It’s no secret that quitting cigarettes can have a massive positive impact on your health and general well-being. Some of the benefits of ditching cigarettes can be noticed immediately after you quit, and some are enjoyed later on in your journey after weeks, months and years of being smoke-free.

Regardless of when these improvements to your health present themselves, with dedication and determination you will experience an ever-improving state of health which impacts not only yourself, but those around you who are also affected by and care for your well-being.

Below is a timeline detailing the numerous health benefits you’ll enjoy along your journey when you swap the cigarettes for a healthier alternative like e-cigarettes.

With some of these positive effects presenting themselves just twenty minutes after quitting what are you waiting for?

Twenty minutes after quitting your pulse rate will return to normal after your heart is forced to work twice as hard during smoking. Research tells us that smoking causes major arteries to tighten, which increases heart rate and can even cause the heart to beat irregularly.

Eight hours after quitting the nicotine and carbon monoxide levels in your blood will reduce by up to half and your body’s oxygen levels will start to normalise.

Forty-eight hours after your last cigarette will see the complete elimination of carbon monoxide from your body and your lungs will start to clear themselves of harmful mucus. All nicotine will leave the body and you will notice significant improvement to your sense of taste and smell.

Seventy-two hours after stubbing out your cigarette you will notice that your breathing is less laboured. This is because the bronchial tubes in the lungs begin to relax after being constricted by smoke dense with chemicals passing through them.

Between two and twelve weeks after quitting your circulation will begin to significantly improve. This is because the carbon monoxide from smoking causes significant damage to the blood cell’s protective layer, allowing harmful plaque to stick to vessel walls and compromise the blood’s ability to deliver vital oxygen and nutrients to tissues and organs.

Three to nine months into your quitting journey will see lung functionality increase by upto 10% and breathing problems will be significantly improved.

One year of being smoke-free will cut your risk of heart disease in half.

Ten years after you quit cigarettes for good, your risk of developing lung cancer is half that of an active smoker.

Fifteen-years into your smoke-free lifestyle, your risk of heart attack is the same as someone who has never smoked at all.

It’s never too late to work towards undoing the damaging effects of smoking cigarettes. If you’re seeking a healthier lifestyle which isn’t governed and impacted by tobacco cigarettes, have a browse through our fuss-free starter kits and informative stop-smoking guides to kickstart your journey to a better, healthier you.