What Happens When You Stop Smoking

There are many health benefits that occur when you quit smoking.  Even if you have been smoking for many years, there will still be immediate benefits if you quit. If you are a smoker who is considering quitting, you may think that it’s too late or that the damage is already done.

The good news is that the scientific data disagrees!  There are immediate and long-lasting benefits of quitting smoking.

Your first benefits occur within an hour of quitting smoking.  Your pulse and blood pressure will go down and  the internal temperature of your hands and feet will increase.  When you smoke, your body produces harmful compouds that constrict your blood vessels and increase your heart rate. When these compounds are removed from the body, your heart rate will return to its normal rate.

In just a few more hours your blood’s carbon monoxide (CO) level will go down to a normal level.   There is a significant level of CO in cigarette smoke.  The CO attaches to hemoglobin - the molecule that aids in the transport of oxygen through the blood stream. Unfortunately, the quantitiy of available oxygen is reduced. Decreasing the CO level makes more oxygen available to feed the tissues that sustain your life.

After just one day of not smoking, the heart attack risk is already reduced.  Your nerve endings will change in just two days. The nerve stimulation caused by nicotine is dramatically reduced.  Once that artificial stimulation is removed, you’ll recover normal sensation.  Your sense of taste and smell will start to return to normal.  Food will taste better and seem fresher.  You’ll also be able to detect odors better.

Within a few weeks your nicotine cravings will dwindle – although they make randomly return over the next couple of months.  At this time, your circulatory system is improving.  You will gradually regain your stamina and be able to exercise without wheezing and running out of breath. Within a month or so, you will be able to have a normal exercise regimen.

Over the next fes months, the hack and sinus congestion that is prevalent among smokers decreases significantly. Your overall energy level will increase as your smoking-induced fatigue decreases.  All of your body’s systems begin regenerating and returning to normal function.

As you keep to that long-term commitment, the risk of stroke drops dramatically. The risk of stroke for smokers is double of non-smokers. After only one year, your risk of stroke is cut in half.  Within a few years, your risk of stroke is reduced to the level of someone who has never smoked at all.

It is estimated that close to 90% of lung cancer cases are a result of long-term heavy smoking.  Within a couple of years you will be out of that group if you quit smoking. Similarly, the risks of lung, larynx, bladder, pancreas and other cancers will drop to the level of a non-smoker.
Stopping smoking is a permanent pledge to long-term health and fitness. The alternative is a significantly increased risk of coronary disease, stroke, many different cancers, COPD and other serious medical problems. Quitting now will have immediate and long-lasting benefits.