No Smoking Day: What happens when you quit

On No Smoking Day, Foundation of Light is encouraging people to make what could be one of their most important changes this year.

The Foundation has been teaming up with Sunderland Specialist Stop Smoking Service and Sunderland City Council to support ‘Kick the Habit’ - a campaign to help local residents give up smoking for good.

There are lots of reasons to make a quit attempt and go smokefree:

• Feel healthier: easier breathing, fewer coughs and colds and less risk of a diseases such as cancer, heart attack, stroke and COPD
• Practice makes perfect: if you’ve tried before, you can learn from what worked and what didn’t. Treat previous tries as a stepping stone.
• More money: quitting smoking will give you money you didn’t know you had – another £47 a week or £2400 a year.
• Less stress: quitting smoking is proven to leave people feeling calmer and happier after a few weeks. Using quit aids, nicotine replacement or a vape can help ease any cravings while you quit.
• Quitting smoking makes it less likely your children will smoke

Smoking is currently the biggest cause of preventable deaths in Wearside and results in thousands of hospital admissions each year.

SAFC want to help its official charity tackle those statistics, with players and coaches alike determined to make a difference to the lives of Sunderland supporters as well as the wider community.

This No Smoking Day, we’re sharing the timeline of what happens when you quit smoking. It is never too late to quit smoking – your health improves from the moment you stop:

After 20 minutes

Your pulse rate starts to return to normal.

After 48 hours

All carbon monoxide is flushed out. Your lungs start clearing out mucus, your oxygen levels have risen, and your senses of taste smell improve.

After 2 to 12 weeks

Your circulation improves aiding the blood flow to your heart and muscles.

After 3 to 9 months

Lung function increases up to 10%, supporting your recovery.

After 1 year

Your risk of heart attack is halved compared with a smoker’s.

After 10 years

Your risk of death from lung cancer is halved compared with a smoker’s.