with over 7,000 chemicals released each
time you light a cigarette it's no
surprise that smoking is one of the
leading causes of preventable deaths
worldwide but with 1.3 billion people
actively smoking what actually happens
when you stop smoking within the first
20 minutes of quitting your blood
pressure and heart rate return to normal
this is because the nicotine in
cigarettes released epinephrine and
norepinephrine which increased your
heart rate and narrowed blood vessels
these effects also caused smokers
extremities to feel colder but by now
your hands and feet have returned to
their normal temperature 2 hours in and
the nicotine cravings begin causing
moodiness drowsiness tense feelings and
even difficulty sleeping because
nicotine also releases more dopamine
than normal these are expected
physiological responses to the decrease
in its release eight hours after
quitting and the inhaled carbon monoxide
clears allowing oxygen levels in the
bloodstream to return to normal carbon
monoxide and oxygen compete to bind to
hemoglobin in your blood which stretches
the circulatory system so as it clears
there's more room for oxygen however for
long-term smokers this carbon monoxide
exposure causes red blood cells to
increase in size making the blood
thicker and causing higher blood
pressure and increased chances of
developing blood clot surprisingly 24
hours after quitting coughing will
actually increase which is your body's
way of clearing out all the toxins from
the lungs additionally at this point the
risk of developing various coronary
artery diseases decreases all within 24
hours after 48 hours when nicotine and
its metabolites are completely
eliminated from your body damaged nerve
endings begin to regrow the tar and
other chemicals and cigarettes leave
fewer taste buds that are flatter with
less blood vessels they now begin to
regain their sensitivity making food
tastes better although chronic smokers
may often have irreversibly damaged
taste blood at the 72-hour mark nicotine
withdrawal peaks with headaches nausea
and cramps as well as emotional symptoms
like anxiety and depression these
symptoms can be seen by most addictive
substances
cluding caffeine but after this period
the worst is officially over after one
month the risk of developing type 2
diabetes cancer and cardiovascular
diseases has already decreased in three
to nine months the damage Celia and the
lungs are almost fully repaired which
are hairlike structures that help sweep
away dust and debris and as a result
symptoms such as coughing and shortness
of breath are almost completely
eliminated and around one year the risk
of developing heart disease as a direct
result of at the Roma formation which
are deposits of fatty material or scar
tissue from deteriorating arterial walls
decreases by almost one-half in 10 years
the chance of developing lung cancer
decreases to half of someone who did not
quit smoking and in 15 years time the
risk of heart attack decreases to the
same as someone who has never smoked
their entire life of course this
guideline is not definitive and the
average amount you smoke per day or year
will play a role in how well your body
recovers unfortunately there will always
be some irreversible damage to the lungs
and increased susceptibility to
developing various lung diseases and
while quitting may be difficult the
benefits greatly outweigh the initial
withdrawal ultimately the best way to
prevent this from happening is to not
begin smoking at all need some extra
motivation check out our videos to your
lazy people which might give you the
boost you need to kick your habit or
focus on other goals you're hoping to
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