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When smokers quit --
What are the benefits over time? |
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20 minutes after quitting:
Your heart rate and blood pressure drops.
(Effect of Smoking on Arterial Stiffness and Pulse Pressure Amplification, Mahmud,
A, Feely, J. 2003. Hypertension:41:183.) |
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12 hours after quitting:
The carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal.
(US Surgeon General's Report, 1988, p. 202) |
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2 weeks to 3 months after quitting:
Your circulation improves and your lung function increases.
(US Surgeon General's Report, 1990, pp.193, 194,196, 285, 323) |
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| 1 to 9 months after quitting: |
| Coughing and shortness of breath decrease; cilia (tiny hair-like
structures that move mucus out of the lungs) regain normal function
in the lungs, increasing the ability to handle mucus, clean the
lungs, and reduce the risk of infection.
(US Surgeon General's Report, 1990, pp. 285-287, 304) |
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1 year after quitting:
The excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker's.
(US Surgeon General's Report, 1990, p. vi) |
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| 5 years after quitting: |
Your stroke risk is reduced to that of a non-smoker 5 to 15 years
after quitting.
(US Surgeon General's Report, 1990, p. vi) |
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10 years after quitting:
The lung cancer death rate is about half that of a continuing smoker's. The risk
of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, cervix, and pancreas decrease,
too.
(US Surgeon General's Report, 1990, pp. vi, 131, 148, 152, 155, 164,166) |
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15 years after quitting:
The risk of coronary heart disease is the same as a non-smoker's.
(US Surgeon General's Report, 1990, p. vi) |
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Immediate rewards of quitting |
| Kicking the tobacco habit offers some benefits that you'll notice
right away and some that will develop over time. These rewards
can improve your day-to-day life a great deal. |
- Your Significant others quit griping at you about your habit.
- You can finally have those white teeth all the commercials
promise.
- Your clothes and hair will stay fresh smelling longer.
- Your yellow fingers and fingernails will start returning to
their normal color.
- Food tastes better. We can help you control your appetite
to avoid weight
gain.
- Your sense of smell returns to normal. Good if you work at
the flower shop, bad if you work at a feed lot.
- Climbing stairs or light housework may be easier as your
ability to breathe returns to normal. Housework will still
not be a lot of fun, you’ll just breathe easier.
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