What happens to the body when you stop smoking?

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Smoking is a vice known to usher in illnesses like lung cancer, heart disease, diabetes, liver failure, erectile dysfunction, tuberculosis, and several other severe conditions. Experts like Dr. Paolo Bofetta strongly suggest people to stop smoking to prolong their life. Because as doctors say, the minute you stop smoking, your body begins to heal. And the longer you stop smoking; the more your body can recover. This is what happens to the body when you stop smoking altogether.

In just 20 minutes, your heart rate and blood pressure decrease. And after 12 hours of not smoking, the carbon monoxide levels in your body becomes normal once again. These may not seem significant, but you’re already reducing the risk of a heart attack less than 24 hours into quitting.

After two weeks, your blood circulation increases because of improved lung function and capacity. You’ll have more energy because of your ability to take in more oxygen. And the more oxygen your body has, the better it can function.

If you were experiencing shortness of breath and severe coughing because of smoking, you’d find that these instances begin to decrease significantly two months after quitting. And after 12 months of quitting, you cut your chances of getting coronary heart disease by half, and the risk of heart attack dramatically.

After five years of not smoking, your chances of getting mouth, throat, esophagus, and bladder cancer by 50%. Ten years of quitting reduce your chances of getting lung cancer by half. And by year 15, your chances of getting coronary heart disease are the same as those of a non-smoker.

Dr. Paolo Boffetta notes that the body takes time to heal from such a vice. But several years down the line, not only will you save thousands of dollars in medical bills, but you’ll also be saving yourself. 

Image source: theconversation.com




Dr. Paolo Boffetta is currently a professor and associate director at Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York. He studied medicine at the University of Turin, where he was also a resident at the Second Division of Internal Medicine. For more articles like this, visit this page.

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