Addiction Coping and Recovery Personal Stories Health Benefits at Two Weeks After You Quit Smoking By Terry Martin facebook twitter Terry Martin quit smoking after 26 years and is now an advocate for those seeking freedom from nicotine addiction. Learn about our editorial process Terry Martin Reviewed by Reviewed by Amy Morin, LCSW on July 29, 2019 facebook twitter instagram Amy Morin, LCSW, is the Editor-in-Chief of Verywell Mind. She's also a psychotherapist, international bestselling author and host of the Mentally Strong People podcast. Learn about our Review Board Amy Morin, LCSW Updated on April 03, 2020 Print If it has been two weeks since you quit smoking, congratulate yourself. While you're probably already well aware that smoking cessation is a journey, you've already reaped rewards. You may have noticed that foods taste better or experienced other benefits. Your two weeks smoke-free has impacted your health in meaningful ways. Understanding how your body and mind are beginning to slowly heal from the damaging effects of nicotine can provide you with added motivation to never light up again. It will also eliminate any unknowns, so you can confidently formulate strategies to cope with any cravings and symptoms of nicotine withdrawal that you may still be experiencing. Benefits After Two Weeks of Non-Smoking There are a range of changes that you can expect after about two weeks of not smoking. Some are more "behind the scenes" benefits such as a decrease in blood pressure. But other changes may impact and improve your daily life experience. Better Smell and Taste Nicotine, along with the other chemicals in cigarette smoke, harms the taste buds and nerve responses in the nose. Within a mere 48 hours of your last cigarette, you can begin to notice improvements in your sense of smell and taste—and these improvements will continue as you reach your two-week mark of being smoke-free. Get ready to rediscover the subtle flavors of foods that, as a smoker, you likely thought lacked flavor. Unfortunately, you'll also now be able to smell that stale cigarette smoke on your clothing, coats, and inside your home. If possible, enlist a housecleaning service or take your clothing to a dry cleaner for a deep clean (you might even consider this your two-weeks-smoke-free gift to yourself). Lower Blood Pressure and Heart Rate Yet another harmful side effect of nicotine is increased heart rate and elevated blood pressure. Luckily, these functions begin to normalize pretty quickly after you quit smoking. Within 20 minutes, your heart rate returns to a more normalized state and your blood pressure begins to drop because your blood vessels are no longer constricted by the tobacco smoke. Within 12 hours, your blood oxygen levels normalize.Within 24 hours, your risk of heart attack begins to decrease. Easier Breathing Within two weeks to two months, you might notice that walking and breathing is becoming a little easier. This is because your lung function is improving and the air sacs in your lungs (alveoli) are beginning to relax and produce less mucus. Take a deep breath and feel your lungs filling up with smoke-free air. Think about how taking that breath would have felt before your final cigarette. This easy exercise can serve as a quick reminder of why you decided to kick your nicotine habit. How Smoke Affects Your Alveoli Decreased Cravings For the past two weeks, you’ve probably experienced an overwhelming urge to light up—multiple times per day. While these urges will still occur, they will now start to lessen in frequency and duration. During this stage, you will likely experience a maximum of two cravings per day. Plus, by now, you hopefully have several strategies in place to delay and distract yourself until they pass. Memorize the 5 Ds to Beat Smoking Urges Fewer Withdrawal Symptoms Many of the peak physical withdrawal symptoms (insomnia, fatigue, headache, dry mouth, sore throat, and constipation) should have noticeably subsided by your two-week mark. Of course, this can vary from person. Feeling improvement in the mental symptoms, however, may take a little longer. Especially if smoking was your go-to relaxation strategy, you will likely still be grappling with stress after two weeks. Over time, as you learn new, healthy stress-relievers (that don’t involve nicotine), you will inevitably become more in control of this. 17 Highly Effective Stress Relievers A Word From Verywell These benefits are just beginning. The longer you go without nicotine in cigarette smoke, the more health improvements you will experience. This will include changes in your hearing, vision, skin, immunity, cardiovascular health, lungs, muscles, bones, and more. Have patience as your body heals and you relearn a life without cigarettes. And take pride in how far you've already come. You deserve it. Health Benefits to Expect After Quitting Smoking Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Learn the best ways to manage stress and negativity in your life. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Edwards S, Campbell IA. Discussing smoking. In: The Foundation Years. 2006;2(2):55-57. doi:10.1053/S1744-1889(06)70051-2 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Benefits of Quitting. Updated December 11, 2017. Additional Reading American Cancer Society. Benefits of Quitting Smoking Over Time. https://www.cancer.org/healthy/stay-away-from-tobacco/benefits-of-quitting-smoking-over-time.html. American Heart Association. The Benefits of Quitting Smoking Now. https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-lifestyle/quit-smoking-tobacco/the-benefits-of-quitting-smoking-now.