What happens after 6 days of not smoking?

Published: 12 February 2025

Key takeaways

After six days, your body begins healing.
Circulation improves, heart rate returns to normal.
Carbon monoxide levels in blood decrease.
Lungs start to clear out harmful toxins.
Antioxidants increase, taste and smell improve.

You’ve made it through six days of not smoking. Congratulations on reaching this significant milestone!

Quitting smoking can be incredibly challenging, but it’s the best thing you can do for your health and wallet.

At this point, you have pushed past the worst of the nicotine withdrawal symptoms, and a whole host of positive changes have already taken place in your body.

So, what happens after six days of not smoking, and what further changes can you look forward to?

We unpack it all in this guide.

What happens after six days of not smoking?

It may seem like quite a small amount of time to some people, but several significant changes have already occurred, signalling a return to health.

Here’s what’s already happened to your body:

20 minutes after your last cigarette: Heart rate and blood pressure start to normalise¹, and circulation improves, thanks to the increased blood flow throughout the body.
12 hours after quitting: Carbon monoxide levels in your blood drop, and oxygen levels increase².
1 day after quitting: Risk of heart attack decreases³ due to stabilised blood pressure and increased oxygen.
2 days after quitting: Your body is now free of nicotine, and your lungs are starting to function properly as the cilia repair themselves and regain movement, clearing the lungs of the harmful, toxic matter that has built up.
6-7 days after quitting: Higher levels of antioxidants are in your blood, and you’ll start to experience an improved sense of taste and smell.

It’s clear that after six days of not smoking, your body is already well on its way to recovery — and you’re beginning to reap the rewards.

Day six of no smoking: The symptoms

But, quitting isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. If you’ve been feeling worse for wear since you quit, nicotine withdrawal is the culprit.

In the first six to seven days after quitting, your withdrawal symptoms are at their strongest⁴.
They typically begin a few hours after your last cigarette and intensify during the first 72 hours after quitting, when the body has cleared itself of nicotine.
Nicotine withdrawal lasts around two to four weeks, with the symptoms decreasing in intensity during this period.
At the four-week mark, most of the symptoms will have disappeared completely.

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Day six of no smoking: The benefits

Quitting smoking has numerous health benefits, even just six days after your last cigarette. But what are some of the other advantages of giving up cigarettes for good?

Better skin

- Smoking restricts blood flow, damages collagen, and accelerates aging, leading to yellowing and wrinkles.
- After quitting, oxygen and antioxidants restore skin cell turnover, improving complexion and elasticity.
- Within three months, collagen normalizes, dark spots fade, and skin appears healthier and more vibrant.

Reduced back pain

- - Nicotine increases pain perception and damages spinal discs, worsening chronic back pain conditions.
  - Quitting restores blood circulation, strengthens the spine, and supports immune function for better healing.
  - Within six days, improved circulation relieves pain, enhances mobility, and promotes long-term spinal health.

Lots of savings

- A pack-a-day smoker spends over $280 weekly, adding up to thousands yearly.
- Within a month, an ex-smoker’s savings can supplement utility bills or other necessities.
- With increasing cigarette taxes, quitting now maximizes financial benefits for a more secure and enjoyable future.

I quit smoking: What to look forward to after day six

Keep it up and you’ll have these positive changes to look forward to:

Two weeks: Easier breathing and exercising due to improved circulation and oxygen levels.
One month: Most, if not all, withdrawal symptoms subside. Plus, you’ll experience better infection-fighting and wound healing.
Six weeks: Improved moods and reduced stress.
Three to six months: Less coughing now that your cilia have recovered and are better at clearing out your lungs. Your immune and circulatory systems have also improved significantly at this point.
Nine months: More energy and less shortness of breath.
One year: By your one year anniversary of quitting, your risk of coronary heart disease halves. You have a reduced risk of cancer, including stomach, liver, colon, rectum, and pancreatic cancers.
Two to five years: Risk of heart attack and stroke is now the same as that of a non-smoker.
Ten years: Risk of lung cancer is half of what it was when smoking.
Fifteen years: Risk of coronary heart disease is now the same as a non-smoker.

To sum up...

Certainly, the work ahead towards quitting smoking and nicotine altogether will be difficult.

But in just six days, you’ll get better skin, breathing, and energy levels. You’ll even have enough to save more than a hundred dollars per week by keeping off cigarettes.

The further you go into your quit journey, the less withdrawal symptoms will occur, and you’ll reduce your risk of cancers and other complications as you grow older.

Now, the first few weeks of stopping are the most challenging, and for some people, nicotine replacement therapy can’t help them alleviate these symptoms – urging them to relapse into smoking instead.

This is where therapeutic vapes may work better for your situation.

Unlike before, you can purchase legal, reliable, and medically supported therapeutic vapes from pharmacies at your local pharmacy.

But, in case your local pharmacy isn’t one that carries vapes in-stock at all times, Quitwise has a nationwide directory of pharmacies that are verified as a stocked and trained supplier of therapeutic vapes that helps you locate the nearest one to your home, workplace, or anywhere else you may be.

With just a few clicks, you’re well on your way to successfully quitting smoking for good. Get started with a vape kit and quit the habit today!

Sources:

Smoking: https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/risk-factors/smoking
What happens after you quit smoking?: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/317956
Handling Nicotine Withdrawal and Triggers When You Decide To Quit Tobacco: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/tobacco/withdrawal-fact-sheet#:~:text=They%20are%20usually%20worst%20during,quitting%20(3%2C%204)
Shape of the relapse curve and long-term abstinence among untreated smokers: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1360-0443.2004.00540.x?sid=nlm%3Apubmed
Chapter 2. Pharmacotherapy for smoking cessation: https://www.racgp.org.au/getattachment/c07241b0-9dc1-41bd-b25b-764389a675c9/Pharmacotherapy-for-smoking-cessation.aspx#:~:text=All%20forms%20of%20NRT%20monotherapy,quitting%20by%2050%E2%80%9360%25.&text=More%20than%20one%20form%20of,and%20no%20greater%20safety%20risks
Effects of Nicotine Patch vs Varenicline vs Combination Nicotine Replacement Therapy on Smoking Cessation at 26 Weeks: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2484340
Optimal use of smoking cessation pharmacotherapy: https://australianprescriber.tg.org.au/articles/optimal-use-of-smoking-cessation-pharmacotherapy.html
National Tobacco Strategy 2022 – 2030: https://consultations.health.gov.au/atodb/national-tobacco-strategy-2022-2030/supporting_documents/Draft%20NTS%2020222030%20for%20consultaion%20hub.pdf

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Find your nearest pharmacy

All listed pharmacies have been verified as a stocked and trained provider of therapeutic nicotine vapes