Timeline of Benefits After Quitting Smoking.

An infographic of the benefits after quitting smoking.

The sooner you quit, the sooner you’ll notice changes to your body and health. Look at what happens when you quit for good.

• 20 minutes after quitting, your heart rate drops. Cigarettes raise your blood pressure and increase your heart rate. You heart rate will begin to drop to normal levels within 20 minutes of your last cigarette.
• 24 hours after quitting, you blood carbon monoxide level drops. Carbon monoxide is the same dangerous fume that comes from car exhaust. It causes your heart rate to increase and causes shortness of breath. Within 8 to 12 hours, the carbon monoxide level in your blood drops, and your blood oxygen increases.
• 2–3 days after quitting, your ability to smell and taste improves. The nerve endings damaged by smoking begin to regrow, improving your sense of smell and taste.
• 1 to 9 months after quitting, you’ll feel less short of breath and cough less. Coughing, shortness of breath, and sinus congestion will decrease. You’ll feel more energetic overall.
• 1 year after quitting, your risk of heart disease will be cut in half. Smoking significantly increases your risk of heart disease.
• 5 years after quitting, your risk of stroke decreases. Depending on how much and how long you smoked and your overall health, your risk of stroke will be the same as someone who’s never smoked within 5 to 15 years of quitting.
• 10 years after quitting, your risk of lung cancer drops to that of someone who’s never smoked. Your risk of dying from lung cancer will be that of a person who’s never smoked. Your risk of developing other cancers decreases significantly.