- Smoking Facts About Nicotine -
Your Brain and Paradoxical Effects of Nicotine

The facts about nicotine show that it recognized as one of the known psychoactive drugs. This means that nicotine in your bloodstream passes directly into your brain tissue from your blood stream.

The effects of nicotine on your brain neurotransmitters can make you feel both more alert and relaxed at the same time. These are sometimes called the paradoxical nicotine effects and are the reason that nicotine dependence can occur so quickly.

Get More Information on Crave-Rx Drops for Nicotine Withdrawal Symptoms Supports mood and wellbeing while quitting smoking.

Get More Info on Rx-Hale Tablets for Nicotine Withdrawal Symptoms Before They Even Start Promotes health in the brain and nervous system, helping to support well-being and emotional balance as you quit smoking cigarettes.

Get More Info on Triple Complex NicoTonic Tissue Salts for Withdrawal from Nicotine and Addictive Drugs Reduces irritability and restlessness while quitting smoking and soothes the nerves during nicotine withdrawal

Paradoxical Smoking Facts About Nicotine

Nicotine is one of the psychoactive drugs that can create both calmness and an improvement in alertness at the same time. All this without an effect on your state of consciousness. In other words, when nicotine is in your blood stream you do not get "high". But you do get an effect.

The paradoxical effects of nicotine on your brain are the result of both the stimulatory and inhibiting effects of the drug.

Within minutes of your first inhale, nicotine in the bloodstream stimulates the release of epinephrine from the adrenal glands. The effect of this chemical is to fortify the body to withstand stress. Your blood sugar levels increase to give you energy and your heart rate and blood pressure go up to make sure you have enough oxygen in case physical exertion is needed to fight or flee from the source of your stress.

Epinephrine is the hormone that is responsible for the "fight or flight" reaction that is referred to in the literature on stress.

If you feel that smoking a cigarette is a "pick me up" and fortifies you to get on with your day it is because of the release of epinephrine.

As your adrenal glands are being stimulated, nicotine in your brain is increasing the levels of dopamine and improving the effects of serotonin.

Serotonin is one of the key neurotransmitters involved in mood regulation. Low levels of serotonin are known to be responsible for some forms of depression. One of the effects of nicotine is enhancing the effects of this important mood regulating neurotransmitter.

Research on the brain has determined that there is a "reward system" that is regulated by dopamine. In animal experiments anything that raises dopamine levels in the brain creates a strong desire to recreate that sensation again. Consequently, animals are quickly conditioned to repeat the actions that lead to this increase in dopamine levels in the brain.

After smoking a cigarette and getting this nicotine/dopamine hit, the desire for another one builds as nicotine and dopamine levels fall, so nicotine dependence is established quite quickly.

And those are the paradoxical smoking facts about nicotine that explain how it can energize you, increase your level of concentration, and calm you down at the same time.

Help To Stop Smoking

---

Go back to Effects of Nicotine - Your Brain and Psychoactive Drugs

Go home to Smoking Facts Reveal the Real Dangers of Cigarette Smoking