The average amount of time taken off your life when you smoke a cigarette has been revealed, and it’s much more than initially thought.

It’s habit that became normalised in the 20th century, but now, smoking is not as popular or common as it used to be.

People have become more aware of the health effects that the habit can have, and with the UK looking to ban tobacco for good in the new future, it could soon become a habit of the past.

The time that one cigarette takes off your life is staggering (Getty Stock Photo)

Taking up smoking can shorten your lifespan, and a popular 2000 study stated that it happens by about 11 minutes per cigarette, meaning that a pack of 20 cigs can shave almost four hours off your life.

The risks and long-term effects of regular smoking have been outlined several times before, it can decrease lung capacity, increase the risk of cancer and heart attack, the list goes on.

It takes just 20 minutes after your last cigarette for health benefits to kick in, but what if you wanted to keep going – how much damage would you be doing?

While previous studies suggested shorter times, a paper from The University College London, for the Department of Health, has found that it was worse than first thought.

How much does one cigarette take off your lifespan?

They conducted the research based on new data from long-term studies that kept track of the population’s wellbeing, and found that on average, smokers take 20 minutes off their life per cigarette smoked.

It’s nearly double what previous studies have suggested.

Men lose 17 minutes of their lifespan with every cig they smoke, while they estimated that women take 22 minutes off per fag.

The new research also found that if someone that smokes ten cigarettes a day quits on New Year’s Day, they will save a day of their life by 8 January.

This trend continues, adding a week to their life by 20 February, a month on 5 August, and a whole 50 days by the end of 2025.

You’re better off giving up the cigs for good (Getty Stock Photo)

Dr Sarah Jackson, a principal researcher at the UCL Alcohol and Tobacco Research Group explained to 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 said: “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.”

A sobering experiment has revealed what happens to your lungs after smoking just one cigarette.

By this point we’ve all seen enough campaigns featuring charcoal-coloured lungs and human bodies in various states of decay to be well aware that smoking is not a healthy habit to keep.

However, these traumatising ads haven’t managed to get the nation to kick the habit entirely – because, you know, addiction – as it’s estimated around one in eight, or 12.9 percent, of the UK population is lighting up on the regular.

This figure is declining as more and popular people swap out their cigarettes for a vape, which is currently seen as a safer alternatives to smokers, but we as a nation are still far away from kicking the habit for good.

If you’re a smoker considering taking part in the government’s annual stop smoking campaign Stoptober and are in need of some motivation; look no further than this video, which simulates the impact of one cigarette on the lungs.

Uploaded to YouTube by Chris Notap, the video recreates a human lung with a modified soda bottle, water and some cotton bud and reveals the amount of toxins you breathe into your lungs every time you light up.

After assembling his experiment, Notap lights a cigarette and lets it burn while slowly letting water out of the bottle – to simulate exhaling – and waits as the smoke fills up his makeshift lung.

After the cigarette is finished burning, Notap then simulates exhalation by refilling the bottle from the bottom and expelling the lingering smoke.

Granted, you’re not holding smoke in your lungs as long as Notap’s experiment does, but the final result is pretty grim.

After removing the cotton bud stuffed into the neck of the bottle we see how the previously pristine white ball is now discoloured and yellow from the toxins inhaled.

Again, cotton wool isn’t a direct comparison to lung tissue, but it’s still pretty grim to think the very same gunk lingering around in respiratory tissue.

“Well the bottom line is, smoking is bad for you,” Notap summarised at the end of his video.

“You’re only meant to have one thing going in [your lungs] and that’s air.

“Why would you want to introduce smoke into something that gives you life and helps you thrive.”

A before and after of what smoking does to your lungs (YouTube/chrisnotap)

Of course this isn’t groundbreaking advice, as the majority of people who smoke will be aware of the side-effects, but having evidence presented to you in a visual manner can often be more helpful than blanket phrases such as ‘smoking = bad’.

A young model who had her entire top lip bitten off in a horrific attack has shown off her transformation after undergoing six operations.

Brooklinn Khoury was making a name for herself as a social media influencer before she was set upon by a dog back in November 2020.

The 25-year-old was hanging out with her cousin and her eight-year-old pit bull, Diesel, the day before she was set to star in a TV commercial. After a day out, they all went back to Brooklinn’s house to chill.

But things took a dark turn when Diesel suddenly spun round and lunged at Brooklinn, sinking his teeth into her face and ripping off her top lip.

