Some people have vices, most of which are bad for a person’s health, as they can cause physical and mental damage. One of the most common vices is smoking. Left unchecked, smoking can leave lasting damage to a person’s body and mind. It hurts the body because it hurts your lungs, and it hurts the mind because the longer a person uses it, the more they rely on it.
People have taken it upon themselves to quit smoking. However, some others can’t quit because they dread the thought of quitting. Usually, the reason is that they want to see the rejuvenating effects of quitting smoking. What most people don’t realize is that it actually is fast.
To know more about what happens to your body when you quit smoking, read on below.
The Healing Process
As mentioned above, the effects of quitting smoking manifest very early on. As soon as a person stops smoking, their body heals in the following ways:
12 Hours After Quitting
When you smoke, your heart rate rises. After 12 hours of quitting, your heart rate drops back to normal. Blood pressure also begins to drop, which improves circulation.
Aside from the positive effect on your heart rate, the body cleanses itself of carbon monoxide, which is a poisonous gas that is found in cigarette smoke. Carbon monoxide causes suffocation if large amounts of it were inhaled in a short period of time.
After 3 Days
After going 3 days without smoking, the risk of having a heart attack decreases, including the possibility of getting coronary heart disease. Oxygen levels would have also risen as well, which makes physical activity easier to do.
Smoking also affects a person’s nerve endings that are responsible for smell and taste. After 3 days without smoking, a person might notice an improvement in their sense of smell and taste.
At this point, nicotine levels in the body are also depleted. It’s a sign of being healthier, but keep in mind that a nicotine withdrawal will likely ensue. A person may experience frequent mood swings because of the body adjusting to the absence of nicotine. This may continue for up to the next several months since quitting.
After 9 Months
After 9 months, the lungs will have significantly healed themselves. The fragile, hair-like structures in the lungs called cilia will have also healed from the cigarette smoke. The cilia help fight infections in the lungs, so the chances of lung-related infections are also lessened.
A year after quitting smoking, a person’s risk for getting coronary heart disease continues to drop. This will go on past the 1-year mark.
After 5 Years
At this point, the body has healed itself enough for the arteries and blood vessels to be wide again. With wide arteries and blood vessels, blood clots are less likely to happen, thereby lessening the risk of getting a stroke.
After 10 Years
After 10 years of quitting smoking, the chances of a person getting lung cancer and dying from the condition are cut by half. The chances of getting mouth, throat, or pancreatic cancer are also reduced.
After 20 Years
At this point in time, the risks of you getting coronary heart disease and pancreatic cancer are now likened to that of a non-smoker. The risk of dying from smoking-related illnesses, including lung disease and cancer, is now similar to that of a person who has never smoked at least once in their life.
Conclusion
To say that smoking kills is an understatement. Smoking is practically subjecting yourself to death in the long run. Smoking around other people also affects their respective health conditions, which is why it’s good to quit smoking as early as now. Doing so keeps you away from the consequences when the time comes.
Quitting smoking is a tedious and daunting process, but you don’t have to be alone. If you’re looking for pharmacy consulting services to help you quit smoking, Pharmasave Summerside has some of the best medical practitioners dedicated to helping smokers quit. Contact us today for a consultation!