20 minutes after quitting
Your heart rate and blood pressure drops.
12 hours after quitting
The carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal.
2 weeks to 3 months after quitting
Your circulation improves and your lung function increases.
1 to 9 months after quitting
Coughing and shortness of breath decrease; cilia (tine hair-like structures that move mucus out of the lungs) regain normal function in the lungs, increasing the ability to handle c mucus, clean the lungs, and reduce the risk of infection.
1 year after quitting
The excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker’s.
5 years after quitting
Your stroke risk is reduced to that of a nonsmoker 5 to 15 years after quitting.
10 years after quitting
The lung cancer death rate is about half that of a continuing smoker’s. The risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, cervix and pancreas decrease.
15 years after quitting
The risk of coronary heart disease is that of a non-smoker’s.
Source: American Cancer Society – www.cancer.org