Benefits of quitting smoking

There are many health benefits to quitting smoking:

• the lungs and body start to repair from the moment you quit smoking
• within 20 minutes, your blood pressure and heart rate start to drop
• within 48 hours, your body starts clearing out carbon monoxide, and your sense of taste and smell begin to improve
• within weeks you will be able to breathe more easily, be able to do more, and with NRT your cravings should start to disappear
• within 1 year, your risk of heart disease is halved
• within 10 years, your risk of lung cancer is significantly reduced

Quitting smoking not only increases life span, but also reduces your chance of infection, improves your quality of life and saves you money.

For a full list of benefits to quitting, visit the NHS's Better Health website.

Page last updated: 20 October 2025