Speaking to Inside Edition about the terrifying incident, Brooklinn said: “He was hanging off of my mouth.”

Following the attack, she took a photo of her face, which she finds it difficult to look at.

“You could see the fear in my eyes, ‘Oh my God, that’s what I look like’,” she recalled. “How do you fix this? How do you fix this?’ I didn’t realise he had taken off my whole lip.”

In the four years since the incident, Brooklinn has come a long way, documenting her progress on Instagram and being transparent about the difficulties she’s faced.

Brooklinn said: “Just having to look at myself in the mirror and having to tell myself and believe that what I am seeing is not the final product and loving myself regardless of how I look just from the inside out.”

But after undergoing half a dozen surgeries – some of which lasted around 20 hours – she now has her smile back. However, due to the nature of her injuries, it took Brooklinn over a year to find a doctor who was willing to take it on.

She has praised her doctor as an ‘artist’ on Instagram following her last huge procedure in 2023, revealing her plans to get lip tattoos as her final step.

In a post documenting her transformation, she told her followers: “I have learned so much more than to just love what I see in the mirror these last couple years. Ive learned how rare and amazing it is to find a surgeon you can trust, communicate, and laugh with. I’ve learned so much about modern medicine, and all the things you can accomplish.

“I’m in awe of what my surgeon has been able to do. He is a true artist. Being able to love myself through every step of this reconstruction process has been the most amazing part. I’ve learned to love every scar, and every difference I see on myself that makes me, me. Looking back on photos like these really puts into perspective of how much of a journey it’s been. I’ve been so grateful and so blessed.”

Quitting smoking might be one of the hardest things to do, but it’s safe to say your body will thank you for ditching the nicotine.

It often takes people everything they’ve got to overcome the addiction, but the good news is that some of the health benefits from packing the habit in start within a matter of minutes.

The main reason that smokers struggle to quit is due to nicotine being ‘a powerful and addictive mind-altering drug that affects the body in numerous ways,’ NiQuitin says.

The drug does this by releasing noradrenaline, which stimulates the brain.

Professor of Behavioural Medicine at the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences Paul Aveyard spoke more on the subject.

He explained: “Many people who smoke cannot contemplate stopping smoking.

“They know it affects their health, but they feel they need cigarettes to cope with stress”.

Aveyard added that people experience that everyday when they take that puff, as it helps them feel better, but these benefits while smoking turn into symptoms of withdrawal when they quit.

But, not only will you save money if you quit, but the health benefits on offer are endless if you were to give up the nicotine-fuelled habit.

These changes come into play as soon as 20 minutes after a cigarette, according to the NHS.

Here’s the full breakdown of what happens when you put down those cigs:

20 minutes after a cigarette

After this period of time, your heart rate will return to normal, as smoking increases your heart rate and tightens your arteries – which therefore makes your heart work harder.

NiQuitin 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.”

The company also explains that cigarettes have ‘more than 7,000 harmful chemicals’ that will negatively affect your body, so quitting and getting rid of these will help your body return to normal.

Getty Stock Photo

Eight hours after a cigarette

After this period of time, your oxygen levels will return to normal as the carbon monoxide from cigarettes is cleared from your body, as this gas stops your blood from carrying as much oxygen around the body.

The NHS explains: “Your oxygen levels are recovering, and the harmful carbon monoxide level in your blood will have reduced by half.”

48 hours after a cigarette

According to the NHS, after just two days all of this harmful carbon monoxide will be flushed out out your system.

On top of that, your lungs begin clearing out mucus, meaning your senses of taste and smell improve.

72 hours after a cigarette

In just three days, you will ‘notice that breathing feels easier’ – this is due to the bronchial tubes in your lungs relaxing.

Meanwhile, energy levels will increase too, which is always a plus.

Getty Stock Photo

Two to 12 weeks after a cigarette

If you do make it past that initial tough stage of the early days of quitting, within two to 12 weeks, blood will pump ‘through to your heart and muscles much better because your circulation will have improved’.

Three to nine months after a cigarette

And within three to nine months, smoker’s cough and any wheezing or breathing problems will improve as your lung function increases by up to 10 percent.

Getty stock photo

One year after a cigarette

According to the NHS, if a smoker makes it a whole 365 days, the risk of a heart attack will have halved compared to a regular smoker.

10 years after a cigarette

If you make it a whole decade after putting down your last cigarette, the risk of death from lung cancer will have halved compared to if you had kept smoking.

You can find information and advice to stop smoking on the NHS website for free.