I know it tightens up blood vessels, and makes the heart beat faster, but why does it do this? Is it the nicotine?
It is the nicotine, a psychoactive drug, that causes the temporary increase in blood pressure. and the increased heart rate It also raises the amount of oxygen that your heart requires. This is complicated by the fact that the carbon monoxide in the smoke lowers the amount of oxygen in the blood! In turn, this causes less oxygen reaching the parts of the body that really need it, such as your heart, at a time when it is needed most.
The increased blood pressure and heart rate in addition to the decrease in oxygen increases the chance of an arrhythmia (irregular heart beat).
Source(s):
I'm an R.N.
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