Why does smoking cause an increase in blood pressure?
When you have high blood pressure, all doctors advise you to stop smoking, but why does smoking cause high blood pressure? Today, I'll discuss this issue with the big men for reference purposes only.
According to studies, smoking a cigarette raises the heart rate by 5-20 beats per minute and the systolic blood pressure by 10-25mmhg. This is because nicotine (nicotine) in cigarettes stimulates the central and sympathetic nervous systems, causing the heart rate to increase. It also stimulates the adrenal gland, causing it to release a high quantity of catecholamines, constrict arterioles, and raise blood pressure.
Furthermore, nicotine activates chemical receptors in blood arteries, causing blood pressure to increase automatically.
Long-term heavy smoking promotes massive atherosclerosis, progressively thickening the intima of tiny arteries and ultimately hardening the whole blood vessel.
Simultaneously, the increased carbon monoxide and hemoglobin content in smokers' blood reduces the oxygen content of blood, typifies the artery intima, increases the oxygen content of lipid in the arterial wall, and accelerates the formation of atherosclerosis.
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As a result, stopping smoking can help prevent hypertension in people who do not have it, and quitting smoking can help people who do have it.
This is why smoking can cause high blood pressure.