Now we know we are a direct debit company, and as such we tend to be about people's money and how to collect it efficiently and on time. But October is upon us, and it has now become synonymous with Stoptober, or stopping smoking if you prefer. It is an NHS campaign that has really started to get some traction. For more details go to https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/stoptober
So we thought we would look into what happens when you give up smoking. According to http://www.healthline.com there are some very surprising benefits of stopping smoking.
1. Apparently, within 20 minutes your heart rate will begin to drop to a normal level.
2. 2 hours after your last cigarette, your blood pressure and heart rate drop to almost normal levels. Your blood circulation improves, which will mean your extremities feel a bit warmer. The nicotine withdrawals start though, giving you intense cravings, anxiety, tension or frustration. You may also start to feel a bit drowsy and your appetite could increase.
3. 12 hours after that final puff your carbon monoxide levels will decrease and your oxygen levels will increase.
4. We get a bit more real here - smokers have a 70% increase in the risk of coronary heart disease. The good news is that just 24 hours after quitting your risk start to decrease. You are still at a higher risk, but the recovery has started.
5. Ask any ex-smoker about how they can smell and taste so much better after giving up. The really great news is after just 48 the nerve endings you have been damaging will start to regrow and your taste and smell senses start to return.
6. 3 days after you quit the nicotine is now out of your body. This is the danger zone. Your body will start to crave nicotine. You need to push through this stage, you will probably get some of the symptoms we mentioned above...
7. 3 weeks after you will start to get your breath back. That's thank to the increased oxygen and circulation. For most smokers the most challenging part is over, you can start to enjoy life.
8. 4 weeks after your ex-smokers journey your cilia will start to repair themsleves. This means you will be better at fighting off infections and clear your lungs of that nasty mucus.
9. After 9 months your withdrawal symptoms will probably have gone away altogether - pat yourself on the back.
10. 1 year is the time to really start celebrating. You have halved your risk of heart disease.
11. 5 years after you put the cigarettes away, you have decreased your risk of having a stroke.
12. When you list out the list of cancers associated with smoking, it really is quite frightening
Oral Cancer
Throat Cancer
Esophageal Cancer
Lung Cancer
Kidney Cancer
Pancreatic Cancer
Of course, Lung Cancer is the most associated disease due to it causing 90% of all Lung Cancer deaths worldwide. After ten years of not smoking, you will have decreased your risk by half.
13. It may take a while, but it will be worth it. 15 years after qutting your risk of heart disease will be the same as a non smoker.
If cigarettes were invented today they would be made illegal, but they weren't so we have to make a decision to stop smoking. The great news is that if you stop today you may well have managed to avoid some of the horrible health side effects. Good luck
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