The Surprising Connection between Cigarettes and Seizures

My friend got a call this morning that one of his staff had been rushed to the hospital because he had a seizure at the early hours of the morning. When he arrived at the hospital and got stabilized, the doctor asked if he smoked, and he answered affirmatively. We were educated that smoking is a possible trigger for seizures by the doctor.

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Research shows that caffeine intake, alcohol consumption, and cigarette smoking are common influences on the occurrence of seizures and epilepsy. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), people who had epilepsy and smoked were far more likely than those who did not smoke and had epilepsy. Although researchers do not yet know why people with epilepsy tend to smoke more compared with those who do not have epilepsy.

When you smoke, the brain is exposed to some chemicals that are found in cigarettes, like arsenic and nicotine. Although there have been studies that have shown seizures to be increased amongst people with epilepsy, even if the exact reason is not yet clear. But apart from having the ability to affect the chances of getting a seizure, smoking can contribute significantly to other health conditions like cardiovascular disease and lung cancer.

Even if autosomal dominant nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy is a rare form of epilepsy, one of its characteristics is the presence of mutated nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, and these receptors are not just located in the brain, but also in other parts of the body.

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Through my research, I was able to establish the fact that smoking contributes significantly to seizures, especially for an epileptic person, but for a person who is not epileptic, too, the presence of nicotine is a factor we should be aware of. In addition, smoking has been found to cause other serious health dangers.

CDC recorded smoking to be the leading cause of preventable death in the United States; this was recorded to be around 480,000 deaths reported every year from smoking. It creates a case of coronary heart disease, stroke, men's chances of having lung cancer increased about 25 times, and women's risk of lung cancer increased about 25 times while smoking.

Generally, smoking has been found to increase the chances of several cancers, speaking of pancreatic cancer, bladder cancer, stomach cancer, colon cancer, kidney cancer, and even throat and oral cancer, and the list goes on and on. The seizure triggers can be different; they can be caused by either a serious medical condition like a low blood sugar or high fever, but when these seizures become recurrent without a known cause, we refer to them as epilepsy.

Stress, alcohol, lack of enough sleep, the use of medications, illegal drugs, menstruation, flashing lights, infections, and some other triggers can cause seizures. But smoking seems to be one of the big elephants in the room; trying our best to quit is significant. Let me round up by sharing some tips that can help you handle your smoking habits when you have made up your mind to stop.

To stop smoking, you have to eliminate the triggers you have around your environment, the smoke itself, and even clothes that smell of tobacco, so you are not tempted to go back to it. Look for other healthy ways to satisfy your cravings instead of going back to smoking; there are other substitutes you can find around. A healthcare professional can gladly help you too in managing this difficulty.

An emergency call is required if a person experiences difficulty breathing or waking up after a seizure, in the case of an injury, consecutive seizures, or a seizure happening when they are in water.

Conclusion.

Smoking has been proven to cause different forms of danger to health, and it is even more dangerous for a person who is struggling with epilepsy. Staying away from the act is significant to help you in dealing with the possibility of having a seizure.

For Further Studies.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3090289/

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10328254/

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/can-smoking-cause-seizures#summary

https://www.healthline.com/health/can-smoking-cause-seizures#takeaway

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Hi, I am Tobi, a writer, speaker, relationship blogger, and lover of good music. I love making friends and learning from people. Want to hear me speak on relationships and general life issues? You can find my YouTube channel where you can listen and watch any episode for free. Please, do not forget to subscribe, friends. I sincerely appreciate every love I get from here. Kindly do well to keep them coming.