What Happens to My Body When I Quit Smoking?

The body treats smoking like an evil intruder. It has a defense mechanism that it uses to fend off the harm that can be done. After fighting this battle and finally winning, it goes through some processes to get things back to normal.

Blood Pressure

• Smoking depletes the body of oxygen and also raises blood pressure. After quitting, your blood pressure may go back to normal levels.

Coughing

• Smoking causes a build-up of tar and toxins on the inside of your lungs. When you quit, you will cough this stuff up and your lungs will gradually heal themselves.

Risk Factors

• After you quit, your risk factors for debilitating diseases will eventually equal that of a non-smoker. Some of the risk factors include cancer, stroke and heart attacks.

Energy

• Being that you are no longer inhaling smoke and robbing your body of oxygen, you will have more energy. This can be seen by not breathing heavy after walking up a flight of stairs.

Withdrawal

• Although quitting is ultimately a great thing, there are some withdrawal symptoms that can be felt at first. These include severe cravings for cigarettes, altered sleep patterns, headaches, weight gain and irritability.