The Benefits of Quitting Smoking |
| When I first got it in my head that I wanted to quit smoking, I wanted to know if there was going to be any payoff because otherwise, hell, what would be the point? Well as it turns out, your body starts to heal itself almost immediately and you'll start to reap the benefits of being a non-smoker very quickly. For example, I had a nasty smoker's cough which I thought I'd never get rid of but it went away completely after just a few weeks. |
The Payoff... 20 minutes after you quit, your heart rate drops, your blood pressure goes down, and the body temperature of your hands and feet increases as circulation begins to improve. Between 8 and 12 hours after you quit, the carbon monoxide level in your body decreases to normal while oxygen increases to normal. After only 24 hours your chance of a heart attack decreases. At around 72 hours, your body will be cleansed of nicotine. Starting at about 48 hours, your nerves begin to regrow and you will start to regain your senses of taste and smell. 1 to 9 months after quitting smoking, your lungs will begin to regain normal function and clear themselves. Coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue, and shortness of breath will begin to clear up. At 2 to 3 months after your quit, your circulation improves, lung function increases, and exercise becomes easier.At 1 year At 1 year, your risk of heart disease drops to half of that of smoker. Between 5 and 15 years after you quit smoking, your risk of stroke is that of a non-smoker. 10 years after you quit smoking, your chances of dying from lung cancer are about half that of a smoker. The risk of other cancers, such as cancer of the pancreas, cervix, bladder, esophogus, throat, and mouth decrease too. 15 years after you quit smoking, your risk of dying is almost the same as if you hadn't smoked at all. |