What Happens When You Stop Smoking?

with over 7,000 chemicals released each

time you light a cigarette it's no

surprise that smoking is one of the

leading causes of preventable deaths

worldwide but with 1.3 billion people

actively smoking what actually happens

when you stop smoking within the first

20 minutes of quitting your blood

pressure and heart rate return to normal

this is because the nicotine in

cigarettes released epinephrine and

norepinephrine which increased your

heart rate and narrowed blood vessels

these effects also caused smokers

extremities to feel colder but by now

your hands and feet have returned to

their normal temperature 2 hours in and

the nicotine cravings begin causing

moodiness drowsiness tense feelings and

even difficulty sleeping because

nicotine also releases more dopamine

than normal these are expected

physiological responses to the decrease

in its release eight hours after

quitting and the inhaled carbon monoxide

clears allowing oxygen levels in the

bloodstream to return to normal carbon

monoxide and oxygen compete to bind to

hemoglobin in your blood which stretches

the circulatory system so as it clears

there's more room for oxygen however for

long-term smokers this carbon monoxide

exposure causes red blood cells to

increase in size making the blood

thicker and causing higher blood

pressure and increased chances of

developing blood clot surprisingly 24

hours after quitting coughing will

actually increase which is your body's

way of clearing out all the toxins from

the lungs additionally at this point the

risk of developing various coronary

artery diseases decreases all within 24

hours after 48 hours when nicotine and

its metabolites are completely

eliminated from your body damaged nerve

endings begin to regrow the tar and

other chemicals and cigarettes leave

fewer taste buds that are flatter with

less blood vessels they now begin to

regain their sensitivity making food

tastes better although chronic smokers

may often have irreversibly damaged

taste blood at the 72-hour mark nicotine

withdrawal peaks with headaches nausea

and cramps as well as emotional symptoms

like anxiety and depression these

symptoms can be seen by most addictive

substances

cluding caffeine but after this period

the worst is officially over after one

month the risk of developing type 2

diabetes cancer and cardiovascular

diseases has already decreased in three

to nine months the damage Celia and the

lungs are almost fully repaired which

are hairlike structures that help sweep

away dust and debris and as a result

symptoms such as coughing and shortness

of breath are almost completely

eliminated and around one year the risk

of developing heart disease as a direct

result of at the Roma formation which

are deposits of fatty material or scar

tissue from deteriorating arterial walls

decreases by almost one-half in 10 years

the chance of developing lung cancer

decreases to half of someone who did not

quit smoking and in 15 years time the

risk of heart attack decreases to the

same as someone who has never smoked

their entire life of course this

guideline is not definitive and the

average amount you smoke per day or year

will play a role in how well your body

recovers unfortunately there will always

be some irreversible damage to the lungs

and increased susceptibility to

developing various lung diseases and

while quitting may be difficult the

benefits greatly outweigh the initial

withdrawal ultimately the best way to

prevent this from happening is to not

begin smoking at all need some extra

motivation check out our articles to your

lazy people which might give you the

boost you need to kick your habit or

focus on other goals you're hoping to

accomplish, and quit smoking.