Ever Wonder What Happens to Your
Body the Moment You Stop Smoking?
Within 20
minutes of smoking that last cigarette, the body begins a series of changes that continues
for years.
20
MINUTES Blood pressure drops to normal.
Pulse rate drops to normal.
Body temperature of hands and feet
increases to normal.
8 HOURS
- Carbon monoxide level in blood drops to normal.
Oxygen level in
blood increases to normal.
24
HOURS
- Chance of heart attack decreases.
48
HOURS
- Nerve endings start regrowing.
Ability to smell
and taste is enhanced.
2 WEEKS
TO 3 MONTHS
Walking becomes easier.
Lung function
increases up to 30%.
1 TO 9
MONTHS
- Coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue, and shortness of breath
decrease.
Cilia regrow in lungs, increasing
ability to handle mucus, clean the lungs, and reduce infection.
Body's overall
energy increases.
1 YEAR
- Excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker.
5 YEARS
- Lung cancer death rate for average smoker (one pack a day) decreases
by almost half.
Stroke risk is reduced to that of a
nonsmoker 5-15 years after quitting.
Risk of cancer
of the mouth, throat and esophagus is half that of a smoker's.
10
YEARS
- Lung cancer death rate similar to that of nonsmokers.
Precancerous cells are replaced.
Risk of cancer of the mouth,
throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney and pancreas decreases.
15
YEARS
- Risk of coronary heart disease is that of a nonsmoker.
What
Are Some Rewards of Quit Smoking!
Within a few days you will probably begin
to notice some remarkable changes in your body. Your sense of smell and taste may improve.
You will breathe easier, and your smoker's hack will begin to disappear, although you may
notice that you will continue to cough for a while. And you will be free from the mess,
smell, inconvenience, expense, and dependence of cigarette smoking.
It is important to understand that the long range after-effects of quitting are only
temporary and signal the beginning of a healthier life. Now that you've quit, you've added
a number of healthy productive days to each year of your life. Most important, you've
greatly improved your chances for a longer life. You have significantly reduced your risk
of death from heart disease, stroke, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and several kinds of
cancerp;not just lung cancer. (Cigarette smoking is responsible every year for
approximately 130,000 deaths from cancer, 170,000 deaths from heart disease, and 50,000
deaths from lung disease.)
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