Smoking Effects on the Heart

Everyone needs a heart. Not just a heart to be honest, kind and loving, but a heart to keep you alive. The heart is the most vital organ in your body as it pumps round blood to keep you going. Smoking weakens this organ, and is the reason as to why smokers who are between 30 and 40 years old are five times more likely to suffer a heart attack than people who do not smoke.

The link between smoking and heart attacks

There is an undisputed link between smoking and heart attacks which is also potentially a deadly link. Due to heavy smoking, the arteries leading to the heart can become narrowed or blocked. Consequently, the heart does not receive the vital amounts of nutrients and oxygen which are required to keep it stable, causing a heart attack.


What happens if I have a heart attack?

If you are a smoker, there is a much greater risk of having a heart attack. Having a heart attack can be a scary experience, and it is characterised by experiencing these symptoms:

  • A feeling of pressure, discomfort or pain in the chest, arm, or below the breastbone
  • Discomfort in the jaw
  • A choking feeling, similar to heartburn
  • Nausea, sweating, dizziness, anxiety and difficulty breathing
  • Heartbeats that are abnormally slow or fast

If you ever experience any of these symptoms, you must seek medical help immediately as heart attacks can be lethal.

What next?

Surviving a heart attack does not mean that it is all over. Heart attacks can happen more than once, and a heart attack increases the risk of needing heart bypass surgery. That in itself is very risky. If you ever suffer a heart attack, the best thing to do is to stop smoking because it is smoking which increases the risks of having a heart attack.

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