What happens to your body after you quit
Your body starts to recover very soon after your last cigarette. This timeline comes from Health Canada.
| After | What changes |
|---|---|
| 20 minutes | Blood pressure drops to about where it was before your last cigarette. |
| 8 hours | Carbon monoxide in your blood drops to normal. |
| 24 hours | Your risk of a heart attack starts to drop. |
| 2 weeks to 3 months | The airways in your lungs relax and breathing gets easier. |
| 1 to 9 months | You cough less and your lungs get stronger. |
| 1 year | Your added risk of coronary heart disease is half that of someone who smokes. |
| 5 years | Your stroke risk is the same as a non-smoker’s; the risk of mouth, throat, oesophagus and bladder cancer is halved. |
| 10 years | Your risk of lung cancer is about half. |
| 15 years | Your risk of coronary heart disease is similar to a non-smoker’s. |
It is never too late: the benefits start the day you stop.