How many years after quitting smoking

Many fear it will take a long time to see improvements in health and well-being, but the timeline for seeing real benefits is faster than most people realize. Here are some key points about smoking cessation. More detail and supporting information is in the main article. The benefits are almost instant. As soon as a person stops smoking their body begins to recover in the following ways:. In as little as 20 minutes after the last cigarette is smoked, the heart rate drops and returns to normal.

Blood pressure begins to drop, and circulation may start to improve. Cigarettes contain a lot of known toxins including carbon monoxide, a gas present in cigarette smoke.

This gas can be harmful or fatal in high doses and prevents oxygen from entering the lungs and blood. When inhaled in large doses in a short time, suffocation can occur from lack of oxygen.

After just 12 hours without a cigarette, the body cleanses itself of the excess carbon monoxide from the cigarettes. Just 1 day after quitting smoking, the risk of heart attack begins to decrease.

Smoking raises the risk of developing coronary heart disease by lowering good cholesterol , which makes heart-healthy exercise harder to do. Smoking also raises blood pressure and increases blood clots, increasing the risk of stroke.

Smoking damages the nerve endings responsible for the senses of smell and taste. In as little as 2 days after quitting, a person may notice a heightened sense of smell and more vivid tastes as these nerves heal. While it is healthier to have no nicotine in the body, this initial depletion can cause nicotine withdrawal.

Source: U. Department of Health and Human Services. Atlanta, GA: U. If you're ready to quit, find out how our Freedom From Smoking program can help you start your smokefree future. This November your donation goes even further to improve lung health and defeat lung cancer.

Double Your Gift. Your tax-deductible donation funds lung disease and lung cancer research, new treatments, lung health education, and more. Learn more.

The choice to quit smoking is one of the best health decisions you can make. Smoking damages nearly every organ and organ system in the body. In addition to raising your risk for heart disease, emphysema , stroke , leukemia , asthma , pneumonia , and tuberculosis , smokers are extremely likely to develop cancer, particularly fatal cancers. Just living with a smoker increases your chance of developing lung cancer or heart disease from secondhand smoke by as much as 30 percent. About 17 percent of high school students in a new survey were listed as "triple users" of marijuana, cigarettes, and e-cigarettes.

Experts say people taking the anti-smoking drug Chantix should continue taking the medication until they can talk with their doctor about alternatives.

Experts say that fine particulate matter in wildfire smoke can exacerbate lung-related health conditions and increase the risk of COVID Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Medically reviewed by Debra Sullivan, Ph. One week after your last cigarette.

Two weeks after your last cigarette. One month after your last cigarette. Three months after your last cigarette. Six months after your last cigarette. One year after your last cigarette. Three years after your last cigarette. Five years after your last cigarette. The takeaway. Read this next. Help Your Partner Quit Smoking. Medically reviewed by Timothy J. Legg, Ph.