Great News about Benefits of Quitting

It doesn't take long for a smoker's health to reap the benefits of quitting. The U.S. Surgeon Gerneral offers the following timeline.

20 MINUTES AFTER QUITTING: Blood pressure drops to a level close to that before the last cigarette. the temperature of your hands and feet increases to normal.

8 HOURS AFTER QUITTING: The carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal.

24 HOURS AFTER QUITTING: Your chance of a heart attack decreases.

2 WEEKS TO 3 MONTHS AFTER QUITTING: Your circulation improves and your lung function increases up to 30 percent.

1 TO 9 MONTHS AFTER QUITTING: Coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue, 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 infection.

1 YEAR AFTER QUITTING: The risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker.

5 YEARS AFTER QUITTING: Your stroke risk is reduced to less than half that of a smoker.

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, kidney and pancreas decrease.

15 YEARS AFTER QUITTING:The risk of coronary heart disease is that of a non-smoker's.