The Effects of Smoking on Your Heart

If you've been under the impression that smoking only affects your lungs, you do need a good reality check. Smoking affects various organs of the body along with your lungs, and even your heart is not spared. Smoking related heart ailments are continuously on the rise, and this is simply because of the detrimental effects that smoking can have on your heart. Read on to find out what smoking can do to your heart.

Decreased Supply of Oxygen:

If you are a habitual smoker, you can be certain that your heart does not receive the amount of oxygen that it would have received sans the habit. This is simply because the transfer of oxygen and carbon-dioxide in the regular breathing process is hampered owing to the inflow of cigarette smoke. This leads to a reduced supply of oxygen to the body, your heart included.

Smoking and Heart Attacks:

Various studies have shown that a smoking habit increases the possibility of a heart attack by a considerable extent, with there being no such thing as a 'safe' number of cigarettes per day. Moreover, research also points to the increasing of this possibility as the habit continues to grow. Understand that if you smoke around 20 cigarettes a day then you would have twice the possibility of suffering from a heart attack as compared to if you do not smoke at all.

Smoking and Cardiovascular Disease:

Smoking is known to lead to atherosclerosis; a condition wherein the arteries witness the build up of fatty substances. This occurs when there is a deterioration in the condition of the arteries' lining, and while the arteries' walls thicken, the plaque and fat deposits work in blocking the blood flow. In cases of coronary artery disorders the arteries responsible for the flow of blood to the heart constrict considerably, thereby reducing the supply of blood that is rich in oxygen.

When the heart experiences extra strain in such scenarios the patient can complain of chest pain (that can be associated with angina pectoris). In the event that even one of these arteries is blocked completely a heart attack could occur. In the event that atherosclerosis has an effect on the arteries responsible for the flow of blood to the legs and arms, it could lead to the onset of peripheral artery disease.

Can Quitting Smoking Undo the Damage?

If you're wondering if the ill effects of smoking on your heart can be undone, do know that there is plenty of hope. A recently carried out study in Sweden suggested that people who are successful in their quitting smoking efforts show an improvement when it comes to the risk factors associated with heart disease, and this includes the lowering of carbon monoxide and cholesterol levels.

So if you have been thinking about quitting smoking, realize that now is as good a time as any. Besides, quitting smoking while you still have a healthy heart should be the obvious way to go.

For Information on the Effects of Smoking Cigarettes:
http://www.quitsmokingplace.com/health-effects-of-smoking.html