Health Benefits of Qutting

Smoking harms nearly every organ of the body and diminishes overall health. It causes heart disease, stroke, lung diseases like chronic bronchitis and emphysema, osteoporosis, and cataracts.

But, it’s not too late to reverse the effects of smoking.

Quitting can reverse an overwhelming amount of damage to your health.

• If you quit around age 30, your chance of dying from smoking-related diseases is reduced by more than 90%.
• If you quit at around age 50, you reduce the risk of dying prematurely by 50% compared with those who continue to smoke.
• Even those who quit at around age 60 or older live longer than those who continue to smoke.

You will experience immediate health benefits from becoming a nonsmoker. Within 20 minutes of smoking that last cigarette, your body begins a series of changes that continue for years.

In 20
minutes:

Blood pressure drops to normal

Pulse rate drops to normal

Body temperature of hands and feet increases to normal

In 8
hours:

Carbon monoxide level in blood drops to normal

Oxygen level in blood increases to normal

In 24
hours:

Chance of heart attack decreases

In 48
hours:

Nerve endings start regrowing

Ability to smell and taste is enhanced

In 2
weeks-3
months:

Circulation improves
Walking becomes easier

In 1-9
months:

Coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue, and shortness of breath decrease

Cilia regrow in lungs, increasing ones ability to handle mucus, clean the lungs, and reduce infection

Body's overall energy increases

In 1
year:

Excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker

In 5
years:

Lung cancer death rate for average former smoker (one pack per 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, esophagus is half that of a smoker

In 10
years:

Lung cancer death rate is similar to that of a nonsmoker

Precancerous cells are replaced

In 15
years:

Risk of coronary heart disease is that of a non-smoker