Why Quit Smoking?
Smoking and the use of
smokeless tobacco is the top cause of preventable death in the United States.
The National Cancer Institute estimates that 443,000 people die each year from
smoking. Kicking the habit can prevent many of these deaths. We’ve chosen a collection
of top-rated apps geared toward making it easier to stop smoking. Click, tap,
and swipe your way to better health.
20 Minutes After You Quit
The effects
of quitting start to set in immediately. Less than 20 minutes after your last
cigarette, your heart rate will already start
to drop back towards normal levels (CDC, 2004).
Two Hours After You Quit
After two hours without a cigarette, your heart rate and blood pressure will have decreased
to near normal levels. Your peripheral circulationmay
also improve. The tips of your fingers and toes may start to feel warm. Nicotine withdrawal symptomsusually start about two
hours after your last cigarette. Early withdrawal symptoms include:
- intense
cravings
- anxiety,
tension, or frustration
- drowsiness
or trouble sleeping
- increased
appetite
12 Hours After You
Quit
Carbon monoxide, which can be toxic
to the body at high levels, is released from burning tobacco and inhaled as
part of cigarette smoke. Because carbon monoxide bonds so well to blood cells,
high levels of the substance can prevent these cells from bonding with oxygen,
which in turn causes serious cardiovascular problems. In just 12 hours after
quitting smoking, the carbon monoxide in your body
decreases to lower levels, and your blood oxygen levels
increase to normal (CDC, 2004).
24
Hours After You Quit
The heart attack rate for smokers is
70 percent higher than for nonsmokers. But, believe or not, just one full day
after quitting smoking, your risk for heart attack will
already have begun to drop. While you're not quite out of the woods yet, you're
on your way
48
Hours After You Quit
It may not be life-threatening, but
deadened senses—specifically, smell and taste—are one of the more obvious
consequences of smoking. Luckily, after 48 hours without a cigarette, your
nerve endings will start to re-grow, and your ability to smell and taste is enhanced . In just a little
while longer, you'll be better appreciating the finer things in life.
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