Smoking and Your Health from ibreathe.com


		treatments

		smoking 101
		get motivated to quit
		helping someone quit
		smoking & your health

			smoking & asthma
			smoking & COPD

		glossary
		smoking Q & A

Perhaps you’ve already felt the damage caused by smoking in your own body – shortness of breath, long-lasting chest colds, and morning smoker’s cough. Smoking can increase the severity of asthma and is the overwhelming cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The good news is that your body begins to mend itself within minutes of smoking your last cigarette. Quitting smoking can greatly improve your health—even if you’ve been smoking for decades. The facts below are very encouraging and may motivate you to quit now and stay smoke-free.

20 minutes after your last cigarette

Blood pressure drops to normal.

Pulse rate drops to normal.

Temperature of hands and feet increases to normal.

8 hours after your last cigarette

Carbon monoxide level in blood drops to normal.

Oxygen level in blood increases to normal.

24 hours after your last cigarette

Chance of heart attack decreases.

48 hours after your last cigarette

Ability to smell and taste is enhanced.

72 hours after your last cigarette

Breathing becomes easier.

Lung capacity increases.

2 weeks to 3 months after your last cigarette

Blood circulation improves.

Walking becomes easier.

Lung function increases up to 30%.

1 to 9 months after your last cigarette

Coughing, sinus congestion, and shortness of breath decreases.

Your body’s energy level increases.

Your lungs are better able to fight infection.

5 years after your last cigarette

Mouth and throat cancer death risk decreases.

10 years after your last cigarette

Lung cancer death risk drops.

Risk of other cancers drops.