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 cessation, you may be wondering what the benefits are.

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.”

Once you’ve quit smoking, you may have the urge to “clean” your lungs to get rid of the toxins that have built up.

Your lungs are self-cleaning organs, according to the American Lung Association. They begin the process after you smoke your last cigarette.

In some instances, lungs have the ability to regenerate and repair themselves over time. The speed at which they heal, however, depends on how long you smoked and how much damage is present.

Smoking may cause two kinds of permanent damage to your lungs:

  • 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.

You may start to notice improved lung function within 2 weeks to 3 months after quitting as your lungs start the self-cleaning process, according to the American Cancer Society.

In the first year after quitting, symptoms like coughing and shortness of breath decrease. During this time, your lungs start improving at cleaning themselves to reduce infection risk.

Some people claim that natural detoxes may help reverse the scarring or lung damage caused by years of smoking.

Limited research supports the efficacy of detox products and programs, but some lifestyle and dietary changes may help 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 extra mucus, unblocking those smaller airways and opening them up to get oxygen.

Exercise

Mortman also emphasizes the importance of physical activity. Staying active may 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

Avoiding secondhand smoke, dust, mold, and chemicals will help encourage healthy lung function.

Animal studies 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

Staying hydrated is important for lung health.

Drinking 64 ounces of water per day (eight 8-ounce cups) may help thin mucus in your lungs, making it easier to get rid of mucus when you cough. Drinking warm beverages, like tea, broth, or even just hot water, may also help thin out mucus, making it easier to clear from your airways.

Some research suggests that green tea, in particular, may have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that could help prevent some types of lung disease, such as lung cancer.

If you don’t enjoy drinking warm beverages, consider trying steam inhalation therapy, which involves inhaling water vapor. Some research suggests that steam therapy may help improve lung function, reduce airway inflammation, and relieve COPD symptoms.

However, more research is needed to understand how steam therapy may contribute to lung healing after quitting smoking.

Eat anti-inflammatory foods

A smoker’s lungs are likely to be inflamed, which can make it difficult to breathe.

While there’s no scientific evidence that eating a diet high in anti-inflammatory foods will prevent lung inflammation, research has shown that it may help reduce inflammation in the body.

Some anti-inflammatory foods to consider adding to your diet include:

  • blueberries
  • cherries
  • spinach
  • kale
  • olives
  • almonds
Finding help to quit smoking

Making the decision to quit smoking is an important first step toward taking control of your health. Remember, you’re not alone. Reach out to these resources for support:

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 compounds, according to the American Lung Association. These are then broken down into 7,000 chemicals when burning, many of which are known to cause cancer.

Smoking may cause two kinds of permanent damage to your lungs:

  • 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.

Cigarette smoke can also affect other systems in your body. For example:

  • 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.
  • Reproductive system: Over time, smoking can cause infertility and decreased sexual drive.

Are lungs permanently damaged by smoking?

Research shows that smoking permanently damages the lungs. However, the earlier you quit smoking, the more your lungs could heal and improve in function.

People who smoke have a higher risk of developing many chronic diseases, including:

These and other smoking-related diseases may also impact your life expectancy and quality of life.

A 2024 study in 1.48 million people found that the life expectancy between ages 40 and 70 years for smokers was 12 years less for women and 13 years less for men compared to nonsmokers.

The researchers also found that quitting smoking before the of age 40 years was linked with higher life expectancy than quitting later in life.

Here’s a breakdown of what happens after you have your last cigarette, according to the American Cancer Society.

What happens after smoking cessation

Time after last cigaretteBenefits
20 minutesYour heart rate and blood pressure return to more normal levels.
12 hoursYour carbon monoxide levels return to normal.
48 hoursYour sense of taste and smell start to improve.
2 weeks to 3 monthsYour lung function starts to improve. You may find that you aren’t as short of breath as you used to be.
1 to 12 monthsAny coughing or shortness of breath you’ve experienced will start to decrease.
1 yearYou’ll start to notice a dramatic improvement in your breathing and exercise tolerance.
1 to 2 yearsYour risk for heart attack significantly lowers.
5 to 10 yearsYour risk of develop mouth, throat, and laryngeal cancer are cut in half, and stroke risk decreases.
10 yearsYour risk of developing lung cancer is cut in half compared to a smoker. Your risk of bladder, esophageal, and kidney cancer decreases.
15 yearsYour risk of coronary heart disease is similar to that of a nonsmoker.

Quitting smoking is one of the most important 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 surefire way to clean out your lungs after you quit smoking, there are things you can do to promote lung health.