Smoking is a significant health problem in Canada, despite most people being aware of the dangers of the habit. Some 12% of people over 25 smoke cigarettes in Canada, with the problem being worse in males (14%) than females (10%), as well as being more prevalent in older people.
Every time you smoke your blood pressure spikes, while in the long-term it leads to health issues like chronic heart disease or stroke. It’s no wonder that cutting out this dangerous habit is one of the first things to try if you’re struggling with high blood pressure and want to make rapid improvements. Indeed, if you quit smoking it has a bigger impact on your risk of cardiovascular disease than lowering cholesterol within your diet.
Smoking and cardiovascular disease
There’s a strong link between smoking and cardiovascular disease, as people who smoke are up to four times more likely to have a sudden cardiac death than someone who doesn’t. In 2020, over 53,000 Canadians died from heart disease – and by smoking you’re raising your chances of being part of this unwelcome statistic.
Why does smoking leave you at risk of cardiovascular disease? It causes platelets in your blood to clump together, making your cells more “sticky”. Too many instances of this happening can block up your arteries, ultimately leading to a heart attack. It can also cause spasms in coronary arteries, reducing the blood flow to your heart in a way similar to that of atherosclerosis, the build up of fats or cholesterol. It can trigger irregular heartbeats, known as arrhythmias, while it reduces the amount of oxygen that can be carried by red blood cells in the bloodstream.
Heart attack and stroke
Smokers are twice as likely to have a heart attack or stroke and are two times more likely to die from them. This surges further for people who smoke 25 cigarettes a day or more, who are three times as likely to have a heart attack or stroke, and are nearly five times more likely to die of heart disease or stroke.
Smoking puts you at risk by contributing to a buildup of plaque in your arteries, increasing the risk of blood clots, reducing the oxygen in your blood, and making your heart work harder.
Why smoking raises blood pressure
Nicotine and the other chemicals in cigarettes are absorbed into the body rapidly, causing a spike in adrenaline which increases the heart rate and pushes up blood pressure. Indeed, after smoking a cigarette your blood pressure increases for 20 minutes, creating what’s known as an acute hypertensive effect.
Smoking can trigger extra or skipped heartbeats, as well as arterial stiffness, leading to elevated systolic blood pressure, vessel damage, a thickening of the arterial wall and increased deposition of calcium and collagen within vessels, all of which can lead to heart disease, heart attack or stroke.
Why quitting helps – in the short and long-term
Within just 20 minutes of your last cigarette your heart rate and blood pressure drops, while circulation improves in a matter of days. After a few days carbon monoxide levels in your blood return to normal, while after two weeks your circulation and lung function start to improve.
Looking longer-term, if you’re able to remain smoke-free for five years your risk of having a stroke halves. In 10 years your risk of dying from lung cancer is cut in half, while in 15 years your risk of developing coronary heart disease becomes the same as someone who’s never smoked.
There’s almost never a bad time to stop smoking. Even if you already have coronary heart disease, quitting reduces the risk of negative associated events, like heart attacks and death. Similarly if you quit after receiving coronary artery bypass surgery you lower your risk of going back to the hospital.
The challenge of quitting smoking
Smoking is hard to quit because it’s often used as a quick fix from dealing with unpleasant feelings like stress, depression, loneliness and anxiety, so doing so is a substantial mental challenge.
Withdrawal effects can be difficult to deal with, as you can be hit by symptoms including a low mood, a lack of concentration, trouble sleeping and increased appetite. Symptoms commonly start just 30 minutes after your last cigarette, peak two to three days later and can last for several weeks. If you want to quit you may need to plan how you’ll deal with these effects.
If you’re struggling to quit you can take out nicotine replacement therapies and other medical therapies. In Canada smoking cessation aids may be funded by provincial health insurance or private insurance plans.
Monitoring your progress
Whether you’re going cold turkey or slowly reducing your cigarette use, monitoring your improving blood pressure can be an effective motivator.
Aktiia’s continuous monitoring allows you to clearly see how your decision is benefiting your cardiovascular health, reinforcing the importance of not returning to smoking. Sign up for our newsletter for a steady stream of wellness practices that will help you keep your blood pressure in check and live as your strongest self.
