The Blood Pressure Smoking Connection

Smoking is one of those habits, or addictions, that a lot of people just cannot kick. Not only is smoking bad for your lungs and hard on your wallet, but did you know that it can also contribute to high blood pressure? Many people don’t understand the significance of having high blood pressure, but when you blood pressure is consistently high it can lead to heart attack, stroke, and kidney failure. When you already have high blood pressure one of the worst things that you can do is continue to smoke.

Understanding the Blood Pressure Smoking Connection

Smoking does not actually cause high blood pressure, it’s important to understand this. What smoking does do is cause injuries to the blood vessel walls and accelerates the process of hardening of the arteries. When you have high blood pressure, that too, is damaging the vessels and arteries in the body, which can lead to a variety of health problems. The problem is that most people who have high blood pressure don’t know it, so they don’t know that their body is slowly being broken down to a point of no return.

If you currently smoke, you need to stop. If you don’t smoke, don’t start. If you have high blood pressure you should know that smoking is certainly not an option for you. When you smoke there will be a temporary rise in the blood pressure of 5 to 10 mmHg. This constant increase and then decrease is not healthy for the body. This in and of itself is not necessarily bad, but when you already have blood pressure you don’t need to add to the increase in pressure against the walls of the arteries.

Smoking doesn’t cause high blood pressure, but it can have a helping hand in speeding up the breakdown of the human body. High blood pressure is something to take very seriously. When you have been diagnosed with it, it is your job to do all that you can to stay healthy, and this includes giving up smoking. If you are having a hard time quitting, talk to your doctor. There are not medications that can help you stop smoking without all of the cravings. When you stop smoking you’re not only helping to control your blood pressure, you’re also helping to live a healthier, longer, and more enjoyable life! You’ll have more money in your wallet, too!