Health Effects of Tobacco

Your body after you quit

It doesn’t take years, months, or even days for your body to start recovering after you quit smoking. It only takes minutes. And the more time it has been since your last cigarette, the more healing your body can do.

Here’s how your body heals when you quit smoking:  

It’s been 20 minutes since your last cigarette…

and almost immediately, your blood pressure starts to drop and your blood oxygen levels come back up. Your circulation and heart rate are already returning to normal, lowering the risk of a heart attack. 

It’s been two days since your last cigarette...

and your sense of taste and smell are starting to improve.

It’s been three days since your last cigarette…

and any stored-up nicotine has left your body. You’re now probably feeling the worst of your nicotine withdrawal symptoms.

It’s been two weeks since your last cigarette…

and you’re already breathing clearer. You can take fuller breaths and you have more energy as a result.

It’s been more than a month since your last cigarette…

and exercising is feeling a lot easier these days as your circulation improves and your lung capacity increases.

It’s been nine months since your last cigarette…

and your lungs are starting to clear out. The tiny sacs of air within the lungs that take in oxygen and release carbon dioxide, called alveoli, are doing much better. This helps you fight lung infections.

It’s been one year since your last cigarette…

and your risk of a heart attack related to smoking has been cut in half.

It’s been five years since your last cigarette…

and your risk of a stroke is the same as a non-smoker.

It’s been a decade since your last cigarette…

and your risk of dying from lung cancer is now half of what it was when you were smoking.

It’s been 20 years since your last cigarette…

and your risk of heart attack is now equal to that of a non-smoker. It took a while to get here, but it’s now like you never smoked at all.