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Can Lungs Return to Normal After Quitting Smoking?

The ability of lungs to recover from the impact of smoking can depend upon the number of years smokers subject their lungs to the habit. But health experts agree that the health of lungs begins to improve almost immediately after smokers extinguish their last cigarettes.

  1. Toxic Effect of Smoking

    • Cigarette smoke coats the lungs with a toxic particulate matter known as tar. The smoke contains as many as 250 chemicals or substances known to be toxic, including carbon monoxide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Over time, the constant irritation of tar-producing smoke in the lungs can lead to a breathing disease known as emphysema. The CDC reports that smoking also causes about 90 percent of lung cancer-related deaths in men and nearly 80 percent of such deaths in women. These diseases develop within different periods of time depending on characteristics and habits of individual smokers. The longer a person smokes, the harder it is for lungs to reverse the impact once the person quits.

    The Cleansing Process

    • The body and lungs begin cleansing away the toxins of cigarettes almost immediately after smokers quit, according to the American Cancer Society. Twenty minutes after quitting, the heart rate and blood pressure drop back to normal levels. Within 12 hours, unsafe levels of carbon monoxide leave the body. Two weeks to three months later, blood and oxygen circulation improve as lung capacity increases. Sometime within the first nine months of quitting, ex-smokers begin coughing less and cilia, which are tiny hair-like structures in the lungs, regain function. Healthy cilia clean the lungs of mucus and reduce chances for infection.

    Long-Term Health Benefits of Quitting

    • The American Cancer Society reports several long-term benefits of quitting, including reducing by half the risks of coronary heart disease within the first year. Five to 15 years following the final cigarette, an ex-smoker's risk of stroke declines to that of a non-smoker, and the risk of lung cancer reduces by half. In the long term, quitting also reduces respiratory illnesses, according to the CDC.

    The Impact on Others

    • The smoke exhaled by smokers or emitted from burning cigarettes exposes the lungs of non-smokers to the same chemicals and potential illnesses experienced by tobacco users. Room or building ventilation will not abate the threat of secondhand smoke. Rules against smoking within homes and workplaces spare innocent bystanders of these effects. Those exposed to secondhand smoke over time experience a similar cleansing process to that of ex-smokers when removed from situations of constant smoke exposure.

    Methods of Quitting

    • The American Cancer Society recommends several steps and methods to quit smoking. Marking quitting dates on calendars and getting friends and family on board for support can help. Chewing sugarless gum, carrot sticks and hard candy can fulfill the oral tendencies of smokers. And nicotine gum or graduated nicotine patches help many smokers, particularly longtime addicts, quit.

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