Smoking is bad for your health. It harms almost every organ in the body and causes 87 percent of lung cancer deaths. Furthermore, it is responsible for other cancer and health problems including heart and blood vessel disease, lung disease, cataracts, and stroke.
For women, smoking may result in pregnancy problems or death of a baby due to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Individuals who breath-in secondhand smoke may get the same problems as smokers do.
Despite these reasons, smokers find it hard to quit smoking. They really don’t know that health benefits begin in as little as an hour after their last cigarette and this will continue to improve.
Facts You Have To Know
- Smokers who want to quit need to have a plan in place to beat triggers and cravings.
- Benefits of quitting smoking start in as little as 1 hour after the last cigarettes.
- Quitting smoking means breaking the cycle of addiction and basically rewiring the brain to stop craving nicotine.
- The sooner a smoker quits, the quicker they will lessen their risk of heart and lung diseases, cancer and other conditions that are directly related to smoking.
What Happens If You Quit Smoking?
After 20 minutes
Twenty minutes after your last smoke, your heart rate and blood pressure drops and returns to normal, and circulation may start to improve.
After 12 hours
Cigarette smoke contains carbon monoxide which can be dangerous in high doses. It prevents oxygen from entering the blood and lungs. Suffocation can occur when this toxin is inhaled in large doses.
Twelve hours without a cigarette enable the body to cleanse itself of the excess carbon monoxide. The body’s oxygen level increases as the level of carbon monoxide in the body return to normal.
After 1 Day
Smoking lowers good cholesterol, thus making a heart-healthy exercise harder to do which results in a higher risk of coronary heart diseases. Aside from this, it also increases blood clots and blood pressure, which increase the risk of stroke.
In as little as 1 day after quitting smoking, the risk of heart attack begins to decrease. A person’s blood pressure begins to drop and also, the oxygen level rises thus, making exercises and physical activities easier to do.
After 2 days
Nerve endings, responsible for the senses of taste and smell, are damaged by smoking. Two days after quitting, these nerves heal causing you to notice a more vivid taste and heightened sense of smell
After 3 days
After 3 days, your body’s nicotine level decreases. This initial depletion may result in nicotine withdrawal. As the body readjusts, you may also experience irritability, severe headaches, cravings, and severe headaches.
After 1 Month
Your lung function begins to improve 1 month after smoking. As the lungs heal and lung capacity improves, former smokers may observe less shortness of breathing and coughing; and the renewed ability for cardiovascular activities.
After 1-3 Months
Circulation continues to improve for the next several months after quitting.
After 9 Months
The lungs have extensively healed themselves nine months after quitting. You will notice a decrease in frequency of lung infections. Cilia, which are the delicate, hair-like structures inside the lungs, have already recovered from the toll cigarette smoke took on them. These structures are the ones that help fight infections and push mucus from the lungs
After 1 Year
Your risk for coronary heart disease decreases by half after a year of not smoking. This will continue to drop past the 1-year mark.
After 5 Years
Present in cigarettes is many toxins, which causes narrowing of arteries and blood vessels and also causes the possibility of developing blood clots. After 5 years, your arteries and blood vessels begin to widen again, therefore, lowering the risk of stroke.
After 10 years
After 10 years, compared to someone who continues to smoke, your chances of developing lung cancer and dying from it decreases by almost 50%. Aside from this, the likelihood of developing pancreatic, mouth, or throat cancer has significantly reduced.
After 15 years
After 15 years, the possibility of developing coronary heart disease and pancreatic cancer is equivalent to those non-smokers.
After 20 years
Twenty years after, lung disease, cancer and other smoke-related causes of death are equivalent to a person who has never smoked at all.
Final Words
Smoking can lead to severe health complications and furthermore, to death. Once a person stops smoking, the body will heal naturally and will achieve some health benefits that include lowered blood pressure; and lessen risks of cancer, lung and heart disease.
