Expert breaks down the effects of quitting smoking into hours, weeks, and months

Here, nicotine expert, Markus Linblad from Northerner, explains what quitting smoking cigarettes will do to your body, including an hourly, weekly and yearly breakdown, so that you can enter your quitting era fully prepared.

One hour

It’s not likely that you’ll notice any big changes in your health after not smoking cigarettes for one hour. Your heart rate may lower, as well as your blood pressure, but the craving for a cigarette will still be present - it’s important to remember this as people can often assume an immediate change will occur but it’s unfortunately not the case, you have to remind yourself that it’s a process.

One day

After one day, provided you haven’t smoked a cigarette since, the nicotine will have left your body. A day in, feelings of irritability or anxiousness, may start to rise as it will feel more of a challenge to combat cravings. Remember, this will not last forever, and committing to quitting smoking will have really positive effects on your mood and mental health in the long run. Make time for activities like walking and drinking coffee, things that will stimulate your brain but not tempt you to smoke cigarettes.

One week

Once you make it to one week of not smoking cigarettes, your body will no longer crave nicotine. However, it will largely be a case of will power, while the body may have forgotten those cravings, it will take time to break out of the habit or temptation to smoke cigarettes. Already, the body’s ability to circulate blood will have begun to improve, and you may notice an improvement in energy levels and physical ability. Now may be a great time to take up a sport or the gym, giving the mind something to commit to.

One month

One of the hallmarks of being a cigarette smoker is the persistent cough that plagues you throughout the year. You may notice that persistent cough, feeling of breathlessness, or the annoying wheeze will improve as there is an improvement in your lung health too.

One year

In one year, you will be seeing some big physical changes in your overall health. If you make it a year without smoking cigarettes, your risk of heart disease and suffering a heart attack will decrease by 50%, and your lung function will have improved by a minimum of 10%.

10 years

Reaching ten years is an incredible achievement! After a decade without cigarettes, the likelihood of dying from lung cancer is 50% lower compared to an active cigarette smoker. Your risk of cancer of the bladder, esophagus, and kidney decreases will have all reduced.

How To Quit Smoking

Quitting smoking can be a daunting and often overwhelming idea. If you want to quit smoking, there are many quit-smoking aids you can buy over the counter and many networks to support you in this journey, from online support forums to nicotine replacement products. Products such as nicotine pouches and nicotine gum can be particularly effective in helping you to reduce the amount of nicotine you use over time until you are not really needing nicotine anymore.