Smoking
What happens to your lungs from smoking?
BY CYNTHIA DEMARCO
Roughly 85% of all lung cancer diagnoses are caused by smoking. But what does smoking actually do to your lungs?
Does the lung damage start from your very first puff or vape, or only after years of a pack-a-day habit? How long does it take your body to recover once you stop smoking? And is the lung damage caused by smoking temporary or permanent?
We asked tobacco treatment expert and addiction specialist Maher Karam-Hage, M.D. Here are three things that he wants you to know.
Nicotine isn’t what causes lung damage. Tar is.
There’s no question that nicotine is an addictive substance. And using products that contain this chemical before age 25 can permanently alter parts of the brain that control attention, learning, mood and impulse control. Nicotine obtained through smoking is even more addictive.
Still, when it comes to lung damage, Karam-Hage stresses, “While nicotine has many effects on the body, it’s not what’s causing illnesses or damaging your lungs. The damage is actually done by tar – the black, sticky substance created when some of the chemicals in cigarettes burn and melt together.”
Experts estimate that cigarette smoke contains between 7,000 and 8,000 different chemicals. About 70 of those are known carcinogens, or substances that can cause cancer. So, whenever you inhale cigarette smoke, you’re bathing the delicate lining of your lungs in a toxic fog. This can leave a thin coating of tar on its surface similar in color and composition to the kind used to pave streets. And every time you smoke, you’re adding more damage.
Smoking causes damage to lungs over time — and it’s permanent
Your lungs contain around 500 million tiny air sacs called alveoli that pull oxygen from the air you breathe and release carbon dioxide when you exhale. Smoking destroys these air sacs by killing the cells that line them.
“Many structures in the body are capable of repairing themselves,” says Karam-Hage. “If you break a bone, for instance, it will eventually mend. If you cut your skin, it will heal. Even the liver can grow back sometimes if a portion of it is removed. But lung tissue doesn’t grow back. Once it’s gone, it’s gone.”
Damage to alveoli gets worse over time, too. And as lung tissue is damaged, it becomes more fibrous, making it harder for people to expand their lungs fully with each inhalation. Less lung tissue and less expansion mean less oxygen getting to all the places it’s needed. That’s why many people don’t think there’s a problem until they start feeling short of breath.
“It happens silently. So, smokers just keep walking around because they don’t feel anything,” says Karam-Hage. “And since people start out with millions of alveoli, it can take 15 or 20 years to lose enough of them to really become obvious. But once you develop something like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), there’s no going back. Once you get to that point, you’re never going to get off the oxygen tank.”
First, let’s talk about how the lungs work. When you inhale, air travels into your airway (trachea), which then splits into two airways, called bronchi, that each lead to one of your lungs.
Those bronchi then split into smaller airways called bronchioles, which are the smallest airways in your lungs. At the end of each of those bronchioles are small air sacs called alveoli.
When you smoke, you inhale about 600 different compounds. These compounds can be broken down into several thousand chemicals, many of which are known to cause cancer.
Cigarette smoke can affect every system in your body. Here are some examples:
- Heart. Blood vessels become narrower, making it harder for blood to circulate oxygen to the rest of your body. This makes your heart work harder.
- Brain. Nicotine withdrawal can make you feel tired and unable to concentrate.
- Respiratory system. Lungs can become inflamed and congested, making it hard to breathe.
- Reproductive system. Over time, smoking can cause infertility and decreased sexual drive.
What’s the outlook for people who smoke?
People who smoke run a higher risk for developing many chronic diseases, including:
- heart disease
- diabetes
- high blood pressure
- certain cancers
- COPD
These and other smoking-related diseases can have a pretty big impact on your life expectancy and quality of life.
What’s the outlook for people who quit smoking?
Here’s a breakdown of what happens after you have your last cigarette, according to the American Cancer SocietyTrusted Source.
What happens after smoking cessation
| Time after last cigarette | Benefits |
|---|---|
| 20 minutes | Your heart rate and blood pressure return to more normal levels. |
| 12 hours | Your carbon monoxide levels return to normal. |
| 48 hours | Your sense of taste and smell start to improve. |
| 2 weeks–3 months | Your lung function starts to improve. You may find that you aren’t as short of breath as you used to be. |
| 1 month–1 year | Any coughing or shortness of breath you’ve experienced will start to decrease. |
| 1 year | You’ll start to notice a dramatic improvement in your breathing and exercise tolerance. |
| 1–2 years | Your risk for heart attack significantly lowers. |
| 5–10 years | Your risk of develop mouth, throat, and laryngeal cancer are cut in half, and stroke risk decreases. |
| 10 years | Your risk for developing lung cancer is cut in half compared to a smoker. Your risk of bladder, esophageal, and kidney cancer decreases. |
| 15 years | Your risk of coronary heart disease is similar to that of a nonsmoker. |
Quitting smoking offers lung and heart health benefits
Thinking about the effects of smoking on lung tissue can be scary. But the good news is, quitting at any age can still benefit your health.
“Statistically, smoking shortens your life span by 10 to 15 years,” says Karam-Hage. “But if you quit by age 30, you can recover almost all of them. One year after quitting smoking, your risk of having a heart attack goes down by half, too. And four years later, your risk reverts to the same as a non-smoker’s. Five years after quitting, your risk of developing cancer due to smoking falls by 50%, and after 15 years, it reverts to the same as someone who has never smoked.”
