What happens in the body after quitting smoking?

Millions of people continue to smoke even though it has been proven experimentally that smoking harms the lungs, heart, and other organs, and increases the risk of cancer.

The first positive changes appear 20 minutes after smoking the last cigarette. The heart rate decreases, and the blood pressure level returns to normal. Because nicotine makes the heart beat faster and blood vessels constrict, because it stimulates the release of the hormone adrenaline.

But these changes depend on how long a person smokes. Because long-term smoking leads to damage to the heart muscle and blood vessels, which threatens tachycardia. In addition, long-term smoking contributes to the development of high blood pressure, so smokers are more susceptible to myocardial infarction.

However, 8 hours after the last cigarette, the level of oxygen in the blood will begin to rise and the level of toxic carbon monoxide will decrease by approximately half. Carbon monoxide (a tasteless and odorless gas) is formed when smoking tobacco contains carbon, and when smoking it replaces oxygen in the blood. As a result, lung function weakens, the heart begins to work harder, and cells and tissues lack the oxygen they need, which can lead to a stroke or myocardial infarction.

After 48 hours, that is, after spending two days without cigarettes, the person will be amazed at how delicious the usual cheese sandwich he eats for breakfast is, when his senses of taste and smell recover. Because smoking can damage the olfactory nerves in the nose, making it difficult for smokers to distinguish smells and tastes.

In addition, during this period the body is completely cleansed of carbon monoxide, and the respiratory system begins to gradually get rid of the mucus accumulated in it.

72 hours after smoking the last cigarette, that is, after three days, breathing will become easier, because the alveoli and bronchi - parts of the respiratory system whose lining was irritated and damaged by smoke - begin to heal. The person will feel more energetic because the oxygen level in the blood rises.

After two weeks, blood circulation will noticeably improve, and blood flow through the heart and muscles will improve greatly. We must know that the toxic substances found in cigarette smoke, especially carbon monoxide, contribute to the formation of plaques in the arteries, cause their blockage, weaken their function, and atherosclerosis develops, leading to myocardial infarction.

Three months after smoking the last cigarette, lung function will improve by 10 percent, and coughing, shortness of breath, and other respiratory problems will gradually disappear. There is no need to worry if the cough has not stopped yet because the lungs and bronchi continue to clean out the mucus accumulated over years of smoking.

One year after quitting smoking, the risk of myocardial infarction and other heart diseases decreases by half compared to smokers. After 10 years, the risk of dying from lung cancer is reduced by half compared to smokers.

Everyone should know that cigarette smoke contains more than 5,000 different chemicals, most of which are toxic to the body. Therefore, smoking increases the risk of lung cancer and 15 types of cancer, including cancer of the mouth, pharynx, rectum, liver, pancreas, and others.