Smoking is a bad habit that is known to cause significant harm to the body. Tobacco smoke disrupts the functioning of the respiratory system and more than 70% of smokers suffer from chronic cough. People who decide to overcome addiction hope to get rid of all the consequences of smoking immediately, but the cough after quitting smoking in most cases does not go away, but rather intensifies. How to deal with a cough for ex-smokers and if treatment is needed - we will examine in this article.
Why does cough appear after quitting smoking
At the moment of smoking the cigarette, tobacco smoke enters the lungs, which in its content is a poison. It contains chemicals, resins, dust and other toxic ingredients. Gradually, a large number of them accumulate in the lung tissue.
Coughing when you quit smoking is a protective reaction aimed at cleansing the body of harmful substances. In a healthy person, such a reaction is always manifested, but in smokers this process is blocked under the influence of cigarette smoke.
Note! In the tissues of the upper respiratory tract there are epithelial cells, which when penetrating pathological particles, provoke cough, thus preventing poisoning of the body.
Cough during smoking cessation occurs due to the restoration of bronchial eyelash functionality. In the first period after giving up the habit of smoking, many people start to suffer from severe bouts of coughing. This process is considered natural, as addiction leads to inflammatory processes in the mucosa. As a result, saliva forms in the bronchi and lung tissue can be affected by toxins. The organs of the respiratory system at the time of coughing clean themselves.
How long does the cough last after quitting smoking
Respiratory disorders are found in most people who have recently quit smoking. In rare cases, such manifestations do not occur. As a rule, cough does not bother people who smoke cigarettes extremely rarely or had little experience.
But how long a cough can last for ex-smokers depends on many factors:
- the duration of the smoking period;
- number of smoke breaks per day (number of cigarettes smoked per day);
- the presence of concomitant diseases;
- the degree of impact exerted by tobacco smoke;
- patient's age;
- having other bad habits.
There is no exact data on what the nature of the cough should be after quitting smoking and how long this period lasts. Recovery happens differently and individually for everyone.
According to statistics, if breathing problems appeared after a person quit smoking, then after 1 to 3 months the respiratory system is completely restored. However, if the smoking experience was more than 10 years, the problem could become chronic.
Normally, even with a strong cough, after 2-3 weeks, improvements in the form of reduced intensity and frequency of attacks should be noticed. If after a month the situation does not change, it is necessary to visit a doctor.
Types of cough after quitting smoking
Great importance is attached to the nature of the cough in people who have given up smoking. Pathological symptoms may indicate complications that appeared after smoking.
The nature of the cough that appears after giving up a bad habit, according to medical information:
- wet;
- dry;
- with secretions.
A wet cough is a reflex rejection of purulent mucus (sputum) that has accumulated in the lungs or airways. There may be very little saliva, or, conversely, mucus is excreted in large volumes, which provokes strong and frequent bouts of coughing. But it is the expectation with the production of saliva that is considered normal.
Suspicion of a pathological process in the respiratory organs during the recovery period after quitting smoking causes a dry cough. Difficulties with saliva discharge occur when the activity of ciliary fibers is lost, as well as bronchial diseases associated with edema.
Dry cough when quitting smoking should be treated with medication. Lack of therapeutic help can lead to complications: intoxication, spastic shortness of breath, formation of toxins in the lungs and others.
The biggest danger for ex-smokers is "dirt" inspection. If brown or black or bloody mucus is released at the time of the examination, along with saliva, an urgent visit to the doctor is required.
Pathological discharge may indicate serious lesions of the bronchial walls, lung tissue, and trachea. Tobacco smoke can cause airway burns that do not heal due to the constant supply of toxins, resulting in an infection that can spread rapidly to the affected areas.
Important! Smoking can cause life-threatening respiratory diseases (tuberculosis, cancer, cirrhosis and others). As nicotine enters the body, the symptoms become dull, but once a person decides to give up the habit, the pathology begins to appear intensely.
What to do first - how to alleviate the situation
For people for whom smoking has been a daily habit for a long time, quitting smoking seems impossible, but if a person still decides to do so, then he has to endure a difficult recovery period.
The most difficult is the psychological desire, which few face. The condition is aggravated by coughing fits. Many smokers know that if you "crawl" again, then your breath will recover. However, there are other ways to alleviate the situation. To do this, use folk remedies or remedies.
Therapeutic approach
Persistent coughing attacks cause serious breathing problems and can also interfere with a person's life. To alleviate the condition of the smoker, it is recommended to take medications that have an expectorant and sedative effect.
Note! After giving up cigarettes, the use of drugs that block cough is not recommended, their use can cause a lung abscess.
In most cases, the doctor, when the patient quits smoking, to facilitate the removal of saliva, prescribes preparations of the mucolytic group.
You can speed up the cleansing of the body from toxins by taking enterosorbents.
Depending on the characteristics of the cough and the presence of possible diseases of the respiratory system, antihistamines, immunomodulators and antibiotics may be prescribed.
Popular methods
Treating the respiratory disorders that bother you after long-term smoking cessation can be supplemented with folk remedies. The use of alternative medicine methods should be performed only with the consent of a specialist and after confirming the absence of an allergic reaction that can lead to anaphylactic shock and swelling of the respiratory system.
You can reduce the frequency and intensity of coughing if you use a folk remedy:
- Milk. You can add a teaspoon of honey or soda to warm milk. Drink three times a day.
- Onion syrup. The medium onions are rubbed on a grater (fine) and mixed with two cups of sugar. The tool should be insisted on for at least three hours. After - put on low heat until the mass reaches the state of syrup. Take one teaspoon during the day at three-hour intervals.
- Propolis eggs. The egg yolk is ground with honey and beaten. Add 2 drops of liquid propolis to the mixture. Close the lid on a small jar and place in the refrigerator. Drink 10 ml. twice a day.
- Herbal decoction. Suitable chamomile, St. John's wort, sage or wild rosemary. A tablespoon of ground grass is taken with 0. 5 liters. boiling water. Insist for about half an hour, then filter. Drink three to four times a day for a cup of tea.
- Birch decoction. The buds of crushed birch (1 tablespoon. L) are placed in melted butter (100 gr. ). Transfer to a saucepan and simmer for 30-40 minutes. Once cooled, add honey. Take 10 gr. funds twice a day.
Do not abuse traditional medicine, self-medicate or refuse medication. Folk remedies have an auxiliary effect and may not be quite effective in severe pathological processes.
When to go to the doctor
After quitting smoking, even a person who smokes for a short time can have serious health problems.
It is necessary to consult a doctor if the following symptoms begin to bother you:
- coughing attacks are very frequent and cause severe chest pain;
- Discharge of saliva is accompanied by the release of blood or the clotting of dark mucus;
- when breathing is heard, whistling and whistling;
- shortness of breath appears;
- with deep breathing, there is a sharp torturous pain in the chest;
- has a general weakness of the body.
Any pathological manifestation in a healthy condition is a signal for a visit to a specialist. It is advisable to take immediate measures to recover from smoking, as the consequences of smoking can be very severe.
Conclusion
Coughing can start to bother smokers while smoking and become a signal that it is necessary to get rid of a bad habit. After quitting smoking, coughing attacks may intensify, however, this recovery period must be endured. In most cases, the condition returns to normal after 2 to 3 weeks. For a full recovery, of course, more time is required, but the main phase of cleansing the body will already be completed.
After quitting smoking, experts recommend that you visit a medical facility for a consultation with a physician and undergo a diagnosis to determine if there are any complications from the addiction and, if indicated, to undergo the necessary treatment.