How Your Body Changes After You Quit Smoking

Quitting smoking can make a drastic improvement to your lifestyle and health. It reduces your risk for numerous diseases such as cancer, COPD and reproductive complications.

When you quit smoking, there are numerous physical and emotional effects the body experiences. These effects are both short- term and long term. Nicotine withdrawal symptoms can actually begin as early as 30 minutes after smoking a cigarette. Depending on how long a person has been smoking, and on how heavily they smoke, the effects of nicotine on the brain generally wears off anywhere between 30 minutes and 2 hours. It has a very short life span once introduced to the brain, and therefore must be delivered in very regular doses in order to maintain the ‘buzz’ that the brain is used to functioning on. [caption id="attachment_5578" align="aligncenter" width="660"]

How Your Body Changes After You Quit Smoking[/caption]

How Your Body Changes After You Quit Smoking

After 20 minutes: Your blood pressure, pulse rate and the temperature of your hands and feet have returned to normal. After 1 to 9 months: Any smoking related sinus congestion, fatigue or shortness of breath has decreased. Cilia have regrown in your lungs, thereby increasing their ability to handle mucus, keep your lungs clean and reduce infections. Your body’s overall energy has increased. After 1 year: Your excess risk of coronary heart disease, heart attack and stroke has dropped to less than half that of a smoker. After 5 years: Your risk of a subarachnoid hemorrhage has declined to 59% of your risk while still smoking . If you are a female ex-smoker, your risk of developing diabetes is now that of a non-smoker . After 15 years: Your risk of coronary heart disease is now that of a person who has never smoked. Your risk of pancreatic cancer has declined to that of a never-smoker.

Source: MaxCure Hospitals