Every year, 443,000 people die from smoking in the United States. More than 11 million people in the U.S. have been diagnosed with COPD and it is the third leading cause of death. Most cases of COPD have been linked to smoking cigarettes. It’s a well-known fact that cigarettes are harmful to the body, yet over 40 million adults continue to smoke. Once you’ve made the decision to quit smoking, your body starts repairing itself. We’ve broken down a timeline of what happens to your body once you quit smoking:
20 minutes – The user’s blood pressure and pulse return to a normal state. Circulation in your hands and feet begin to increase, along with body temperature.
After 12 hours – You begin to feel more alert, stronger, and will sleep better. This is because your blood oxygen begins to grow and the carbon monoxide level in your blood lowers, returning to a normal state.
After 24 hours – The risk of a heart attack occurring decreases significantly.
After 48 hours – Taste and smell begins to restore itself, while your nerve endings begin to rebuild.
After 3 months – Whole body circulation starts to improve, walking and breathing starts to become easier, as your lung strength will increase.
One to nine months – In this time, the shortness of breath will diminish, along with sinus congestion and fatigue.
After one year – The risk of coronary heart disease is now one half of what it originally was when you were smoking regularly.
After five to fifteen years – Your lungs and body have made great strides in repairing its health. The risk of a stroke has significantly diminished, if not entirely, as if you were never a smoker.
After 10 years – The likelihood of developing cancer has returned to the same chance as an individual who never smoked.
After 15 years – The death risk is now the same as a non-smoker. The likelihood of developing coronary heart disease or heart attack has dropped to the same rate as a non-smoker.
Portable Oxygen Solutions is here to provide the best portable oxygen concentrators on the market, for the best price possible. While we strive to make the lives of those affected by COPD as stress-free as possible, we also want to help prevent the disease from spreading. If you are a smoker, now is a great time to consider quitting. Don’t become another number – Quit smoking today.