Within 20 minutes of smoking that last cigarette, the body begins a series of changes that continue for years. All benefits are lost by smoking just one cigarette a day, according to the American Cancer Society.
Within 20 minutes…
- Ability to smell and taste is enhanced.
- Blood pressure drops to normal.
- Pulse rate drops to normal.
- Circulation improves
- Body temperature of hands and feet increases to normal.
Within 8 hours…
- Lung function increases up to 30 percent.
- Carbon monoxide level in blood drops to normal.
- Oxygen level in blood increases to normal.
Within 24 hours…
- Chance of heart attack decreases.
Within 48 hours…
- Nerve endings start regrowing.
Within 2 weeks to 3 months…
- Walking becomes easier.
Within 1 to 9 months…
- Coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue, and shortness of breath decrease.
- Cilia (protective hairlike substance) regrow in lungs, increasing the lungs' ability to handle mucus, clean and filter waste or harmful matter, and reducing infection.
Within 1 year…
- Excess risk of coronary disease is half that of a smoker.
Within 5 years…
- Lung cancer death rate for average former smoker (one pack a day) decreases by almost half.
- Stroke risk is reduced to that of a non-smoker within 5 to 15 years after quitting.
- Risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, and esophagus is half that of a smoker's.
Within 10 years…
- Lung cancer death rate is similar to that of non-smokers.
- Precancerous cells are replaced.
- Risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney and pancreas decreases.
Within 15 years…
- Risk of coronary heart disease is that of a non-smoker
