Once you stop smoking, you’ll likely notice some positive changes in the body over time. These little milestones add up to a huge benefit to your health, and knowing what’s going on inside (and not solely focusing on the negative experiences of quitting smoking), can be a great motivator.
This is where the stop smoking timeline comes in.[3] It takes just 20 minutes for the benefits of quitting smoking to take effect as your heart rate will return to its normal rate. After eight hours, carbon monoxide levels are halved in the body and your oxygen levels are increased. The carbon monoxide has completely left the body after two days and your lungs are beginning to recover, not to mention that your sense of taste and smell are returning to normal. The day after, your bronchial tubes can relax again, helping you to breathe more easily.
Over the next few weeks, the blood flow to your heart has increased considerably and after just three to nine months, coughing and wheezing subside as your lung capacity increases. Long term, it takes just a year for your risk of a heart attack to have halved, and in ten years, your risk of lung cancer does the same.
As an added bonus, your bank balance is likely to swell, so you not only have the energy to do more, you can also afford it.