What Happens When You Stop Smoking?

With over 7,000 chemicals released each time you light a cigarette it’s no surprise that smoking is one of the
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leading causes of preventable deaths worldwide but with 1.3 billion people actively smoking what actually happens
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when you stop smoking within the first 20 minutes of quitting your blood pressure and heart rate return to normal
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this is because the nicotine in cigarettes released epinephrine and norepinephrine which increased your
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heart rate and narrowed blood vessels these effects also caused smokers extremities to feel colder but by now
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your hands and feet have returned to their normal temperature 2 hours in and the nicotine cravings begin causing
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moodiness drowsiness tense feelings and even difficulty sleeping because nicotine also releases more dopamine
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than normal these are expected physiological responses to the decrease in its release eight hours after
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quitting and the inhaled carbon monoxide clears allowing oxygen levels in the bloodstream to return to normal carbon
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monoxide and oxygen compete to bind to hemoglobin in your blood which stretches the circulatory system so as it clears
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there’s more room for oxygen however for long-term smokers this carbon monoxide exposure causes red blood cells to
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increase in size making the blood thicker and causing higher blood pressure and increased chances of
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developing blood clot surprisingly 24 hours after quitting coughing will actually increase which is your body’s
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way of clearing out all the toxins from the lungs additionally at this point the risk of developing various coronary
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artery diseases decreases all within 24 hours after 48 hours when nicotine and its metabolites are completely
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eliminated from your body damaged nerve endings begin to regrow the tar and other chemicals and cigarettes leave
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fewer taste buds that are flatter with less blood vessels they now begin to regain their sensitivity making food
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tastes better although chronic smokers may often have irreversibly damaged taste blood at the 72-hour mark nicotine
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withdrawal peaks with headaches nausea and cramps as well as emotional symptoms like anxiety and depression these
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symptoms can be seen by most addictive substances cluding caffeine but after this period
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the worst is officially over after one month the risk of developing type 2 diabetes cancer and cardiovascular
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diseases has already decreased in three to nine months the damage Celia and the lungs are almost fully repaired which
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are hairlike structures that help sweep away dust and debris and as a result symptoms such as coughing and shortness
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of breath are almost completely eliminated and around one year the risk of developing heart disease as a direct
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result of at the Roma formation which are deposits of fatty material or scar tissue from deteriorating arterial walls
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decreases by almost one-half in 10 years the chance of developing lung cancer decreases to half of someone who did not
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quit smoking and in 15 years time the risk of heart attack decreases to the same as someone who has never smoked
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their entire life of course this guideline is not definitive and the average amount you smoke per day or year
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will play a role in how well your body recovers unfortunately there will always be some irreversible damage to the lungs
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and increased susceptibility to developing various lung diseases and while quitting may be difficult the
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benefits greatly outweigh the initial withdrawal ultimately the best way to prevent this from happening is to not
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begin smoking at all need some extra motivation check out our videos to your lazy people which might give you the
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boost you need to kick your habit or focus on other goals you’re hoping to accomplish ask us your burning questions
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in the comments or on social media and subscribe for more weekly science videos every Thursday