A Timeline - Benefits of Not Smoking for 20 Minutes to 15 Years

The moment you make the resolution and drop that last cigarette stub, the benefits of not smoking begin. Each cigarette you smoke takes you one-step closer to death. Greatly increasing the chances of cancer in the lungs and throat, the nicotine in the cigarette directly affects your brain while the carbon monoxide binds with the hemoglobin reducing its oxygen carrying capacity. Shooting up pulse rate and blood pressure, smoking also increases chances of strokes as well as heart attacks.

With so many harmful effects on your health, quitting smoking is probably the best thing you can do for yourself and also your family. The benefits of not smoking begin within 20 minutes of you bidding goodbye to the last cigarette. The accompanying withdrawal symptoms are all momentary discomforts that are actually a part of your body's healing process.

The benefits of not smoking begin with your pulse rate and blood pressure dropping down to normal level. Within the next eight hours, the carbon monoxide level in your blood also comes down, leading to increased flow of oxygen, which revitalizes your damaged tissues. As the nicotine level keeps on falling, within 24 hours the risk of having a heart attack decreases considerably.

As the body becomes free from nicotine, within 48 hours the nerve endings start to regrow, greatly improving the sensory functions, and returning your sense of smell and taste. You start to breathe easy, the bronchial tubes relax, and you can even experience an overall increase in the energy levels within three days. Within two weeks your body regains its normal circulation and in a month's time you can feel a considerable decrease in your sinus congestion, fatigue, shortness of breath and coughing.

With so many immediate benefits of not smoking, sticking to your resolve of not smoking should be easier now. Lungs, which are the worst affected of all the organs in your body, begin to show signs of repair. And within two to three months you can get back about 30% of your lung function. The cilia of your respiratory tract regrow and the mucus secretion regenerates, holding back all dirt and germs and preventing chances of infection. Within a year, the risk of having a coronary heart disease reduces by half. Within five to ten years, the risk of having lung, throat, mouth, and esophagus cancer reduces to a great extent. In 15 years the Benefits of not smoking involve bringing down your susceptibility to coronary heart diseases to the level of a non-smoker. So, by quitting smoking you are actually saving your own life.

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Quitting Smoking Benefits - The Good Stuff Starts Right Away!

Yes, quitting smoking is very much worth the effort.

Within 20 minutes after you smoke that last cigarette, your body begins a series of positive changes that continue for years.

- Your blood pressure starts to go down.

- Your pulse rate drops (My resting pulse has dropped from 84 to 62 since I stopped).

- Your blood circulation begins to improve. This is actually one of the biggest quitting smoking benefits of all. Smoking constricts (makes smaller) your blood vessels and capillaries, which means your heart has to work harder to get blood and oxygen to those places in your body where it needs to go. When you stop smoking your veins and capillaries begin to relax and open up, which lowers the work load on your heart, which is why you'll experience a lower heart rate, lowered risk of heart attack, lower blood pressure, and higher energy level.

The quitting smoking benefits go on and on.

8 hours after your last cigarette:

- The carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal (the bad stuff is going away).

- The oxygen level in your blood increases to normal (the good stuff is increasing).

24 hours after your last cigarette:

- Your chance of having a heart attack begins to decrease (I've been told this is a big plus).

48 hours after your last cigarette:

- your damaged nerve endings begin to regrow - your ability to smell and taste begins to improve

The first and most noticeable quitting smoking benefit that I personally experienced was that my cigarette cough, which was terrible before I quit, was almost totally gone after three weeks. Three weeks! Amazing!

The worst nicotine withdrawal symptoms are gone after the first month.

2 Weeks to 3 Months After Quitting

- Your lung function begins to improve. - Circulation improves - Walking becomes easier

1 to 9 Months After Quitting - Your coughing and shortness of breath decrease.

1 Year After Quitting - Your added risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker's.

5 Years After Quitting - Your stroke risk is reduced to that of a nonsmoker's 5-15 years after quitting.

10 Years After Quitting - Your lung cancer death rate is about half that of a smoker's. - Your risk of cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, and pancreas decreases.

15 Years After Quitting - Your risk of coronary heart disease is back to that of a nonsmoker's.

I hope you're getting the message here.

Aside from the improvements to your physical health, your confidence will soar as you accumulate more smoke-free time. Breaking your nicotine addiction is very empowering.

Depending on what cigarettes cost in your neck of the woods, you'll save close to $2000.00 a year. I'm sure you can think of something to do with that money.

- Your car, your house, and your clothes will no longer reek of cigarette smoke.
- The good stuff goes on and on.

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Everything I've written here is true. There are thousands of websites on the internet that will give you the exact same information.

So now we come to the question of how you're going to accomplish this miracle, and why I wrote this article in the first place.

But first you have to decide...

DO YOU REALLY WANT TO QUIT SMOKING? Or are you still looking for excuses?

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Benefits of Not Smoking Are Wonderful - Better Late Than Never!

The benefits of not smoking can be obtained even in the old age. There is no age restriction to try and quit the habit of smoking. If you are in the habit of smoking, aside from being told off at each chance by anti-smoking groups, you will be aware without a doubt that smoking is not good for your wellbeing. Just consider why these anti- smoking people always come down so hard on smokers? What's the reason behind their slogans wanting you to stop smoking? The answer lies in the benefits of not smoking gained from quitting this habit. Knowing this, one can safely assume that even quitting in old age may be beneficial.

