Cigarette smoking not only damages your body over the long term, its negative consequences begin as soon as you smoke your first cigarette. The chemicals created when cigarette smoke is burned enter the bloodstream through the lungs with your first inhalation and have an immediate impact on your brain and respiratory, cardiovascular, metabolic and central nervous systems.
Brain
The nicotine in cigarettes affects one of the brain’s chemical messengers called dopamine, which triggers the brain’s pleasure pathways, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. This interaction with dopamine occurs with the first inhalation of cigarette smoke and begins to build a psychological and physical addiction, making people crave another cigarette to achieve the same sensations of pleasure.
Respiratory System
Girlshealth.gov says smokers have problems breathing and exercising because the chemicals in cigarette smoke harm the lungs. Cigarette smoke contains chemicals such as carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, tar and cyanide. Each enters your lungs as soon as you smoke your first cigarette, restricting the amount of oxygen available to your body. Tiny airways in the lungs spasm as they search for oxygen, causing you to wheeze and cough. Cigarette smoke irritates your throat, causing your body to produce mucous to try to sooth it, which leads to further coughing.
Cardiovascular System
The cardiovascular system includes the heart and the system of veins and arteries that carry blood through the body. A balance of good and bad fats exists in the bloodstream, helping ensure your body stays healthy. According to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, nicotine immediately interacts with these fat levels, causing an increase in bad fats and decreasing the levels of good fats. This imbalance can eventually lead to cardiovascular disease, increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Metabolic System
The metabolic system breaks down materials such as food and medicine and makes them accessible to the body’s cells. Oxidants are a natural byproduct of the metabolic process. They are harmful because they damage cells, but are kept in check by antioxidants such as vitamins A, C and E. The chemicals in cigarette smoke immediately increase the number of oxidants and also decrease the number of antioxidants in the blood, creating an imbalance that can damage cells and lead to cancer and heart disease.
Central Nervous System
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, nicotine is readily absorbed into the bloodstream, where it travels to the brain and triggers the release of adrenaline, a hormone that stimulates action in response to a threat, interacting with the central nervous system to increase your blood pressure, breathing rate and heart rate. Overuse of adrenaline leaves you in a perpetually heightened state of awareness and can weaken your heart and circulatory system. Nicotine also triggers the release of glucose, or sugar, into the bloodstream but stops the release of the hormone insulin that removes sugar from the body. This simulates the problems that diabetics face of having too much sugar in the blood and no way to remove it.
