Exact amount of time smoking one cigarette takes off your life, study suggests
In 2025, we all know that smoking is a terrible idea for your health, but did you know just how much it can shorten your lifespan by?
A clinical study found out just how many minutes are knocked off your life for every cigarette you light up - and the results are shocking.
Over the years, many campaigns have been started to raise awareness about cancer risks, lung damage, the increased chance of a heart attack, the damage done to fertility and to unborn babies as well.
Who can forget when those graphic pictures were introduced on to cigarette packets?
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Is it really worth the risk?
Next time you light up, take a look at the nearest clock and count out the minutes it will cost you.
Timeline of effects on your body if you quit smoking
20 minutes
It takes no time at all for the benefits to start to show, with health improvements becoming apparent after just 20 minutes, according to the NHS.
After just minutes, your heart rate will return to normal.
Smoking tightens your arteries, which means your heart has to work harder.
NiQuitin, which provides nicotine replacement products, states: "Your heart rate and blood pressure will return to normal in as little as 20 minutes after you extinguish your last cigarette.
"This is because the chemicals in your blood metabolise and return to normal."
Eight hours
Eight hours later, your oxygen levels will return to normal as your body has removed around half of the carbon monoxide, and your blood can transport more oxygen.
48 hours
Some 48 hours after your final smoke, and the carbon monoxide will be completely out of your system.
You might notice you're coughing more as your lungs begin to clear out mucus, and your sense of taste and smell should be sharpening.
Two weeks to nine months
In weeks two to 12, your energy levels will have increased, and your circulation will have improved.
Three to nine months later, your smoker's cough and wheezing should subside as your lung function has increased by 10 percent.
One year
If you make it to a full year smoke-free, the NHS says your risk of a heart attack will have halved compared to a regular smoker.
After a decade, your risk of lung cancer will be halved.
How many minutes does each cigarette reduce your lifespan by?
Researchers discovered in a study back in 2000 that each time you smoke, you are shortening your life by roughly 20 minutes.
Horrifyingly, that means a packet of 20 will knock off around almost 7 hours of your life each time.
The paper, published by University College London, found that men lose 17 minutes, while they estimated that women take 22 minutes off per cigarette.
Thinking twice?
Time gained by quitting smoking
Let's say you currently smoke 10 cigarettes a day, and on New Year's Day your resolution was to quit smoking.
If you go cold turkey, by 8 January, you would have saved a day of your life.
By 20 February you'll have saved a week, by 5 August you'll have clawed back a month, and by the end of the year you'd save a whopping 50 days.
Dr Sarah Jackson is a principal researcher at the UCL Alcohol and Tobacco Research Group.
She told the Guardian: “People generally know that smoking is harmful but tend to underestimate just how much.
“On average, smokers who don’t quit lose around a decade of life. That’s 10 years of precious time, life moments, and milestones with loved ones.”
The authors of the study added: “We estimate that on average, smokers who do not quit lose approximately 20 minutes of life expectancy for each cigarette.
“This is time that would likely be spent in relatively good health.
“Stopping smoking at every age is beneficial, but the sooner smokers get off this escalator of death the longer and healthier they can expect their lives to be.”
Jen Thomas