Among the main benefits of not smoking is a reduced risk of contracting cancer. Smoke can be synonymous, literally, with the act of consuming cancer-causing carcinogenic stuff each time you breathe in the smoke. The cancer- causing agents are immersed in your blood and stick on to any surface of the body coming in touch with these agents. Over a period of time, these carcinogens affect body cells. This overwhelms your body and somewhere down the line, increases the chances of your having cancer. Among the benefits of not smoking, even in old age, is cutting down this risk. This risk starts diminishing as soon as you quit smoking.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease or COPD, as it is commonly known, generally afflicts smokers. This disease means long standing harm to lung functioning. Emphysema and Bronchitis are the two major variations of COPD. The majority of smokers go through the pain of bronchitis, attributable to the irritation of drawing in the hot, noxious smoke directly into their lungs on an hourly basis. This becomes noticeable in the form of breathlessness and the peculiar cough of the smoker, which throws up the surplus of mucus formed as a result of this smoke. Avoiding this pain in the old age is one of the benefits of not smoking.

Smokers have a much higher risk of suffering a stroke, above all, in their old age. The basis for this is not apparent, but it is considered that very similar processes that bring about solidification of the arteries in smokers are linked to this risk. One of the Benefits of not smoking in old age is cutting down your chances of suffering a stroke, which increase with each passing minute after a certain age.

Thus, it is never too late to give up smoking. But the sooner you do it, the better it is.

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Health Benefits of Not Smoking

If you are an addict and having trouble quitting smoking, considering the immense health benefits of not smoking can make your resolve stronger. A deadly addiction in the disguise of a great aphrodisiac, smoking causes extensive damage to your body. The nicotine and carbon monoxide that you intake with the cigarette smoke affects your respiratory tract the most. It coats your lung with soot and damages your lung tissue exposing you to the risk of cancer. Smoking is alone responsible for millions of deaths every year.

If you can make a resolution and stand by it, the health benefits of not smoking begin from the moment you throw away your last cigarette. As the levels of harmful chemicals go down in your circulation, your body would gradually begin to heal itself. However, quitting smoking is often accompanied by strong withdrawal symptoms. An addict may gain weight from fluid retention; experience sore and dry throat and tongue; and feel restless, short tempered, edgy, tired, or even excessively hungry. But these are just temporary symptoms, which are part of the body's process of getting rid of the nicotine.

The health benefits of not smoking are many and can be experienced over a period of time. Smoking causes the arteries of your heart to get hardened and narrowed, which increases the risk of formation of blood clots and leads to high blood pressure and several other coronary heart diseases. When you quit smoking, as the nicotine level starts falling, in a few minutes your pulse rate and blood pressure will come down to normal level. And within 24 hours the risk of a heart attack will get reduced by half. In the next few months your blood circulation will improve greatly leading to increased oxygen saturation and revitalization of damaged tissues. You can experience a significant change in yourself as your energy levels return to normal and your sinus congestion, coughing fits, and fatigue reduce considerably.

As smoking affects more or less all organs of your body, the health benefits of not smoking also include healing of your entire body. With a detoxed body, increased energy levels, and restored lung function, your fitness levels will improve greatly. The bouts of common cold and tonsillitis will also reduce. Quitting smoking also has a positive psychological impact. Your mood swings will reduce and you will experience an overall sense of well-being.

Benefits of not smoking also include restoration of fertility and prolonged childbearing age. By quitting smoking a pregnant mother can expect a healthy child. While chances of having bronchitis, emphysema, pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases decrease, the biggest health benefit of not smoking is that you can protect yourself from cancer.

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The Psychological Benefits Of Not Smoking

Being a non-smoker or quitting cigarettes is a great way to promote mental health. Not only does your body becomes less prone to suffer from various diseases like heart and lungs problems, your mind also grows healthier and you turn psychologically more confident.

A non-smoker is always at an advantageous position because he or she reaps all the possible benefits of not smoking. But what are these boons? Well, there are hundreds of them. Apart from the numerous benefits pertaining to well being of health, there are also psychological and emotional benefits of not smoking that can be associated.

Some of the basic benefits of not smoking in psychological terms are:

? It gives you a sense of immense satisfaction that you are doing some good to yourself, your family and the society of large. While you are saving your own life from the damages caused by nicotine, you are also protecting your near and dear ones from the evils of passive smoking.

? You find yourself more confident than before; you know that there is nothing you can not accomplish. Remaining a non-smoker while being in a company of chain smokers is as challenging a job as quitting smoking for good. So, when you find yourself doing that, somewhere in the corner of your mind, you know that you are capable enough to stick to your determination. This goes a long way in boosting your self-confidence. Moreover, you will not stink of tobacco and your breath will be fresh. There will be no stains of tar on your teeth to spoil your smile. You look at life in a positive light and you are ready to communicate with all.

? You will have no qualms regarding being a hypocrite. Being a smoker you have to keep hiding your addiction from your children because you do not want them to acquire the habit. But, if you do not smoke altogether, you relieve yourself from practicing hypocrisy.

? You have the satisfaction that you are self dependent; at least you do not bank on cigarettes to allay your tensions or alleviate your work pressures.

? You feel that your self image has improved from the times you used to smoke; you are a winner to have broken away from the shackles of nicotine.

? It makes your life happier and fuller; you suffer from fits of depression less often.

So with all these benefits of not smoking, there is no reason why you should let yourself fall victim to tobacco.

As you know, in order to lead a happy life, you need a healthy mind and a healthy body. Psychological well being is fundamental to mental health. So, the Benefits of not smoking can be fairly said to lie in promotion of overall health.

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