Vaping and e-cigarettes
Vaping is less impactful than regular smoking, given that e-cigarettes don’t expose your body to tar and carbon monoxide. However research still links vaping with high blood pressure, while e-cigarette vapour has toxic effects on the cells that line the mouth, nose, lungs and blood vessels.
Vaping is relatively new technology, so evidence is still emerging regarding the effects. However the short-term spike in blood pressure, heart rate, as well as blood pressure constriction – things you associate with cigarette smoking – all happen with e-cigarettes.
Research shows that people who vape benefit less from exercises that protect the body from heart disease. Another study meanwhile links vaping with asthma and chronic lung disease, so it’s not the risk–free solution some purport it to be.
Never use e-cigarettes and regular cigarettes together
Using e-cigarettes and regular cigarettes together is more harmful than smoking either of them alone, according to a US-based study. People who combine cigarettes and vapes – known as ‘dual use’ – are four times more likely to develop lung cancer than those who just smoke. Meanwhile people with lung cancer are eight times more likely to both smoke and vape than those without.
Needless to say, if you’re mixing the two you should stop immediately.
Vaping – an aid to quit smoking?
Given that smoking is worse for you than vaping, the main benefit of using e-cigarettes is as a tool to quit smoking. Indeed, the Government of Canada acknowledges that vaping is “less harmful” and can be an effective way of kicking nicotine addiction.
However the government only advises using vaping as a method to quit if you’ve tried “approved methods”, due it having its own negative health effects, as have been discussed.
Cannabis smoking
Smoking cannabis is more common than tobacco in Canada, as 27% used the drug in 2022, rising to a staggering 50% of 20-24 year olds, a 2022 survey shows. The drug, commonly known as weed, was legalised nationwide in October 2018.
While cannabis is not as carcinogenic as tobacco, it still carries its own dangers.
While nicotine increases blood pressure, cannabis can have the opposite effect, as CBD (cannabidiol) can lower blood pressure to the point where it can cause people to faint. THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) meanwhile, the main psychoactive chemical in cannabis, can increase the heart rate and blood pressure. Different strains of the drug have varying levels of CBD and THC, so the precise effects can vary.
Like with tobacco, smoking cannabis damages blood vessels. Meanwhile it increases your heart rate, making it dangerous for people with heart conditions and leaving you more at risk of a heart attack.
Monitor your blood pressure, while smoking and beyond
If you’re concerned about your blood pressure, or just curious to see how your blood pressure is influenced by your lifestyle, you could wear a wristband to monitor your levels. Continuous monitoring can help you understand how your blood pressure changes throughout the day, rather than relying on a one-off reading when seeing your physician. In addition, understanding what causes your blood pressure to rise can help you avoid spikes and adapt your behaviours to keep levels stable.
If you smoke or vape, using a monitor may encourage you to quit, as most smokers who relapse do so within two weeks of giving up the habit. Having an external tool demonstrating how quitting is improving your blood pressure levels may motivate you to stick it out.
How to quit smoking
In Canada numerous resources are available to help you quit smoking, generally differing by province. A list of the services supplied by provinces and territories are provided by the Canadian government here, while you can access more resources via the Canadian Pharmacists Association.
You can benefit from considerable support, as in British Columbia you can get 12 weeks of free nicotine replacement therapy, such as nicotine gum or patches or lozenges or inhalers, through the B.C. Smoking Cessation Program.
In terms of other examples, Toronto-based CAMH (The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health) provides resources and tools to quit smoking, while Quit4Life is a program designed for young people wanting to quit from Health Canada, so if you seek out help you’ll find it.
Clearly if you’re looking to stop smoking you’re not alone. Even if you fail to quit the first or second time, it’s worth trying again with that added support, so you can reduce your risk of having dangerously high blood pressure, and suffering from severe health problems as a result.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not contain medical advice, and is not a replacement for medical advice. The information in this article is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Talk to a qualified medical professional before making any changes to your health regimen.
Sources:
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