Smoking causes 443,000 Americans to die each year, according to the American Cancer Society. Most of the deaths are the result of long-term damage to the body that causes heart disease and cancer. Smoking can also kill people who are exercising or have just finished exercising because the nicotine in cigarettes and exercising can both dramatically increase your heart rate and impair your blood's circulation.
Nicotine's Effects
Nicotine is the primary ingredient in tobacco smoke, which contains about 400 other chemicals and compounds, including carbon monoxide and tar, according to "Tobacco Use, Misuse, and Abuse," a chapter in the college textbook "An Invitation to Health." Nicotine is such a fast and potent drug that it reaches the nervous system in about 8 seconds. It makes tobacco addictive because it has many positive effects, including causing weight loss by increasing your metabolism, calming you down when you feel stressed, and improving your mood and memory, according to "How to Quit Smoking," a chapter in "Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease."
However, nicotine also has many negative effects. It causes heart attacks, strokes and high blood pressure by constricting the blood vessels to your heart and brain. It also increases your risk of sudden cardiac arrest by increasing the odds that your heart will beat irregularly. It also increases your heart rate and indirectly increases your risk of cancer by addicting you to cigarettes with carbon monoxide and tar.
Exercise's Effects
Exercise has the opposite effect of nicotine in the long run. It reduces your risk of heart disease by increasing the level of good blood cholesterol in your body and reduces your risk of stroke by lowering your blood pressure. However, you need to increase your heart rate during your exercise to improve your health and cardiovascular fitness. Consequently, the sudden death rate during jogging is seven times higher than the sudden death rate during sedentary activity, writes Ornish. The average person has a resting heart rate of 60 to 75 heartbeats per minute, but your heart rate during exercise should be between 65 and 80 percent of your maximum heart rate, notes exercise expert Dr. Kenneth Cooper. Your maximum heart rate is 220 beats per minute minus your age.
Nicotine and Exercise
The combination of nicotine and exercise can kill. Smoking is bad at any time, but it's a bad idea to smoke 120 or fewer minutes before you begin to exercise, wrote Ornish. Nicotine's effect of constricting your blood vessels can limit the amount of oxygen that reaches your heart. This is particularly dangerous while you're exercising because you need more oxygen. The nicotine-exercise combination can lead to chest pain at minimum and might also cause a fatal heart attack.
After Exercise
The most dangerous time is the period right after you exercise, according to Cooper. At this point, about 60 percent of your blood is "pooled below the waist" and you are at risk of a stroke or heart attack because the blood might not reach your brain or heart. You can improve your blood circulation by reducing your heart rate gradually. Cooper recommends walking slowly rather than stopping abruptly. However, nicotine's impact on your heart rate and blood circulation can make the post-exercise period even more dangerous.
References
- American Cancer Society: Cancer Prevention Facts & Figures 2009
- "An Invitation to Health"; Dianne Hales; 2010
- "Dr. Dean Ornish's Program For Reversing Heart Disease"; Dr. Dean Ornish; 1996
- "Controlling Cholesterol The Natural Way"; Dr. Kenneth Cooper and William Proctor; 1999
