The health benefits of stopping smoking

Smoking harms nearly every organ in your body. It weakens your health throughout your life and can cause fatal diseases.

As soon as you stop smoking, your body begins to repair itself. In the first days after quitting your body is already working better (even if you don't necessarily feel it).

The earlier you quit, the better for your health. The benefits of stopping smoking apply to men and women, young and old, and people with and without smoking-related diseases. So it is worth having a go. 

Depending on the number of cigarettes you smoke, typical benefits of stopping are:

Within a day

• Almost all of the nicotine is out of your bloodstream.
• The level of carbon monoxide in your blood has dropped and more oxygen can reach your heart and muscles.

Within a week

• Your lung's natural cleaning system will start to recover and become better at removing mucus, tar and dust from your lungs.
• You will have higher blood levels of protective antioxidants, such as Vitamin C.

Within two months

• Your lungs will no longer be producing extra phlegm caused by smoking.
• You'll cough and wheeze less.
• Your immune system will have begun to recover.
• Your blood is less thick and sticky, and blood flow to your hands and feet improves.
• Your body is better at healing cuts and wounds.

Within six months

• Your lungs are working much better. Exercising will be easier, as more air is getting into your lungs.

After one year

• Your blood pressure returns to normal.

Within two to five years

• There is a large drop in your risk of heart attack and stroke. Your risk then continues to gradually decrease.
• For women, within 5 years your risk of cervical cancer is the same as someone who has never smoked.

After ten years

• Your risk of lung cancer is markedly lower than that of a continuing smoker and continues to decline (provided the disease is not already present).

After fifteen years

• Your risk of heart attack and stroke is close to that of a person who has never smoked.

Stopping smoking reduces your risk of developing, or the worsening, of lung disease including chronic bronchitis and emphysema.

Over time, your sense of taste and smell will slowly improve.