Don’t be deterred if you hear about people who had heart attacks or developed cancer even after quitting cigarettes.
“Sometimes, I have patients tell me, ‘See? I quit smoking and then I still had a heart attack a year later. So, smoking didn’t have anything to do with it,’” says Karam-Hage. “What they don’t understand is that they didn’t have the heart attack because they quit smoking. They had it because of the 10 years they smoked before that. So, quit as soon as you can to give your body as much time as possible to recover.”
The takeaway
Deciding to quit smoking is one of the most important (and best!) decisions you’ll ever make. Smoking cessation is very difficult, but you got this.
Once you’ve finished your last cigarette, your lungs begin working to clean themselves. While there’s no one surefire way to clean out your lungs after you quit smoking, there are things you can do to promote lung health.
How to Clean Your Lungs After Quitting Smoking?
After your final cigarette, your lungs start working to clean themselves. Some habits, like exercise and avoiding pollutants, may help support your lung health.
If you’ve recently quit smoking, you’ve taken an important first step toward taking control of your health.
If you’re considering smoking cessastion, you may be wondering what the benefits are. Whatever group you fall into, there’s a common concern: Can you clean your lungs after you quit smoking?
While there’s no quick fix to get your lungs back to the way they were before you started smoking, there are things you can do to help your lungs repair themselves after you smoke your last cigarette.
Let’s take a look at some of the ways you can help your lungs “self-clean.”
Can I clean my lungs after I quit smoking?
Once you’ve quit smoking, you may have the urge to “clean” your lungs to get rid of the toxins that have built up.
Fortunately, your lungs are self-cleaning. They begin that process after you smoke your last cigarette.
Your lungs are a remarkable organ system that, in some instances, have the ability to repair themselves over time.
After quitting smoking, your lungs begin to slowly heal and regenerate. The speed at which they heal all depends on how long you smoked and how much damage is present.
Smoking causes two different kinds of permanent damage to your lungs. Together, these conditions are known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
- Emphysema. With emphysema, the small air sacs in the lungs, called alveoli, are destroyed, which decreases the lungs’ surface area. The lungs then aren’t able to exchange oxygen that your body needs.
- Chronic bronchitis. With chronic bronchitis, the smaller airways leading to alveoli become inflamed, which prevents oxygen from reaching the alveoli.
How long does it take?
Within 2 weeks to 3 months after quitting, you may start to notice improved lung function as your lungs start the self-cleaning process.
In the first year after quitting, symptoms like coughing and shortness of breath decrease. In this time, your lungs start to get better at cleaning themselves to reduce infection risk.
As your lungs continue to self-clean and heal over time, you’ll continue to reap the health benefits of smoking cessation.
Are there natural ways to clean your lungs?
While there’s no way to reverse scarring or lung damage that years of smoking can cause, there are things you can do to prevent further damage and improve your lung health.
Coughing
According to Dr. Keith Mortman, director of thoracic surgery at the George Washington Medical Faculty Associates in Washington, D.C., a smoker is likely to have a lot of mucus built up in their lungs. This buildup may persist after smoking cessation.
Coughing works by helping your body get rid of that extra mucus, unblocking those smaller airways and opening them up to get oxygen.
Exercise
Mortman also emphasizes the importance of physical activity. Staying active can be one of the best things you can do to maintain and improve your lung function.
Simply going for a walk outside can help those air sacs in your lungs stay open. If those sacs stay open, they’re able to exchange oxygen and get it where your body needs it.
Avoid pollutants
This may seem like a no-brainer, but avoiding secondhand smoke, dust, mold, and chemicals will encourage healthy lung function.
Animal studiesTrusted Source have found that exposure to filtered air decreases mucus production in the lungs. Mucus can block those smaller airways and make it harder to get oxygen.
Before spending time outside, check your local weather station for air quality reports. If it’s a “bad air day,” try to avoid spending lots of time outside.
Drink warm fluids
According to the American Lung Association, staying hydrated is important for lung health. By drinking 64 ounces of water per day (eight 8-ounce cups), you’re keeping any mucus in your lungs thin, which makes it easier to get rid of mucus when you cough.
Drinking warm beverages, like tea, broth, or even just hot water, may cause thinning of mucus, making it easier to clear from your airways.
Research has shown that green tea in particular has anti-inflammatory properties that may prevent some types of lung disease.
If you don’t enjoy drinking warm beverages, try steam therapy, which involves inhaling water vapor. Steam therapy can help thin out mucus and reduce inflammation in the airways.
Eat anti-inflammatory foods
A smoker’s lung are likely to be inflamed, which can make it difficult to breathe.
While there’s no scientific evidence to show that eating a diet high in anti-inflammatory foods will prevent lung inflammation, researchTrusted Source has shown that it may reduce inflammation in the body.
In other words, eating anti-inflammatory foods can’t hurt. Anti-inflammatory foods include:
- blueberries
- cherries
- spinach
- kale
- olives
- almonds
Reference
- https://www.mdanderson.org/cancerwise/what-happens-to-your-lungs-from-smoking--3-things-to-know.h00-159540534.html
- https://www.healthline.com/health/quit-smoking/how-to-clean-lungs-after-quitting-smoking