What Happens to Your Body When You Quit Smoking

This article describes the beneficial health-related changes to your body after you have quit smoking according to the time since you have stopped.

After 20 minutes of your last cigarette, your blood pressure and pulse rate returns to normal.

In eight hours, nicotine and carbon monoxide levels in your blood fall by 50 percent and oxygen levels return to normal.

After 24 hours of having quit smoking, all traces of carbon monoxide have been removed from your body and your lungs begin to clear out mucus and other smoking debris.

After two full days, there will no longer be any nicotine left in your body and your senses of taste and smell are noticeably improved.

After three days, breathing becomes easier and your fitness and energy levels increase.

In the two to twelve weeks from the time you quit smoking, your blood circulation improves gradually.

Between three to nine months since your last cigarette, you experience fewer coughs, wheezes and breathing problems while your lung functions improve by up to ten percent.

After five years, your risk of a heart attack is half that of a smoker.

After ten years, the risk of a heart attack is identical to that of a person who has never smoked while the risk of lung cancer falls to half that of a smoker.