Quitting Smoking and Lung Healing: What Happens After You Quit?

Time After Quitting Smoking

Effects

1 hour 

• By now your heart rate must have dropped to normal, Blood pressure would have come down and circulation will start improving.

12 hours 

• Smoking leads to an increased concentration of specific toxins in the body called carbon monoxide. Once you quit smoking within 12 hours your body cleanses carbon monoxide increasing the overall oxygen level of the body.

1 day 

• Risk of heart attacks starts reducing Smoking increases the risk of coronary heart disease by reducing good cholesterol, making the heart-healthy activity more difficult. Smoking also elevates blood pressure and increases the risk of stroke. A person's blood pressure begins to fall as soon as one day after quitting smoking, lowering the risk of heart disease caused by smoking-induced high blood pressure. In this brief period, a person's oxygen levels will have increased, making physical exertion and exercise more manageable and encouraging heart-healthy behaviors.

2 days

• Smoking harms the nerves that control the perceptions of taste and smell. As these neurons repair, a person may perceive a heightened sense of smell and more vivid flavours as soon as 2 days after stopping.

3 days

• It's been three days now and the nicotine level in your body has dropped significantly. Although it is a good sign. You may feel an urge to smoke and even other withdrawal symptoms such as headache, moodiness, and irritability. 

1 month 

• Congratulations, it's been one month since you quit. Your lungs have started to work more efficiently and effectively. 

• You may experience less coughing and shortness of breath as your lungs recover and your lung capacity improves. Athletic endurance improves, and you will notice a restored capacity to do cardiovascular exercises like jogging and leaping.

1 - 3 months 

• Your blood circulation and lung function continue to improve 

9 months 

• The lungs have considerably repaired themselves nine months after stopping. The tiny hair-like structure in the lungs called cilia starts healing completely

• The risk and occurrence of lung infections have been reduced because the repaired cilia can do their work more readily

1 year 

• It’s an anniversary since you quit smoking, and your risk of developing a coronary disease has just reduced by half

5 years

• Cigarettes include several toxins that promote artery and blood vessel narrowing. These same poisons enhance the chance of blood clot formation.

• After 5 years of not smoking, the body has recovered sufficiently for the arteries and blood vessels to reopen. Because of this broadening, blood is less likely to clot, lessening the risk of stroke.

10 years 

• When compared to someone who continues to smoke, your chances of acquiring lung cancer are nearly cut in half. 

• The risk of acquiring mouth, throat, or pancreatic cancer has decreased dramatically.

15 years 

• It's a milestone, the risk of getting coronary heart disease and pancreatic cancer is the same as that of a non-smoker. 

20 years 

• After 20 years, the risk of mortality from smoking-related causes, including lung disease and cancer, is reduced to that of a person who has never smoked.