This Happens to Your Body When You Quit Smoking
Giving up cigarettes can be excruciating, with cravings and withdrawal symptoms lingering for weeks, especially if you aren’t strongly motivated.
Just minutes after that first smoke-free breath, your body starts to change for the better. And with all the healthy breaths you take in the weeks and months that follow, the benefits only multiply.
The health benefits of quitting smoking is the first and biggest reason to quit. “Even persons who have smoked for many years or who have smoked heavily can realize health and financial benefits from quitting smoking.
Here’s what happens when you stop smoking: Withdrawal symptoms of quitting smoking include cravings, irritability and restlessness. Some will also have issues with concentration, trouble sleeping, hunger, weight gain and feelings of depression, anxiety or sadness.
The health benefits of quitting smoking start about 20 minutes after the last drag. That’s when a smoker’s heart rate and blood pressure both begin to decline. It takes a few days for blood carbon monoxide levels to normalize. In two weeks to three months, circulation begins to improve and lung function increases.
More gradually, that smoker’s cough goes away as mucus leaves the lungs. This is because the “cilia,” tiny hair-like structures in your lungs, have begun to heal. Quitting smoking can help prevent the symptoms of lung disease from worsening. Over time, your risk of pneumonia and lung cancer also decreases.
A stronger body is just one of the benefits of quitting. It will help you stay healthy, while your muscles will get stronger because of more availability of oxygen in your blood.
A nonsmoker has a lower risk for heart disease, stroke and certain cancers. A person’s risk of having a heart attack drops dramatically in one to two years, after quitting smoking.
Some fertility issues even resolve as estrogen levels return to normal. Quitting smoking also reduces the risk of developing various types of cancer.
Quitting smoking makes you look better. Among the beauty improvements of quitting are clearer skin and less wrinkling. As your teeth and fingernails stop yellowing, your breath will be fresher, and your hair and clothes won’t smell like smoke anymore.
Some other tangible benefits are better-tasting food and a better sense of smell. It’s better for brain health, too. Mental decline was also lower for those who quit, especially if they gave up tobacco by middle age however it is never too late to quit smoking.
