Smoking is one of the biggest causes of death in Indonesia. According to World Health Organization (WHO) records, around 225,700 people in Indonesia die from smoking or tobacco every year.
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This is what will happen to your body when you quit smoking
Unique News
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23 February 2021 15:22
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This is what will happen to your body when you quit smoking
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Cigarette illustration. Photo: REUTERS/Eric Gaillard
Smoking is one of the biggest causes of death in Indonesia. According to World Health Organization (WHO) records, around 225,700 people in Indonesia die from smoking or tobacco every year.
Therefore, quitting smoking is the best way to maintain health. Moreover, there are benefits that the human body can feel when you stop smoking cigarettes. The health benefits will continue to grow, if a person can last longer not smoking anymore.
Then, what are the health benefits experienced by your body when you stop smoking? Here are some good things that happen to the body if a person stops smoking from time to time, as reported by Medical News Today.
After one hour
The benefits of quitting smoking begin as early as one hour after the last cigarette. In just 20 minutes of the last cigarette smoked, the heart rate will drop and return to normal. Blood pressure will also drop and blood circulation will begin to improve.
After 12 hours
Cigarettes contain many toxins, one of which is carbon monoxide, which is a gas in cigarette smoke. This gas can be dangerous and fatal because it can prevent oxygen from entering the lungs and blood. If inhaled in large doses in a short time, suffocation may occur due to lack of oxygen.
After only 12 hours without a cigarette, the body will rid itself of excess carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide levels return to normal and increase the body’s oxygen levels.
After one day
A person who smokes has a risk of heart attack and stroke. In just one day after quitting smoking, a person’s blood pressure will begin to fall, thereby reducing the risk of heart disease due to high blood pressure caused by smoking. In this short time, a person’s oxygen level will increase making physical activity and exercise easier to do.
After two days
Smoking can damage the nerves responsible for the senses of smell and taste. Within just two days of quitting, a person may notice an improved sense of smell and taste.
After three days
Three days after quitting smoking, nicotine levels in a person’s body will run out. Although it’s healthier because it doesn’t have nicotine in the body, in this phase most people will experience moodiness, irritability, and headaches.
After one month
Within 1 month, a person’s lung function will begin to improve. As the lungs heal and lung capacity increases, ex-smokers will experience reduced coughing and shortness of breath. Athletic endurance will increase and ex-smokers may increase physical activity such as running or jumping.
After 9 months
Nine months after quitting smoking, the lungs will heal on their own significantly. The fine hair-like structures inside the lungs known as cilia have recovered from cigarette smoke.
These structures help push mucus out of the lungs and help fight infection. In this stage, many ex-smokers experience a reduction in the frequency of lung infections as the cilia have healed.
After one year
One year after quitting smoking, a person’s risk of coronary heart disease decreases by half.
After five years
Cigarettes contain many toxins that are known to cause arteries and blood vessels to narrow. These same toxins also increase the chances of blood clots forming.
After five years without smoking, the body has healed on its own so that the arteries and blood vessels begin to widen again. With this dilation, the blood will be less likely to clot and reduce the risk of stroke. The risk of stroke will continue to decrease over the next 10 years as the body heals.
After 10 years
After 10 years, a person’s chances of developing lung cancer and dying are half that of someone who continues to smoke. The chances of getting cancer of the mouth, throat, or pancreas have been significantly reduced.
After 15 years
After 15 years of quitting smoking, the odds of developing coronary heart disease and pancreatic cancer are about the same as those of a non-smoker.
After 20 years
After 20 years of quitting smoking, the risk of death from smoking which consists of lung disease and cancer will drop to the level of someone who has never smoked in his life. In addition, the risk of developing pancreatic cancer will be reduced to the risk of someone who has never smoked.
The sooner a smoker quits, the sooner they reduce their risk of developing cancer, heart and lung disease and other smoking-related conditions.