Quitting smoking is a powerful decision that can transform your health and overall wellbeing. In this article we look at some fascinating and encouraging smoking facts that may inspire you on your journey to freedom from smoking.
Your Body Starts Healing Almost Immediately
The human body is a truly amazing healing machine that starts the healing process the moment you stop smoking. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), your heart rate and blood pressure starts to drop just 20 minutes after your last cigarette. Increased energy levels will be noticeable within three days. Within just a few weeks breathing and physical activities like walking and exercise become easier due to the improvement in lung function. Circulation also improves which speeds up healing, resulting in many other health benefits and improvements in general wellbeing.
Quitting Extends Your Lifespan
The result of quitting is an extended lifespan. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), quitting before the age of 40 reduces the risk of dying from smoking-related diseases by about 90%. You can still gain significant health benefits, even if you quit later in life.
Smoking Does Not Only Affect Your Lungs
Many people think that smoking only affects the lungs. The bad news is that it actually affects nearly every organ in the body. This is perhaps one of the most overlooked smoking facts there is. The good news is that the risks to your organs start to decrease when you quit.
Quitting Results in Protecting the People Around You
Did you know that secondhand smoke is more harmful than you think? Secondhand smoke contains over 7,000 chemicals with many of those being toxic to the human body. According to the CDC, exposure to secondhand smoke increases the risk of heart disease and lung cancer in nonsmokers by 20-30%. So, when you quit you not only improve your own health but are also protecting the people around you in the process.
Food & Scents Become More Enjoyable
Smoking dulls your sense of taste and smell due to the disruption of the sensory receptors in your mouth and nasal cavity. The good news is that your nerve endings start to regenerate within 48 hours of quitting. Soon the taste of food becomes better and scents more enjoyable. Isn’t it great bonus that the simple pleasures in life become better when you quit?
Quitting Can Save You a Fortune
Smoking isn’t just costly to health, but it is also detrimental to one’s finances. A pack-a-day smoker spends thousands of dollars each year on cigarettes. Imagine what you could do with thousands of extra dollars each year.
Beyond the direct cost of smoking, quitting results in drastically reducing the risk of expensive smoking related illnesses. Quitting leads to lower healthcare costs, medications, and hospital stays.
Another one of the most overlooked smoking facts is that quitting leads to increased productivity from fewer workdays lost to illness. Increased productivity usually means increased income!
You Improve Your Appearance and Become More Attractive
Many ex-smokers notice clearer, more vibrant skin within a few months of quitting. When you quit you get a boost in circulation that helps the skin repair itself. The result is that you are gifted with a more youthful appearance.
Smoking stains your teeth yellow or brown, but quitting lets them whiten naturally over time. Even your hair and nails can improve. Without smoking they grow stronger and look healthier.
Quitting smoking reverses many of the negative physical effects of smoking, leading to a healthier, more youthful appearance. Combine this with the boost of confidence you get from your victory over smoking and it can contribute significantly to how attractive you are perceived by others.
A Stronger Immune System Means a Healthier You
A strong immune system is crucial because it’s your body’s first line of defence against illness. Within weeks of quitting, your immune system begins to strengthen.
People with strong immune systems tend to bounce back faster from stress or sickness and might even age better. Research has also proven that a strong immune function is tied to lower rates of chronic conditions. Without a good immune system, you’re more vulnerable to everything from the flu to worse.
Quitting smoking gives your immune system the best chance to provide you with a healthiest version of yourself.
You Become Happier and Mentally Stronger
Many smokers believe that smoking helps them cope with stress and anxiety. They worry that they won’t be able to cope with the stresses and strains life throws at them every now and then. Research shows that quitting smoking actually reduces stress and anxiety over time. Many former smokers report feeling more in control, happier, and mentally healthier after quitting (British Medical Journal).
One of the Smoking Facts Most Smokers Love to Ignore
The truth that no smoker wants to hear is that smoking is a killer. No matter how you frame it, smoking is devastating to human life. According to the World Health Organization, tobacco use is responsible for more than 8 million deaths per year worldwide. 1.3 million of these deaths are due to exposure to secondhand smoke.
Drop Your Risk of Cancer Dramatically
Smokers have a higher risk of developing various cancers, but quitting reduces the risk dramatically.
Quitting halts the constant assault of carcinogens on your body. When you quit, that bombardment stops and the body starts repairing itself.
Studies, like those from the American Cancer Society, show lung cancer risk drops by half after 10 smoke-free years.
Remember that time matters. The sooner you quit, the more you rewind the clock on damage caused by smoking.
Did You Know That Smoking is a Leading Cause of House Fires?
Cigarettes are one of the major causes of home fire deaths. The National Fire Protection Association reports that items commonly used for smoking cause an average of 18,000 home fires per year in the U.S.
Smoking Has a Nasty Way of Reducing Life Expectancy
On average, smokers die 10 years earlier than non-smokers. Quitting before the age of 35 can restore almost all of that lost life expectancy. Remember that it is never too late to quit. Quitting at any age almost always results in an extended lifespan with amazing health benefits and improved general wellbeing.
The Best Time to Quit is Now
Every day of freedom without smoking is a step toward a healthier, happier life!
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