Table of contents:
- Changes in the body after quitting smoking
- 20 minutes
- 2 hours
- 8-12 hours
- 24 hours
- 48 hours
- 3 days
- 2-12 weeks
- 3-9 months
- 1 year
From the ear canal to the circulatory system, smoking can harm nearly every part of your body. Unfortunately, for nicotine addicts, quitting smoking is such a frightening specter that they tend to prefer to live with the damage that has already been caused.
The first weeks after quitting smoking are usually the most difficult period, it takes at least 8-12 weeks before a person is declared free from smoking and reconciles with his new lifestyle as an ex-smoker.
But it turns out, the body will start the regenerative process even just a few minutes after you quit smoking.
The following is a timeline of the reactions that occur in the body after your last cigarette.
Changes in the body after quitting smoking
20 minutes
One of the effects of smoking is the increased blood pressure and heart rate due to nicotine which poison the circulatory system. The benefits of quitting smoking can be seen from the first few minutes. Approximately 20 minutes after the last cigarette, your heart rate will begin to drop and stabilize to a normal level.
2 hours
The tips of your fingers and toes will start to feel warm due to the gradual healing of the peripheral blood circulation. But watch out! Within this time period you will be prone to experiencing a nicotine "withdrawal".
Early signs and symptoms of nicotine withdrawal include:
- severe cravings
- anxiety, tension, frustration
- drowsiness or insomnia
- increased appetite
- tingling in the palms or feet
- sweating
- headache
8-12 hours
Carbon monoxide if consumed in large quantities will replace oxygen to bind to red blood cells and cause various heart problems.
The first 8 hours after you quit smoking, the carbon monoxide levels in the body will begin to decrease and are replaced by oxygen.
24 hours
The chance of heart attack in the smokers group was higher when compared to the nonsmokers group, reaching 70%. The good news is, after 24 hours from your last cigarette, your risk of a heart attack that has been haunting you will gradually decrease.
Your lungs will also begin to release mucus and toxic substances that have stuck to blocking your airways. Also pay attention to the "withdrawal" symptoms that usually appear at this phase. As your lung performance improves, you may experience common cold symptoms (sore throat, cough and other breathing problems).
48 hours
Nicotine causes addiction to chemicals that signal your body to meet the needs of a certain level of nicotine in a certain time. If this need is not met, cigarette addiction can lead to blurring of the senses, especially the senses of smell and taste.
After 48 hours, the nerve endings will grow back so that the two senses will work as before.
3 days
At this point, all of the nicotine remaining in your body will completely disappear. The bad news is that it is in this phase that the symptoms of "withdrawal" are prone to arise and increase. You may experience nausea, cramps, and various emotional problems in addition to the initial nicotine withdrawal symptoms.
The tension and cravings will slowly build up during this phase, sometimes becoming unbearable.
To fight "sakaw", reward or treat yourself to a personal record net achievement from cigarettes at this time. Use cigarette money to buy clothes, for example, or the running shoes you've been dreaming of.
2-12 weeks
Smoking affects your blood circulation, making any physical activity you do feel heavy and torturous. As a result, your body's health decreases.
After weeks of getting rid of nicotine, you can now exercise or do other physical routines without feeling sick and tired. This restoration of energy is caused by the body's regenerative processes starting to become active again. Your lung and respiratory function will also begin to improve.
Generally, the symptoms of "withdrawal" will begin to decrease when a person has successfully reached this phase.
3-9 months
The months after you are smoke free, your health will improve even more. The coughing, wheezing sound and difficulty breathing caused by smoking that you have been complaining about will slowly disappear as your lungs regenerate.
The withdrawal symptoms will completely disappear at this stage.
1 year
This phase is a very monumental stepping stone for you.
Cigarettes damage artery walls and cause blockages in the arteries due to fatty substances (atheroma) that build up. After one year completely free from smoking, the risk of various heart diseases (coronary heart disease, angina, stroke) will drop dramatically by 50% when compared to when you were still smoking.
