What happens when you quit smoking: a timeline

Your body starts to recover within minutes of your last cigarette. Here is what usually happens and when. Everyone is different, so treat the times as a guide, not a promise.

1. 20 minutes

   Heart

   Your pulse and blood pressure start to fall within 20 minutes without nicotine, and within a day the strain on your heart is noticeably lower.

2. 1 day

   Carbon monoxide

   Carbon monoxide from smoke pushes oxygen out of your blood. Without smoking, its level returns to normal within 12–24 hours, and your organs get more oxygen.

3. 1 day

   Blood oxygen

   Without nicotine your blood vessels relax, and within a day your blood delivers oxygen to your organs better. Your muscles and brain work more easily.

4. 2 days

   Sense of smell

   The nerve endings responsible for taste and smell start to recover after about 2 days. Food tastes better and smells become more vivid.

5. 3 days

   Breathing

   After about 3 days your airways relax, breathing becomes easier and you have more energy.

6. 3 days

   Cravings are strongest in the first days

   In the first days without nicotine cravings are usually strongest, then gradually fade. It's a normal part of the journey.

7. First week

   The first week

   The sharpest withdrawal symptoms most often fall in the first week. If you're holding on, you've done the hardest part.

8. 2–12 weeks

   Circulation

   Over 2–12 weeks your circulation improves, making walking and exercise easier.

9. 2–12 weeks

   Cravings become less frequent

   After a few weeks cravings usually come less often and feel weaker. Triggers and habits remain — a plan helps with those.

10. 1–9 months

    Cilia

    Cilia are tiny hairs in your airways that sweep out mucus and dust. Smoking damages them; over 1–9 months without it they recover and your lungs clean themselves better.

11. 3 months

    Habits lose their grip

    After three months the usual triggers often no longer set off the automatic reach. Note what helped so you can return to it on a hard day.

12. 3–9 months

    Lung function

    Over 3–9 months your lung function can improve by up to 10%: less coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath.

13. 1 year

    Heart disease risk

    After a year without smoking, the risk of coronary heart disease is about half that of someone who still smokes, and after 15 years it’s the same as a non-smoker’s.

14. 5–15 years

    Stroke risk

    The risk of stroke falls gradually and approaches that of a non-smoker after 5–15 years without smoking.

15. 10 years

    Lung cancer risk

    After 10 years without smoking, the risk of dying from lung cancer is about half that of someone who still smokes, and it keeps falling.

See it happen

Smoke Freedom shows this progress live on a 3D model of your lungs and counts every hour.