays in your system will depend on how you ingested the nicotine and how frequently.
Keep reading to learn how long nicotine can be detected in your urine, blood, saliva, and hair.
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How Do You Quit Smoking
Repeat in mind the good reasons to quit smoking – get more energy & easy breath, smoking causes cancer, heart disease, stroke and lung disease, when pregnant quit smoking helps the child get more oxygen.
Symptoms Of A Heart Attack
- Chest pain – in the case of a heart attack, this pain is usually sudden and doesn’t go away.
- Pain that radiates to other areas of the body, particularly the left or right arm, neck, jaw, back or stomach.
- Tightness in the chest – this may feel similar to indigestion, or be more of a ‘heavy’ feeling.
- Feeling light-headed, short of breath, sick and sweaty.
If you experience symptoms of a heart attack it is crucial that you seek urgent medical attention – if in the UK by calling 999. Whilst waiting for paramedics, sit down and try to stay as calm as possible. If you are able to, take 300 mg aspirin.
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