fbpx

Quit Smoking Timeline

What Are The Benefits Over Time Of Quitting Smoking?

What Are The Benefits Over Time Of Quitting Smoking?

These are just a few of the benefits of quitting smoking. Quitting smoking lowers the risk of diabetes, lets blood vessels work better and helps the heart and lungs. Quitting while you are younger will reduce your health risks more, but quitting at any age can give back years of life that would be lost by continuing to smoke.

* From the American Cancer Society www.cancer.org

Learn More
How It Feels To Quit
20 minutes

20 MINUTES AFTER QUITTING

Your heart rate and blood pressure drop.

12 hours

12 HOURS AFTER QUITTING

The carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal.

2 weeks to 3 months

2 WEEKS TO 3 MONTHS AFTER QUITTING

Your circulation improves and your lung function increases.

1 to 9 months

1 TO 9 MONTHS AFTER QUITTING

Coughing and shortness of breath decrease; cilia (tiny hair-like structures that move mucus out of the lungs) start to regain normal function in the lungs, increasing the ability to handle mucus, clean the lungs and reduce the risk of infection.

1 year

1 YEAR AFTER QUITTING

The excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a continuing smoker’s.

5 years

5 YEARS AFTER QUITTING

Risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus and bladder are cut in half. Cervical cancer risk falls to that of a nonsmoker. Stroke risk can fall to that of a nonsmoker after 2-5 years.

10 years

10 YEARS AFTER QUITTING

The risk of dying from lung cancer is about half that of a person who is still smoking.

The risk of cancer of the larynx and pancreas decreases.

15 years

15 YEARS AFTER QUITTING

The risk of coronary heart disease is that of a nonsmoker’s.