Anyone who smokes would do their lungs and body a huge favor by quitting as soon as possible. Smoking causes damage to the lungs, heart, and other body tissues. Your lungs after quitting smoking immediately start to heal and it only takes an average of 21 days without nicotine to shake the actual addiction. Once you hit that 21-day mark, the cravings will be gone and you will learn how to live without your smoking habit. This article outlines how your lungs and body heal after you quit smoking.
Lungs and Other Organs After Quitting Smoking
Lungs Prior to Quitting Smoking
Before you quit smoking, your lungs basically have a rough time doing what they need to do: process and send oxygen out to your body. Smokers tend to take more shallow breaths and get less oxygen to the heart, brain, and other organs.
Prior to quitting smoking, you are at a higher risk for heart attacks or strokes. It raises your blood pressure and heart rate, actually giving you anxiety rather than calming you down.
20 Minutes After Your Last Cigarette
The healing effects of quitting smoking start almost immediately. As soon as 20 minutes after you quit, your heart rate resets to a more normal rate.
2 Hours After Your Last Cigarette
If you can go at least 2 hours without smoking, you are already experiencing a more normal blood pressure and heart rate. Your heart is also pumping blood to your organs and extremities.
After The First 24 Hours
Your lungs after quitting smoking for a full 24 hours can now inhale and exhale deeper and more effectively. You also are at a much lower risk of having a heart attack or stroke.
One Week After Quitting Smoking
If you made it a whole week without smoking, congratulations! You will notice a cough developing at this point, but it’s a good cough. Your lungs are clearing excess toxins that have built up over the years. Make sure you increase your fluid intake to help your body clean this out and heal faster.
Weeks Two and Three After Quitting Smoking
You will notice as early as two or three weeks after you quitthat you can exercise without feeling out of breath. Your body is starting to regenerate and your lungs are functioning much better. They will feel clearer and you will be able to breathe much better. Your heart is also starting to pump blood better and your circulation is improving.
One Month After Quitting
Your lungs after quitting smoking have now increased their capacity by 20% and are in full repair mode. Your little cilia hairs are starting to function like they should and pushing out any extra mucus. You’re now at a lower risk of lung infections, and you will notice less episodes of coughing.
The One Year Mark
You made it a full year without smoking! All of the tiny cilia have re-grown and are now fully functional like a non-smoker. Your cough is gone and you don’t feel short of breath anymore. You have also reduced your risk for a heart attack by 50%.
The Five Year Mark
After five full years as an ex-smoker you are now at a far lower risk of lung cancer than that of a smoker. Your lungs during the last five years have been busy shedding any cells that are “pre-cancerous” and have replaced them with healthy new cells.
The Ten Year Mark
Your lungs after quitting smoking for ten full years are now just like a non-smoker. Your risks of acquiring lung, mouth, or throat cancer have been cut in half and your chances of having a heart attack are the same as person who never smoked.
Additional Benefits of Quitting Smoking
Improved Family Health
Once you quit smoking, you are also protecting your family’s health. If you smoked in your home or car, you have been exposing others to second-hand smoke. Kids and family members of people who smoke have a much higher rate of asthma and other illnesses related to smoking. When you quit, your family gets these benefits:
- Increased chance of having a healthy pregnancy for women
- Less incidence of asthma or breathing trouble in children
- Less symptoms in children who already suffer from asthma
More Money in Your Pocket
You will notice how much money you are saving when you quit smoking. Just think about it, if you smoke a pack a day at $7 per day, then you are saving around $50 every week. That adds up to around $200 each month and a total of $2400 per year! Think of all the things you could do with even $50 per week.
Ready to quit smoking and want to know how? Watch this video:
How to Detox Your Lungs After Quitting Smoking
After quitting smoking your lungs will need a good cleansing. They are full of toxins and tar that can lead to respiratory disease and failure of the lungs. Knowing how to detox your lungs will further help prevent smoking related disease and help you live longer.
- Increase your fluid intake – As soon as you put out your very last cigarette, replace them with lots of fluids. This will help flush out carcinogens and toxins from your body. To increase your fluid intake, every time you want a cigarette have something healthy to drink instead.
- Lower your intake of sugar and salt – Try to cut down unhealthy foods, excess sugar, and salt. This will give your body extra strength to rebuild healthy tissues.
- Try doing yoga – Yoga is a good exercise and centered around breathing deeply. Work on yoga breathing that opens up and expands the lungs.
- Switch to "all-natural" household cleaners – While you are clearing the smoke from your air, clear the chemicals too. Try to use all-natural household cleaners to improve the air quality of your home. This will also help your lungs heal quicker.
- Make healthy dietary changes – Many people complain about weight gain after quitting smoking. You can head this off by eating a diet full of whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, healthy fats, and lean meats. If you find smoking has affected your skin, make sure to include extra foods containing high amounts of vitamin C, such as strawberries, bell pepper, and oranges. Also, foods containing chlorophyll tend to increase lung detoxification. These are green foods like chlorella, spinach, and spirulina.
For more remedies to help, read this: How to Clean Lungs After Quitting Smoking