When the smoke clears

Trashing tobacco out of one’s system improves health. Here’s what happens when a smoker quits after:

• 20 minutes, blood pressure and pulse rate returns to normal. Circulation in hands and feet improves.
• 8 hours, oxygen levels in blood return to normal. Chances of heart attack begin to fall.
• 24 hours, carbon monoxide is eliminated from the body. The lung starts to clear out mucus.
• 48 hours, nicotine is no longer detectable in the body. The ability to taste and smell improves.
• 72 hours, breathing becomes easier as the bronchial tubes relax. Energy levels increase.
• 2-12 weeks, walking becomes easier as circulation improves throughout the body.
• 3-9 months, breathing improves as coughing, shortness of breath, and wheezing incidence decline. Lung function increases by 5-10 percent.
• 5 years, risk of heart attack falls to about half that of a smoker.
• 10 years, it’s like you never smoked as risk of heart attack falls to about the same as that of a non-smoker. Risk of lung cancer falls to about half that of a smoker.

Indeed, the only quitters to win are the smokers.

Source: A White Paper on Tobacco and Smoking