Panic Attacks and Smoking

There is a wide-held belief, held by smokers and nonsmokers alike, that smoking helps calm a person down.  After all, isn't this why people smoke after eating dinner, or during a lunch break, or after a long day at work?  This belief, like many of the other common beliefs held in regards to smoking, has been shown to false.  In fact, much to the contrary, smoking, besides its damaging effects on physical health, can also have damaging effects, of equal or greater magnitude, on the mind as well.  Perhaps this claim is illustrated best when it comes to panic attacks, a disorder that smokers are liable to experience at a rate of 3:1 over their nonsmoking peers.

Panic attacks, which involve shortness of breath, dizziness, sweating, and chest pain, among the many other symptoms, may not simply be made worse by smoking, but may be the reason why these attacks are occurring in the first place.  According to Naomi Breslau, PhD, and Donald F. Klien, MD, of the New York State Psychiatric Institute, the relationship between smoking and panic attacks is substantial, with smoking increasing a person's lifetime risk of having a panic attack by a staggering amount - perhaps, as they have suggested in their findings, by as much as three to four times.[1]  For those who have quit smoking, on the other hand, the chances of a first panic attack from ever occuring go drastically downward, although as of yet there has not been any research showing whether quitting smoking altogether has a similar impact on panic attacks.   

Tobacco smoke, Breslau and Klien argue, may heighten the chances of panic attacks in people who are already prone to them. Nicotine, furthermore, can play a role much like that of tobacco, since nicotine affects the brain in ways that researchers are just beginning to understand.  What these two researched have hypothesized is that cigarette smoke, and the accompanying toxins, including the tobacco, nicotine, but also the carbon monoxide, may lead to increased stress levels that, in turn, can spur a panic attack to happen.  As Klien states, "What we have in a panic response is the body's stress response going full out. ... In general, you don't feel a soothing, calming feeling after you have a cigarette." 

To avoid panic attacks caused by smoking, the best thing to do is to simply stop smoking.  Of course, the addictive qualities of smoking are well publicized, and as anyone who has been smoking will attest, quitting is quite hard.  However, one must weigh the pros and the cons, and as more and more research into the harmful effects of smoking is becoming clear, the negatives have been shown to drastically outweigh the positives.  No matter how it is looked at, smoking is not good for anyone.  Now, aside from the physical toll it takes on a person's body, there is also reason to believe that smoking can lead to panic attacks, thereby destroying a person's mind.  If this is not reason enough to stop smoking, what is? 

Panic attack news on the Web

Tiffany Livingston JetBlue bust out: Panic attack or flotation device test? Playboy model Tiffany Livingston tries to open a JetBlue plane door in mid-flight. Did they run out of champagne?

Tiffany Livingston, Playboy Model, Has Panic Attack Mid-Air, Tries To Jump Out Of JetBlue Plane What's Your Reaction? A buxom Playboy centerfold tried to bust out -- midair -- from a jet yesterday amid a bad case of high anxiety.

Turbulence Leads to Turbulence On JetBlue Flight A woman having an apparent panic attack over turbulance on a JetBlue flight bound for Newark was tackled by several passengers as she rose from her seat and banged into an emergency exit door while complaining... JetBlue Airways - Emergency exit - Flight attendant - Aviation - Transportation

Playboy Model Freaks Out at 10,000 Feet and Tries to Exit Plane, Say Passengers Playboy model Tiffany Livingston freaked out mid-flight and tried to get out of a Jet Blue aircraft while it was at 10,000 feet, report passengers. She was suffering from an horrendous panic attack, say authorities. Contributor: Roz Zurko Published: Sep 10, 2010

Playboy Playmate Tiffany Livingston freaks out on plane, tries to open door in-flight According to the New York Post, Playboy model Tiffany Livingston had a mid-air panic attack on a JetBlue flight from Orlando to Newark yesterday, and is said to have attempted to open a door mid-flight during the episode. The Post says: Sexy 21-year-old model Tiffany Livingston was aboard JetBlue Flight 522 from Orlando, Fla., to [...]

Officials: Rabid coyote cause for concern, but not panic GREENWICH -- News that a coyote killed in Rye Brook, N.Y., tested positive for rabies Wednesday has caused concern among residents and public safety officials, but health officials said since the disease has been a constant presence in Connecticut since the 1990s, there is no reason to panic.

City event to support bomb victim People in Londonderry are to hold a fundraising event in aid of a man who lost his fast food business in a dissident republican car bomb attack.

Playboy model detained 'after trying to open plane door mid-flight' A Playboy model was detained after claims she tried to open a plane door mid flight after she suffered an anxiety attack.

Jayhawks Remember 9/11 Nine years ago our nation suffered the most devastating terrorist attack on its soil. These are just a few stories from current Jayhawks about their experiences of the event.

Playboy Model -- Popped After In-Flight Freak Out Filed under: Celebrity Justice , Tiffany Livingston , Playboy Name: Tiffany Livingston Age: 21 Likes: Trying to exit commercial airplanes mid-flight ... allegedly! Livingston (32C-22-33) was placed in federal custody last night, after, according to the NY Post , she allegedly suffered an anxiety attack aboard a… Read more