Quit Smoking Recovery Timeline - How Your Body Heals

From the first hour, your body starts to heal. Each ring below fills as you recover, based on timelines from the CDC, NHS, American Cancer Society and other health authorities.

Recovering now

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Oxygen & carbon monoxide

Within 24 hours of quitting, the carbon monoxide in your blood drops to normal and oxygen reaches your heart and muscles more easily.

Source: CDC, American Cancer Society

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Heart rate & blood pressure

Your heart rate drops within minutes of your last cigarette, and within a day your heart rate and blood pressure settle toward normal.

Source: American Cancer Society, Better Health Channel

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Nicotine cleared

Within about 3 days (72 hours) of quitting, nicotine has left your body and the worst of the physical withdrawal begins to ease.

Source: American Cancer Society

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Sense of taste

Damaged taste buds recover after quitting; most people notice food tasting fuller within about two weeks.

Source: NHS, Better Health Channel

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Sense of smell

Nerve endings responsible for smell begin to recover, and your sense of smell noticeably improves within about two weeks.

Source: NHS, Better Health Channel

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Fresh breath

Once you stop exposing your mouth to smoke and tar, smoker's breath clears within a couple of weeks and your breath stays fresher.

Source: NHS

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Circulation

Circulation to your hands and feet keeps improving over the first 2 to 12 weeks, making walking and exercise easier.

Source: Better Health Channel

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Immune function

Immune function improves over the first few months after quitting, helping your body fight off infections.

Source: Better Health Channel

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Gum & oral health

After quitting, blood flow to the gums improves and your risk of gum disease and tooth loss falls over the following months.

Source: NHS

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Lung cilia

The tiny hairs (cilia) that clear mucus and dirt from your lungs regrow over the months after quitting, so your lungs clean themselves better.

Source: American Cancer Society, Better Health Channel

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Lung function

Lung function improves in the months after quitting as inflammation settles and airways open up.

Source: US Surgeon General

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Coughing & breathing

Coughing and shortness of breath decrease over the first 1 to 12 months as your lungs recover.

Source: CDC, NHS

Long-term risk reduction

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Heart disease risk

Your risk of coronary heart disease is halved one year after quitting and approaches that of a non-smoker after about 15 years.

Source: NHS, CDC, American Cancer Society

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Stroke risk

Your stroke risk falls after quitting and can reach that of a non-smoker within about 5 years.

Source: CDC, American Cancer Society

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Lung cancer risk

Ten years after quitting, your risk of dying from lung cancer is about half that of someone who keeps smoking. It keeps falling but never fully reaches a non-smoker level.

Source: CDC, American Cancer Society

Frequently Asked Questions

Recovery starts fast: heart rate and blood pressure begin dropping within 20 minutes, carbon monoxide clears within 24 hours, circulation improves over 2 to 12 weeks, and lung function keeps improving for months. Your risk of heart disease is halved one year after quitting.

Within days, breathing feels easier as the bronchial tubes relax. Over the following months the tiny hairs (cilia) that clear your lungs regrow, coughing and shortness of breath decrease, and lung function improves - most of this happens across the first 1 to 9 months.

Nicotine is largely cleared from your body within about 3 days (72 hours) of your last cigarette, which is when the hardest part of physical withdrawal usually begins to ease.

Many systems return close to a non-smoker over time - stroke risk within about 5 years and coronary heart disease risk within about 15 years. Some risks, such as lung cancer, drop by roughly half after 10 years but stay slightly higher than someone who never smoked.