Happy Valentine’s Day, to you and your loved ones! In most parts of the world, February 14 and the month of February is dedicated to love. It is a wonderful opportunity to remember that we need to take care of our hearts and the hearts of our loved ones and indeed everyone around us.
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The heart pumps blood throughout the body, supplying oxygen and nutrients while removing waste like carbon dioxide. The heart and its surrounding blood vessel are at risk with any amount of tobacco smoking, even when done occasionally. It does not matter whether you smoke one stick or 20 sticks of cigarettes per day, your heart would be at risk. Therefore, a great gift to you and your loved ones this Valentine’s Day would be to quit tobacco smoking and prevent exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke to decrease your risk of heart disease. This would be a great way to celebrate this special day and month!
A Heart Check – Raising Awareness about Cardiovascular Health
Cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of death worldwide, claiming almost 18 million lives per year responsible for 32% of all deaths according to the World Health Organization (WHO) . Tobacco kills over 8 million people each year around the world – with an estimated 1.3 million death as a result to secondhand exposure. All forms of tobacco use are harmful with no safe level of exposure.
Nearly every organ in the body including the heart, blood vessels, lungs, eyes, mouth, reproductive organs, bones, bladder and digestive organs is damaged by tobacco smoking, causing many diseases and complications. Tobacco smoking poses a major risk factor to heart health, and understanding how it damages the heart is crucial.
Smoking causes cardiovascular disease by damaging the blood vessels, promoting the buildup of plaque (atherosclerosis), increasing the formation of clot (thrombosis), triggering oxidative stress and inflammation, and disrupting cholesterol levels. These factors narrow arteries, reduce blood flow, and heighten the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
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Cigarettes contain over 7000 and these chemicals which follow many different routes into the final product. Some chemicals are produced naturally by the plants and others are added in fertilizers and pesticide application; some are produced in chemical reactions during the curing and aging of tobacco as well as the combustion of the product. Chemicals also come from the additive and artificial flavours in the tobacco products while some chemicals are present in the filter, dyes or paper used in wrapping the products.
A Better Heart with Quitting
Research has shown that heart diseases can be prevented if we eat healthy, engage in physical exercises, reduce (I would say avoid) alcohol intake, and quit smoking. What better way to become healthier and spend quality time with your loved ones than to quit smoking. In reality, your body has an amazing ability to heal itself, and it happens soon after your last smoke. In less than half an hour after you quit smoking, your pulse and blood pressure start to drop back to normal and in eight hours, the amount of nicotine and carbon monoxide in your blood is reduced to half. Carbon monoxide is also reduced. In one year of quitting, your risk of heart disease drops by half.
Deciding to quit tobacco use is a major milestone. But staying quit is the longest and most important part of the process because due to the addiction to nicotine. Although, the majority of those who quit tobacco smoking, do so without any help. Nicotine is a highly addictive substance and withdrawal from nicotine can be uncomfortable and you may need to seek professional help. Read my blogpost on what kind of help you can get.
Here are a few tips to help you quit and stay quit
- Get ready – Reflect on the reasons for quitting tobacco smoking, choose a set date and make all necessary changes to your environment to remove cues like ash trays and anything that easily reminds you of when you smoke
- Get support – Research shows a better chance of being successful at quitting smoking if friends, family and loved ones are involved because, their support can make a huge difference
- Adopt healthy alternatives – change your routine, try to distract yourself from the urge to smoke by trying exercises, reading or writing. You can also journal your quit journey
- Celebrate Milestones – acknowledge and celebrate each day, week and month you remain tobacco free.
Conclusion
Taking care of your heart is one of the most loving things you can do for yourself and your loved ones. Making informed decisions like quitting tobacco use can be a life saver but will also contribute immensely to giving you and your loved ones a better quality of life. Together, let’s commit to protecting our hearts and fostering a tobacco and nicotine-free world, so we can all live longer and healthier lives.
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