When Smokers Quit—
The Health Benefits Over Time

• 20 minutes
  after quitting:
  Your blood pressure drops to a level close to that before the last cigarette. The temperature of your hands and feet increases to normal.
• 8 hours
  after quitting:
  The carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal.
• 24 hours after quitting:
  Your chance of a heart attack decreases.
• 2 weeks to 3 months after quitting:
  Your circulation improves and your lung function increases up to 30%.
• 1 to 9 months after quitting:
  Coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue, and shortness of breath decrease; cilia (tiny hair like structures that move mucus out of the lungs) regain normal function in the lungs, increasing the ability to handle mucus, clean the lungs, and reduce infection.
• 1 year after quitting:
  The excess 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 5-15 years after quitting.
• 10 years after quitting:
  The lung cancer death rate is about half that of a continuing smoker's. The risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, and pancreas decrease.
• 15 years after quitting:
  The risk of coronary heart disease is that of a nonsmoker's.