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Benefits of Quitting
How does your body recover after quitting?
- After 20 minutes, your heart rate and blood pressure drop.
- After 12 hours, the carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal.
- After 2 weeks to 3 months, your circulation improves and your lung function increases.
- After 1 to 9 months, coughing and shortness of breath decrease, cilia start to regain normal function in the lungs, increasing ability to handle mucus, and reduce the risk of infection.
- After 1 year, the excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of someone who continues to smoke. Your heart attack risk drops dramatically.
- After 5 years, the risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, and bladder is cut in half. Cervical cancer risk falls to that of a non-smoker. Stroke risk can fall to that of a non-smoker after 2-5 years.
- After 10 years, the risk of dying from a lung cancer is about half that of a person who is still smoking. The risk of cancer of the larynx (voice box) and pancreas decreases.
- After 15 years, the risk of coronary heart disease is that of non-smokers.
*Information taken from Cancer.org/healthy/stayawayfromtobacco/benefits-of-quitt-smoking-over-time
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