Quit smoking and feel the health benefits a lot sooner than you think

Quitting smoking isn’t easy. But the American Cancer Society reports smokers who kick the habit will not have to wait long to feel the health benefits.

“Within 20 minutes of one’s stopping smoking, one’s heart rate and blood pressure actually go down. Twelve hours after one stops smoking, the carbon monoxide levels in one’s blood decrease. About two weeks after one stops smoking, one’s lung function actually improves, so one is going to be less short of breath and have more exercise tolerance,” said Doctor Otis Brawley.

Brawley said a smoker may experience some negative effects of nicotine withdrawal. “You can have shaking. You can have nervousness. Even have some depression, increased appetite,” he said.

But Brawley urges people to hang in there, because the benefits of not smoking will continue. “One to nine months after one stops smoking, the cough goes away. About a year after one stops smoking, one’s risk of heart disease goes down. About five years after one stops smoking, one’s risk of stroke decreases,” added Brawley.

Brawley said 10 years after quitting, the lung cancer death rate is about half that of a current smokers.