The Benefits of Stopping Smoking: It’s Never Too Late to Quit

It’s never too late to reap the health benefits of stopping smoking. Smoking affects every organ system in your body, which is why the impact of quitting touches on so many aspects of your health. The discomforts of quitting are temporary, and your body will start recovering right away. Here are some of the many positive effects you may see when you quit cigarette smoking.

Improved Heart Health

Nicotine narrows your blood vessels, causing your blood pressure to rise and your heart rate to increase each time you smoke. As the toxins and nicotine from your last cigarette leave your body, these changes gradually lower your risk of heart problems.

• Blood vessels relax and expand.
• Heart rate slows and blood pressure drops.
• Circulation improves to all parts of the body.

Improved Lung Functioning

Your lungs function better every day after quitting smoking. As your body recovers from the effects of the toxins in cigarette smoke your breathing and lung health will gradually be restored.

• Carbon monoxide levels drop to near-normal levels shortly after you stop smoking.
• Blood oxygen levels will become similar to those of a person who has never smoked.
• Shortness of breath is reduced.
• Chronic coughing and breathing issues will subside.
• Tiny hairs called cilia start functioning normally in the lung passages, moving mucus out of the lungs more efficiently and giving better protection against infections.

Restoring Your Health: Reducing Your Risk of Smoking-Related Diseases

Smoking-related diseases lead to many preventable deaths. Stopping smoking means that you can add healthier years to your life, making it one of the most significant health decisions you can make.

• Your risk of coronary heart disease drops quickly the first few years after quitting smoking, and your chances of having a heart attack will be sharply reduced.
• Your risk of lung cancer will drop by half after ten years, and the risk of bladder and kidney disease will begin to decline.
• Your risk of cancers of the throat and mouth, pancreatic cancer, and coronary heart disease will lower, becoming similar to those of non-smokers fifteen to twenty years after quitting smoking.

The Mental Health Benefits of Stopping Smoking

Quitting smoking gives your mental health a boost as well. Nicotine is an addictive substance, so you may feel some tension, anxiety, or mood changes as your body goes through withdrawal. But as your body begins to heal, you will find life more enjoyable as your senses come alive. Your food will taste better as your sensory cells grow back, your sense of touch will improve with better circulation, and you will feel more energized with fewer breathing problems.

Stop Smoking For A Healthier Future

The benefits of stopping smoking are numerous and can begin the first day you quit smoking. Your food tastes better, you have more energy for the life you want to lead, and you reduce your risk of many smoking-related diseases. Quitting smoking may not be easy, but it can have an immeasurable impact on your health and your future