Besides the fact that you will no longer smell like an ashtray, quitting smoking, at any age and after any number of years, will extend your life. It will also improve the quality of the time that you have left. These are the things that you need to keep in mind to help you quit and reaffirm the decision that you made.
The funny thing about quitting is that most smokers want to quit, feel terrible about smoking and proud when they make the decision. A few days to months away from the product and they start thinking that they want to do it again. A reminder is in order, at this point, of the benefits they have and will continue to receive from kicking the habit.
Immediate benefits are, well, immediate. After just 20 minutes your blood pressure and pulse drop to a normal rate. The temperature of your hands and feet will increase to normal. In 8 hours, the carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal and the oxygen level in your blood goes up to normal.
You are no longer hypoxic ( a lower than normal level of oxygen in your blood and body tissues) like you have been daily for years. In only 24 hours, your chance of a heart attack starts to decrease. In 48 hours, your nerve endings begin to re-grow and your sense of smell and sense of taste improve. This is around the time that you begin to smell cigarette smoke clearly and realize how disgusting it really is.
In 72 hours, if not using any nicotine replacement products like patches or gum, you are nicotine free. It is all downhill from here, even though it may not feel like it yet.
Beginning in only 2 weeks and continuing through the first 3 months, your circulation will improve and all forms of exercise will become easier. Your lung function will increase up to 30 percent and you will have much more energy. You will also lose that annoying smokers cough and will stop needing to clear your throat all of the time due to inflammation in your airway.
One month out and continuing through 9 months smoke free, and the lungs really begin to heal. The cilia (small hairs) in your lung begin to re-grow and go about their job of keeping your lungs clean and clear. You will get sick with respiratory illnesses and sinus infections much less often than you had in the past.
One year smoke free and you will find your risk of heart disease cut in half. In 5 to 10 years, your risk of lung cancer has decreased by one half. Your risk of other smoking related cancers also decreases dramatically. This includes cancer of the esophagus, mouth, throat, bladder, kidney, and pancreas.
There is no other single most effective way to cut any cancer rate than quitting smoking. At this point, your risk of stroke is the same as if you had never smoked before. After 15 years, your risk of coronary heart disease and death is similar to those who never smoked.
Your personal risk in each of these areas, and thusly benefits, are determined in part by how much you smoked, how long you smoke for, and what age you started at.
Unfortunately, 90 percent of all smokers begin in their teens and earlier. This increases their cancer risk because their growing lungs and body were flooded with carcinogens during development. If this includes you, quit now. +
There is some research that shows that the earlier you quit, the greater the benefits that you will reap. Do not excuse yourself because you think that you are too old or have already had some health consequences due to your habit.
For those that have suffered a heart attack, your risk of a second, and perhaps fatal, attack is cut in half by kicking the habit. Besides, medical and life insurance premiums will decrease. If that doesn’t tell you that your life will be extended by quitting smoking, then nothing may convince you.
The bottom line is this, you can quit smoking, but you need to have a plan. Not just any plan, but a tried and true tested battle plan that will help you to quit smoking today. To learn more please visit: http://www.HowToQuitSmokingNow.com right now.
