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06-30-2007, 10:24 PM
From the American Lung Association website:
When smokers quit, within twenty minutes of smoking that last cigarette the body begins a series of changes.
At 20 minutes after quitting:
Blood pressure decreases
Pulse rate drops
Body temperature of hands and feet increases
At 8 hours:
Carbon monoxide level in blood drops to normal
Oxygen level in blood increases to normal
At 24 hours:
Chance of a heart attack decreases
At 48 hours:
Nerve endings start regrowing
Ability to smell and taste is enhanced
The first year after quitting:
At 2 weeks to 3 months:
Circulation improves
Walking becomes easier
Lung function increases
1 to 9 months:
Coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue, shortness of breath decreases
1 year:
Excess risk of coronary heart disease is decreased to half that of a smoker
Long-term Benefits of Quitting
At 5 years:
From 5 to 15 years after quitting, stroke risk is reduced to that of people who have never smoked.
At 10 years:
Risk of lung cancer drops to as little as one-half that of continuing smokers
Risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, and pancreas decreases
Risk of ulcer decreases
At 15 years:
Risk of coronary heart disease is now similar to that of people who have never smoked
Risk of death returns to nearly the level of people who have never smoked
When smokers quit, within twenty minutes of smoking that last cigarette the body begins a series of changes.
At 20 minutes after quitting:
Blood pressure decreases
Pulse rate drops
Body temperature of hands and feet increases
At 8 hours:
Carbon monoxide level in blood drops to normal
Oxygen level in blood increases to normal
At 24 hours:
Chance of a heart attack decreases
At 48 hours:
Nerve endings start regrowing
Ability to smell and taste is enhanced
The first year after quitting:
At 2 weeks to 3 months:
Circulation improves
Walking becomes easier
Lung function increases
1 to 9 months:
Coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue, shortness of breath decreases
1 year:
Excess risk of coronary heart disease is decreased to half that of a smoker
Long-term Benefits of Quitting
At 5 years:
From 5 to 15 years after quitting, stroke risk is reduced to that of people who have never smoked.
At 10 years:
Risk of lung cancer drops to as little as one-half that of continuing smokers
Risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, and pancreas decreases
Risk of ulcer decreases
At 15 years:
Risk of coronary heart disease is now similar to that of people who have never smoked
Risk of death returns to nearly the level of people who have never smoked