Current Topics in Lung Health - Nicotine can both stimulate and depress you

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Nicotine can both stimulate and depress you

Nicotine is the substance in tobacco that gets into your bloodstream when you smoke. At first nicotine can increase your heart rate and make you feel more alert. Nicotine also works on a chemical in the brain called dopamine that is associated with feelings of pleasure. However, over time, nicotine lessens the brain's ability to experience the effects of dopamine, requiring smokers to consume greater amounts of nicotine to achieve the same result. If that need isn't satisfied with a cigarette, it can contribute to depression and fatigue, which is one reason why people crave another cigarette to feel better. This cycle is part of the reason why smoking is a hard habit to break.

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