Quitting Smoking Timeline and your health
If you are interested in quitting smoking, it helps to have a quitting smoking timeline to understand the effects quitting smoking will have on you, your body, and those around you. Fortunately while smoking withdrawal symptoms are horrible to endure, these are only mental as you will not cause physical harm from quitting. You will not die from quitting smoking. However, the stress of breaking a habit can cause a lot of tensions on you and those around you. Instead of focusing on being angry and allowing agitation to fester in your relationships, focus on the positive effects quitting smoking will have for you.
The duration of the quitting smoking timeline varies by individual, but the benefits start just 20 minutes after you stop smoking!
Quitting Smoking Timeline: What happens to your body after you give up cigarettes?
20 minutes: blood pressure, pulse, and body temperature return to normal
3 hours to up to 6 months: Amount of time withdrawal symptoms will remain present in your life; the duration and amount of cigarettes you have smoked has a great effect on this time period.
8 hours: carbon monoxide and oxygen levels in blood return to normal
24 hours: decreased risk of heart attack
48 hours: nerves and cilia in mouth, nose, throat, and lungs begin to regrow; you are able to smell and taste better
3 to 4 days: Number of days it will take for nicotine and byproducts of smoking to leave your body.
2 weeks to 3 months: lung function increases by 30 percent; blood circulation improves; more capable of physical exertion.
1 to 9 months: lessen difficulties with respiratory issues, including shortness of breath, coughing, and sinus congestion; energy levels increase
12 months/1 year: coronary heart disease risk is cut by 50 percent
5 years: lung cancer rates cut in half
10 years: precancerous cells are reduced by 50 percent
13 years: risk of tooth loss is the same as someone who is a nonsmoker
15 years: stroke risk is the same as a nonsmoker; cancer of the bladder, kidney, pancreas, cervix, mouth, esophagus, and throat is reduced by 50 percent; coronary heart disease risk the same as nonsmoker
20 years: for females, the risk of smoking related diseases, including cancer and heart disease, is the same as someone who never smoked
The good and bad of the quitting smoking timeline
When you decide to quit smoking, the initial withdrawal symptoms can create havoc on your life. Just keep the quitting smoking timeline in mind, and remember that these symptoms are short lived, and focus on the positives of extending your quality of life as a nonsmoker.
Bookmark this page or print out the benefits of the quitting smoking timeline to stay motivated while you are trying to quit. It’s your life, don’t throw away your health and probably years of your life. There are many ways you can find support and stay busy during the hard beginning stages.