Benefits of Quiting Smoking

According to the American Lung Association, the benefits of quitting smoking begin twenty minutes after you smoke your last cigarette. Your blood pressure decreases, pulse rate drops, and the temperature of you hands and feet increase from the increase of oxygen in your body.

After eight hours, the carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal and the oxygen level in your blood increases to normal.

After twenty-four hours, your chance of a heart attack decreases. That means in one day you can decrease your chance of having a heart attack!

After forty-eight hours, your nerve endings start re-growing and your ability to taste and smell is enhanced. Food will start to taste real to you again!

It is amazing what a difference quitting smoking can have on your body in just forty-eight hours. But if you continue with your program, the benefits of quitting smoking become much more pronounced.

From two weeks to three months, your circulation improves, walking becomes easier, and your lung function increases.

Between one and nine months, coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue, shortness of breath decrease.

After one year, excess risk of coronary heart disease is decreased to half that of a smoker. After fifteen years, risk of coronary heart disease or death is now similar to that of people who never smoked.

After ten years, risk of lung cancer drops to as little as one-half that of continuing smokers. The risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, and pancreas decreases, as does the risk of ulcer.

This timeline is based on that given by the American Lung Association, and is based on years of research and statistics. It may seem that it takes a long time to get some of the more serious benefits from quitting smoking, but your body and your odds are improving gradually. Every day that you don’t smoke increases your odds of having another healthy day that you wouldn’t have had without quitting. And remember, your odds of having a heart attack are decreased from the very first day!

If you can decrease your chance of lung disease by one-half in ten years, then there’s no reason no to start today. How old will you be in ten years? 30? 40? 70? Whether you are smoking or not, you will still be the same age. The difference is, what will your health be like? Will you have quality time that you can spend doing the things you enjoy? Or will you be dragged down by oxygen tanks or even confined to a bed?

No matter what your age, by quitting smoking you can only improve your future. Illness is a reality when it comes to smoking and it’s not as harmless as the common cold. Smoking will kill you, quitting may save your life.

With the increasing price of cigarettes, some people will quit smoking just to save on money. If that’s your motivation for quitting, then go with it. Figure out how much you spend weekly or bi-weekly on your cigarettes and put that amount into a “piggy bank account”. Use the money for something special that you always wanted or to take that trip you’ve always wanted to go on. Whatever it takes to give you the willpower to quit smoking, use it!

You will probably find that some people are friendlier to you once you quit smoking than they were before. Many people are allergic to cigarette smoke, more can’t tolerate the smell. Smokers don’t usually realize that they smell of smoke because they have become immune to its smell over time. The reality is, you carry it with you wherever you go. It clings to your clothing and your hair, and people can quickly determine that you are a smoker.

Quitting smoking will approve your appearance both now, and in the future. You will no longer yellow your teeth with tobacco stains or wrinkle your face beyond its years. Short-term and long-term, the benefits of quitting smoking far outweigh the difficulty you may have kicking the habit.