Quit smoking

Quit smoking timeline: what happens to your body, hour by hour

The moment you put out your last cigarette, your body starts to repair itself. Some of it happens in minutes. Some takes years. Here is the full quit smoking timeline, from the first 20 minutes to 15 years smoke free, so you know exactly what you are gaining at every step.

20 minutes
Your heart rate and blood pressure begin to drop back toward normal.
8 to 12 hours
The carbon monoxide level in your blood falls and your oxygen level rises.
24 hours
Your risk of a heart attack starts to go down.
48 hours
Nerve endings start to regrow. Your sense of smell and taste begin to come back.
72 hours
Breathing gets easier as your bronchial tubes relax, and your energy lifts.
2 weeks to 3 months
Your circulation improves and your lung function climbs.
1 to 9 months
Coughing and shortness of breath ease as the cilia in your lungs recover.
1 year
Your risk of coronary heart disease is about half that of a smoker.
5 years
Your risk of stroke falls toward that of a non-smoker.
10 years
Your risk of dying from lung cancer is about half that of a person who still smokes.
15 years
Your risk of coronary heart disease is close to that of someone who never smoked.

Health milestones based on figures published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Cancer Society. Individual recovery varies.

Track your own timeline

Knowing the timeline is one thing. Watching your own milestones tick by is what keeps you going. Smoke Count marks 12 health milestones from Day 1 to 1 Year, alongside your streak, the money you have saved, and the cigarettes you have avoided. When a craving hits, you can see exactly how far you have come, and what you would be giving up.

It also helps you understand the cravings themselves: log what triggered each one and how you felt, breathe through the moment with a guided exercise, and if you slip, log it without the guilt. Read more about the craving and trigger tracker, or see how Smoke Count works.

Start your timeline, download Smoke Count