Acute effects of tobacco smoking on the autonomic nervous system in comparison with alcohol drinking

A total of 21 male university students were used to investigate the acute physical effects on the autonomic nervous system of two adult daily habits; smoking and drinking. A tobacco loading trial and an alcohol loading trial were conducted, keeping the conditions as uniform as possible. The nine subjects were instructed to smoke two cigarettes in 10 minutes, and their blood pressure, heart rate, and pupil diameter were measured. In addition, blood samples were taken 30 minutes after initiation of the trial, and the level of nicotine in the samples was measured (Trial 1). The twelve subjects were instructed to drink one large bottle of beer in 10 minutes, and the same parameters were measured. (Trial 2: trial for comparison). The pupil diameter decreased significantly 30 minutes after the subjects started smoking. Also, the heart rate increased suddenly as soon as the subjects started smoking, and the increase in the heart rate was pronounced for the 10 minutes that they were smoking. The maximal and minimal blood pressures generally did not fluctuate greatly. On the other hand, the pupil diameter tended to decrease slightly as soon as the subjects began drinking, and no significant difference in this value was noted. Also, even though the heart rate tended to increase slightly, no significant difference was noted in this value. In contrast, the maximal blood pressure increased significantly when the subjects started drinking, and tended to decrease gradually after they finished drinking.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)