What Happens When You Stop Smoking?

Summary

This video explains the immediate and long-term health benefits of quitting smoking, starting from the first 20 minutes. It describes how nicotine affects the body and how quitting gradually repairs damage caused by smoking. Within 24 hours, blood pressure normalizes and carbon monoxide clears. Over time, the risk of heart disease, lung cancer, and other smoking-related conditions significantly decreases. Despite the challenges of nicotine withdrawal, the long-term benefits of quitting far outweigh the discomfort. The video encourages viewers to quit and offers additional resources for motivation.

Takeaways

• 🚭 **Immediate Effects**: Within 20 minutes of quitting smoking, blood pressure and heart rate return to normal.
• ❄️ **Temperature Regulation**: After quitting, extremities like hands and feet regain normal temperature as nicotine's effects wear off.
• 🚬 **Cravings and Mood**: Two hours post-quitting, nicotine cravings can cause moodiness, drowsiness, and difficulty sleeping.
• 🩸 **Oxygen Levels**: Eight hours after quitting, carbon monoxide clears, allowing oxygen levels to normalize.
• 🫁 **Clearing Toxins**: 24 hours after quitting, coughing increases as the body clears lung toxins.
• 💓 **Reduced Risk**: Within 24 hours, the risk of coronary artery diseases decreases.
• 🌱 **Nerve Regrowth**: After 48 hours, nerve endings begin to regrow, and taste buds start to regain sensitivity.
• 🤢 **Withdrawal Symptoms**: At the 72-hour mark, withdrawal symptoms like headaches, nausea, and emotional issues peak.
• 🏃‍♂️ **Health Improvements**: One month after quitting, the risk of type 2 diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases decreases.
• 🌿 **Lung Repair**: Within three to nine months, lung function improves as cilia repair, reducing symptoms like coughing and shortness of breath.
• ❤️ **Heart Health**: One year after quitting, the risk of heart disease is significantly reduced.
• 🌟 **Long-Term Benefits**: After 10-15 years, the risk of lung cancer and heart attack approaches that of a non-smoker.

Q & A

How many chemicals are released when a cigarette is lit?

Over 7,000 chemicals are released each time a cigarette is lit.

What happens to your blood pressure and heart rate within the first 20 minutes of quitting smoking?

Within the first 20 minutes of quitting smoking, your blood pressure and heart rate return to normal.

Why do smokers' extremities feel colder?

Smokers' extremities feel colder because the nicotine in cigarettes releases epinephrine and norepinephrine, which narrow blood vessels.

What is the impact of carbon monoxide on oxygen levels in the bloodstream?

Carbon monoxide competes with oxygen to bind to hemoglobin in the blood, reducing oxygen levels. Eight hours after quitting, the inhaled carbon monoxide clears, allowing oxygen levels to return to normal.

How does the body respond to the decrease in nicotine release after quitting smoking?

After quitting smoking, nicotine cravings begin causing moodiness, drowsiness, tense feelings, and even difficulty sleeping due to the decrease in dopamine release.

What is the significance of the 24-hour mark after quitting smoking?

At the 24-hour mark, coughing increases as the body clears toxins from the lungs, and the risk of developing coronary artery diseases decreases.

How does the sense of taste change after quitting smoking?

After 48 hours of quitting, damaged nerve endings begin to regrow, and taste buds regain sensitivity, making food taste better.

What are the peak withdrawal symptoms experienced at the 72-hour mark after quitting smoking?

At the 72-hour mark, nicotine withdrawal peaks with symptoms such as headaches, nausea, cramps, anxiety, and depression.

How does the risk of developing certain diseases change after one month of quitting smoking?

After one month of quitting smoking, the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases has already decreased.

What is the improvement in lung function after three to nine months of quitting smoking?

After three to nine months of quitting, the damage to cilia in the lungs is almost fully repaired, reducing symptoms like coughing and shortness of breath.

How does the risk of heart disease change after one year of quitting smoking?

Around one year after quitting smoking, the risk of developing heart disease decreases by almost one-half.

What is the long-term benefit of quitting smoking after 15 years?

After 15 years of quitting smoking, the risk of heart attack decreases to the same as someone who has never smoked.