Benefits of Stopping Smoking
Good News for Ex-smokers ...
... as soon as you snuff out that last cigarette:
Within 20 min:
Blood pressure, body temperature, and pulse rate will drop to
normal.
Within 8 hours:
Smoker's breath disappears. Carbon monoxide level in blood drops
and oxygen level rises to normal.
Within 24 hours:
Chance of a heart attack decreases.
Within 48 hours:
Nerve endings start to regroup. Ability to taste and smell improves.
Within 3 days:
Breathing is easier.
Within 2 to 3 months:
Circulation improves. Walking becomes easier. Lung capacity increases
up to 30%
Within 1 to 9 months:
Sinus congestion and shortness of breath decrease. Cilia that
sweep debris from you lungs grow back. Energy increases.
Within 1 year:
Excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a person
who smokes.
Within 2 years:
Heart attack risk drops to near-normal.
Within 5 years:
Lung cancer death rate for the average former pack-a-day smoker
decreases by almost half. Stroke risk is reduced. Risk of mouth,
throat, and esophageal cancer is half that of a smoker.
Within 10 years:
Lung cancer death rate is similar to that of a person who does
not smoke. The precancerous cells are replaced.
Within 15 years:
Risk of coronary heart disease is the same as a person who has
never smoked.
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