See what happens when you quit smoking!
Immediately
It only takes 20 minutes to benefit from not smoking. In this time, the body’s blood pressure, pulse and body temperature will all return to normal. Tempted to light up again?
Go 8 hours without a cigarette and the blood gases in your body will normalize, with the oxygen level increasing and the carbon monoxide level decreasing. Make it an entire day without a smoke? Congratulations, your risk of having a heart attack just decreased.
Within 1 Month
The longer you go without smoking, the more the body rejuvenates. You will notice smells and flavors that you missed in foods while you were a smoker. Exercise will become easier, and your hands and feet won’t feel cold as easily as your circulation improves. Even within the first month of not smoking your lung function will improve.
Within 6 Months
Stay strong in your resolve to remain a nonsmoker and your reward will be additional improvement in your lung capacity and circulation. You won’t be as short of breath, sinus problems will decrease and that annoying cough may totally go away. As the cilia in your lungs regrows, your body is better able to clear out congestion and mucous. Waking up early or fitting in exercise becomes easier as you develop more energy.
Within 1 Year
Congratulations, you made it 1 year without cigarettes. Your reward? Your chance of developing coronary heart disease is reduced to half that of someone who smokes. Now is not the time to become weak. The greatest benefits from stopping smoking are yet to come.
Long Term
The longer you go without smoking, the greater the rewards. The risk of suffering a stroke or developing coronary artery disease eventually become no greater than the risks faced by someone who never smoked. Healthy cells replace pre-cancerous ones. Go 10 years without smoking and you have no greater risk of developing lung, throat, esophagus and pancreas cancer than someone who never smoked.
References
- ThinkQuest.org: What Happens When You Quit Smoking
- WomensHealth.gov: Smoking and How to Quit
