Actual Smoking Causes High Blood Pressure
- Is It Fact?

Why not decide for yourself if smoking causes high blood pressure.

You may not know what caused your particular case of high blood pressure if you suffer from it, but if you know of the “causes” in general, then you can either avoid them or eliminate them and in some cases, rectify the damage.

If you smoke or have ever smoked, you already know the calming effect a cigarette has on you. The longer you go without one, the more relaxing and calming the effect, but like any stimulant, the nicotine can also increase anxiety, one of many smoking symptoms. If this sounds contradictory, I can assure you, it isn`t.

When you smoke regularly you become dependant or addicted to the nicotine. The relaxed feeling you experience is the nicotine acting as a stimulant, improving mood and alertness. Stimulation also causes you to be anxious and hyped up, but when the nicotine is restricted, you experience negative reactions and a craving because you have become dependant on the chemical as well as the physical and psychological stimulation.

But consider this! They agree that smoking increases the risk of heart and blood vessel diseases, so why not high blood pressure?

The reason I find this quite disturbing is that smoking is known to cause free radical damage to artery, vein and capillary walls, a main factor known to contribute to atherosclerosis (hardening of the artery walls); a link to the formation of heart and blood vessel disease. Are they not missing something here? Does this not stand to reason why it looks as if smoking causes high blood pressure?

Damage to the Arteries

When hardening of the arteries develops, flexibility is lost. Damage incurs, so the body tries to repair it from underneath the artery wall. This can cause a protective casing or scab to form, and if there is repeated stress on the vessel walls, scaring eventually will occur, one of the main and real causes of blockage that constricts blood flow. In turn the heart will need to pump harder and blood pressure can rise. The pressure of the blood can cause further damage to the blood vessel walls and the whole scenario escalates. So other research studies are telling us there is a high chance smoking causes high blood pressure.

What do you think?

The American Heart Association reports that a smoker`s risk of heart attack is twice that of a non-smoker, and that if you stop smoking the damage can be repaired. They also report that smoking damages the linings of blood vessels. Hmmm? Now ask yourself, why?

Are there research results showing, that passive smoking causes high blood pressure?

Again studies have pointed to the dangers of passive smoking on our children.

As with direct smoking, passive smoking also can damage and constrict their blood vessels. That knowledge alone should prompt anyone to stop or never to take up the habit. If there is a chance that smoking causes high blood pressure then I am sure most of us would not take that chance and inflict it upon others.

You can understand why many of the worlds governments are now restricting or putting outright bans on public smoking?

If you are trying to stop the habit but found it difficult, Quit Smoking is packed with information on how to succeed.

I have often heard family and colleagues say that they have smoked for a long time, and so have asked the question,”If smoking causes high blood pressure or any other disease for that matter, like cancer, then why have I not become ill?” Here is one answer that could be the reason.

Organs such as the heart, kidneys and brain have a resilience to stress, and can continue working under harsh treatment or an unhealthy environment for a long time. Nevertheless, as the saying goes, “what the eyes don`t see, the heart doesn`t grieve over”. You may not see or feel that anything is wrong for years even when damage is being done, but eventually those organs will reach failing point. That`s when high blood pressure becomes critical and can cause stroke, kidney failure and heart attack. I say, is it worth the risk?

A study mentioned in the February 2002 issue of the Journal of Hypertension showed that smoking does raise blood pressure. When people stop using tobacco products, their blood pressure falls.

The tests involved 12,417 men divided into different categories. Smokers, previous smokers, and non smokers. Smokers were more susceptible to high blood pressure, whereas there was a decrease in the chances of previous smokers and even less with non-smokers. A strong indicator indeed that there is a great chance that smoking causes high blood pressure.

I stated at the beginning of this article that you should choose for yourself. I am inclined to say yes, I think smoking causes high blood pressure.

I used to smoke years ago but never realised how much damage smoking really does. Apart from possible high blood pressure, who in their right mind wants to inflict injury upon themselves such as cancer or kidney damage.

Our concern should not only be about the pollution of our planet, so prominent in the news today, but also about the pollution of our own bodies.

Gem

More causes of high blood pressure.

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