Quitting Smoking Benefits

Smoking causes health problems. Find out how the damage can be reversed.

If you are worried about the damage that smoking is doing to your body, you should be. Smoking causes many serious health related problems. The good news is that much of the damage can be reversed over time when you stop smoking. Benefits definitely outweigh the discomfort you feel while you are trying to quit. Keep reading to find out just how quitting smoking benefits you.

There are more than 4000 chemicals and 40 cancer causing substances contained in the smoke from tobacco products. Is it any wonder with this combination of carcogenics that smoking is linked to so many serious problems? Since smoking negatively affects every organ in your body, quitting smoking puts you on track for better over-all health. And you may be surprised to find out just how quickly these benefits kick in.

When you smoke, your blood pressure rises and your pulse rate increases. But within the first 20 minutes of going smoke-free, your blood pressure drops and your pulse rate goes back to normal.

One of the poisonous substances you will inhale with each cigarette is carbon monoxide. When you smoke, carbon monoxide levels in your blood rise. But, after 8 hours without smoking, carbon monoxide levels in your bloodstream drop.

Smoking increases our risk of a heart attack. If you don't smoke for a day, your chance of a heart attack decreases.

Smokers generally have poor senses of taste and smell. Well, within just 48 hours of quitting, you will start noticing an improvement in your ability to taste and smell.

Smoking has a huge negative impact on your lungs. But after just 3 days of not smoking, your lung capacity will increase and you will breathe easier.

Smoking causes poor circulation. If you quit, this will show improvement by the end of the third month and even sooner in many people. You'll also notice that you can go for a brisk walk without becoming short of breath. That's because your lung function may increase by as much as 20% during this time period.

Smoking also results in the ever present congestion, shortness of breath, rasping cough, and wheezing breathing. Between 1 and 9 months after quitting, these symptoms start to decrease. The cilia, which are microscopic hairs lining the lungs, may start to grow again. This will help clean up your lungs.

Smoking causes heart disease. If you remain smoke-free for one year, you will have cut risk of heart disease by 50%. That's huge.

As you can see, there are many, many quitting smoking benefits. So why stop smoking? Just think about what your life could be like now and in the future, if you were able to stop smoking for good. You can do it and you're worth it!