Smoking Fact |
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The nicotine in cigarettes is a mood-altering substance which helps cope with stress superficially by providing relaxation at moments of tension - for example, during a difficult business phone call or at a party where you are meeting new people - and seemingly improving concentration when you have a job to get done against the clock. But this is only superficial.
In reality, in body terms, nicotine increases the pulse rate and raises the blood pressure, while the carbon monoxide content of cigarette smoke reduces the levels of oxygen in the blood. Thus the heart has to work harder on less oxygen, and the smoke also accelerates the furring up of the coronary arteries: it is this potentially lethal combination which makes cigarette smoking such a significant cause, or contributory cause, of both heart disease and lung cancer: a high price indeed to pay for temporary apparent respite from stress.
Unfortunately, nicotine is also an addictive substance, and kicking the habit can pose real problems for smokers who decide to do the only sensible thing and give up. It's ironic that while smoking itself sets the physiological processes of stress in motion, giving it up can also be highly stressful.
Really wanting to stop smoking is the best starting-point for doing so, and one of the best ways to convince yourself is to be aware of the frightening statistic that cigarette smoking can actually double your risk of dying from a heart attack - in the case of heavy smokers, possibly at a relatively young age - and that men and women are equally at risk.
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