The benefits of quitting
It’s amazing how quickly the destructive effects of tobacco use start to recede once the body is no longer ingesting it.
Did you know:
Twenty minutes after quitting: Your blood pressure drops to a level close to that before the last cigarette. The temperature of your hands and feet increases to normal.
Eight hours after quitting: The carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal.
Twenty-four hours after quitting: Your chance of a heart attack decreases.
Two weeks to three months after quitting: Your circulation improves and your lung function increases up to 30 percent.
One to nine months after quitting: Coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue and shortness of breath decrease; cilia regain normal function in the lungs, increasing the ability to handle mucus, clean the lungs and reduce infection.
One year after quitting: The excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker’s.
Five years after quitting: Your stroke risk is reduced to that of a nonsmoker.
Ten years after quitting: The lung cancer death rate is about half that of a continuing smoker’s. The risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney and pancreas decrease.
Fifteen years after quitting: The risk of coronary heart disease is that of a nonsmoker’s.
Source: American Cancer Society