The Benefits of Quitting
If you are a typical 20 cigarettes a day smoker and you kick the habit, chances are your body will go through something like this:
- Within about 2 hours of stopping, there is no more nicotine in your blood system. However, it may take 2 days for nicotine by-products to leave your body.
- Within 6 hours your heartbeat slows down and your blood pressure drops slightly. It may take from 3 to 30 days for blood pressure to return to normal.
- Between 12 and 24 hours, carbon monoxide is eliminated from your body. Lung efficiency improves. You will be less short of breath when you exert yourself and your staying power will improve.
- Within a couple of days, you'll start to feel and smell fresher. Your taste buds will come alive and your sense of smell will return. You may also experience euphoria after achieving something you thought impossible.
- Within days, accumulated phlegm loosens in your lungs and you'll cough it up over the next few weeks. Cilia, the body's natural cleaning mechanism, begin to recover.
- Within three months cilia completely recover to efficiently sweep clean your lung passages. Within 3 weeks, your lungs are working better. Exercising is easier.
- Within 2 months, blood flow to limbs is improved. You'll have more energy (and feel a sense of pride and satisfaction).
- After 3 months, your lungs' cleaning mechanism will be working normally. If you're a male, your sperm will become more normal and their number will increase.
- Gradually, blood components and cells lining your lungs return to normal. This may take a long time.
- After 12 months, risk of coronary heart disease is almost half that of continuing smokers. Within 5 years, risk of lung cancer is halved.
After 5 years, risk of coronary heart disease is almost identical to non-smokers.
"Don't be afraid of the space between your dreams and reality. If you can dream it, you can make it so." - Belva Davis