Stop Smoking Articles

What Happens when You Stop Smoking?

The benefit timeline

This timeline shows when the benefits of stopping smoking will come through after your final cigarette.

20 minutes, 8 hours, 24 hours, 48 hours, 2-21 weeks, 1 year, 10 years, 15 years

20 minutes after giving up

Your blood pressure and your pulse rate return to normal.

What this means

Raised blood pressure and high pulse rate both put strain on your heart, increasing your risk of a heart attack. The minute you stop your risk is reduced.

8 hours after giving up

The carbon monoxide levels in your blood are halved.

What this means

Carbon monoxide from smoking can also produce distortions of time perception, psychomotor and visual impairment and negative effects on cognitive skill. Reducing the level of carbon monoxide in your blood will reduce these problems. Carbon monoxide reduces the uptake of oxygen from the lungs - the higher the levels of carbon monoxide, the lower the levels of oxygen.3 Oxygen is vital for the functioning of all energy systems in the body; so as soon as you cut carbon monoxide levels, you will experience enhanced energy levels.

24 hours after you >Stop Smoking

Carbon monoxide is eliminated from the body.

What this means

Look forward to better sports performance, with stronger endurance, lower levels of fatigue, improved recovery after exercise and a lower heart rate for each level of exercise.

48 hours after you Stop Smoking

Nicotine is eliminated from the body.

What this means

Nicotine has a number of unpleasant side-effects on the body. It can act as an emetic (cause vomiting) and it can produce stomach upsets. It raises blood pressure, and increases the likelihood of hypothermia and seizures. Get rid of the nicotine and you will get rid of these symptoms.

2-21 weeks after you >Stop Smoking

Circulation improves.

What does this mean

Bad circulation causes numerous problems, ranging from persistently cold feet, slow skin healing, Raynaud's disease and peripheral vascular disease (PVT) which can even lead to limb amputation. Giving up smoking will reduce your risk of most circulation problems.

After 1 year

Your risk of a heart attack falls to about half that of a smoker.

What this means

Each year, tobacco smoking accounts for around 26,000 deaths from coronary heart disease in the UK - approximately 17 percent of all heart disease deaths. The UK has one of the highest heart disease deaths in the world. Luckily, giving up will quickly start to reduce your risk.

After 10 years

Your risk of lung cancer falls to about half that of a smoker

What this means

In 1999, 22 percent of all cancer deaths were due to lung cancer, making it the most common form of cancer death. Over 80 percent of all lung cancer deaths are caused by smoking. Giving up is the most important thing you can do to reduce your risk.

After 15 years

Your risk of a heart attack is the same as someone who has never smoked.

What this means

A better chance of a long, healthy life!

Mark Barrus can be reached through http://www.iwanttoquitsmoking.com
The Stop Smoking Hypnosis People

Related Links:

Stop Smoking Without Weight Gain

Say NO To Smoking

Exercise and Quitting Smoking

Latest Stop Smoking News

About.com Smoking Cessation
Get the latest headlines from the About.com Smoking Cessation GuideSite.

• What Triggers the Urge to Smoke For You?
  14 Oct 2008 at 6:56am
  Years of smoking taught us to react to literally everything by lighting a cigarette. When we were happy, we'd celebrate by lighting up. When we got angry, smoking would calm...
  
• Quit Smoking Monday Messages
  13 Oct 2008 at 4:06am
  After the Last CigaretteIf you think that you're too old or you've smoked too many years for smoking cessation to make a difference for you, think again. The physical benefits...
  
• Tobacco in The News
  12 Oct 2008 at 5:08pm
  Tobacco Smuggling Is Killing More People Than Illegal Drugs, Experts Claim ScienceDaily — Tobacco smuggling causes around 4,000 premature deaths a year—four times the number of deaths caused by the use...
  
• Why Quit Smoking?
  11 Oct 2008 at 5:29am
  Most people who smoke wish they didn't. They live with a hatred for the habit they can't seem to do without. The fear of serious illness is usually there too,...
  
• Cigarette Litter - A Plague on Our Planet
  11 Oct 2008 at 4:47am
  Trillions of cigarette butts are discarded into the world's environment annually, and the toxins trapped in filters leach into the ground and waterways, polluting our planet. When you quit smoking,...
  
• About.com Newsletters
  8 Oct 2008 at 4:10am
  Stay up-to-date with news and articles at About.com when you sign up for these free weekly newsletters: COPD NewsHealthy Monday NewsSmoking Cessation NewsImage © Stockxpert...