Are you smoking cigarettes or are they smoking you?
Last week we talked about all the things your body gets back in the first 48 hours of going smoke free.
This week we’ll look at all the things your body gets back beyond 2 days:
2 Weeks – 3 months: Your circulation improves and your lung function increases.
You may notice that you’re not only breathing easier, you’re also moving around easier … thanks to better circulation and oxygenation. The tiny hair-like structures (cilia) that move mucus out of the lungs start to function normally, increasing their ability to: handle mucus, clean the lungs, and reduce the risk of infection.
1 Year: Your risk of heart attack drops dramatically.
One year after quitting smoking, your risk for coronary heart disease decreases by half. The better news is this risk will continue to drop the longer you stay smoke-free.
5 years: You are at a lower risk of stroke.
5 years after you quit smoking, the arteries and blood vessels to begin to widen back toward diameters they were before your smoking habit. Wider blood vessels mean the blood is less likely to clot, which in turn lowers the risk of stroke. Even better news is that your risk of stroke will continue to be reduced over the next 10 years as the widening of the vessels continues.
10 years: Your chance of lung cancer is cut in half.
After 10 years, a person’s chances of dying from lung cancer are cut roughly in half (versus if they had continued to smoke). The likelihood of developing mouth, throat, or pancreatic cancer is also significantly reduced.
For the last two weeks, we’ve shown you the effects of smoking. Do your body good, this Monday commit to quit smoking and stay quit.
Next week: The cost (literally) of smoking.
