Is it too late to give up smoking?

It’s never too late to give up but the sooner you give up, the better. Within just a few hours, the effects of stopping smoking are felt in the body and the road to repair begins. Providing you haven’t already been diagnosed with a serious health condition, your chances of living longer will be dramatically increased the moment you decide to give up smoking. Below is a timeline showing what happens in the body once you have given up smoking:

8 Hours: within 8 hours, the levels of carbon monoxide in the body are halved and levels of oxygen in the blood return to normal.

24 Hours: within 24 hours, carbon monoxide has been eliminated from the body and the lungs have started to get rid of the mucus that has built up over the course of time.

48 Hours: within 48 hours, all traces of nicotine have been removed from the body and the senses, including taste and smell, are already improving.

72 Hours: within 72 hours, you should feel like it is easier to breathe as the bronchial tubes start to relax. You may also feel energised.

After 2 weeks: your circulation should have improved; this has significant physiological benefits as well as ensuring you don’t feel the cold.

After 3 months: your lung function will have improved by up to 10 percent and you should find you can breathe more easily and are less likely to suffer with coughs and colds.

After 5 years: you have halved your chance of having a heart attack and should be enjoying a much higher standard of general health.

After 10 years: your chances of getting lung cancer have been halved and you are no more likely to suffer a heart attack than somebody who has never smoked.