Making the decision to stop smoking is not always an easy one but the benefits are endless. After only 20 minutes of stopping, your heart rate will return to a normal level and after 2 hours, your blood pressure will return to normal too. After 12 hours, your carbon monoxide level will start decreasing and once you hit 48 hours of quitting, your sense of smell and taste will start to come back. Once you’ve gone 3 days without a cigarette, the nicotine will have left your body, and after 2 or 3 weeks, your lung function will start to improve. 1 year after stopping, your lungs will begin to repair and your risk of long-term health defects will start to decrease.In the first instance of quitting, you may experience some headaches, mood swings and weight gain due to the nicotine withdrawal. However, the benefits by far outweigh these; better skin, improved personal hygiene, and a better sense of smell and taste. It will also improve your overall health by reducing coughing and breathing problems.Quitting smoking can also improve your wellbeing by enabling you to participate in sports and exercise more easily, making the air around you more pleasant for others and reducing your chances of passing second-hand smoke on to your friends, family or children. Along with all of the health and hygiene benefits, stopping smoking can also save you a great amount of money that be used on more exciting things such as holidays or new tech.