Smoking is a bad habit that is known to cause significant harm to the body. Tobacco smoke disrupts the functioning of the airways and more than 70% of smokers suffer from a chronic cough. People who decide to overcome addiction hope to get rid of all the consequences of tobacco immediately, but the cough after quitting smoking in most cases does not go away, but intensifies. How to deal with a cough for former smokers and whether treatment is necessary - we will consider in this article.
Why does a cough appear after quitting smoking?
When smoking a cigarette, tobacco smoke, which is poisonous in content, enters the lungs. It contains chemicals, resins, dust and other toxic components. Gradually, a large number of them accumulate in the lung tissue.
Coughing when quitting smoking is a protective response aimed at cleansing the body of toxins. In a healthy person, such a reaction always manifests itself, but in smokers, under the influence of inhaled cigarette smoke, this process is blocked.
Note! On the tissues of the upper respiratory tract are epithelial cilia, which, when entering pathological particles, provoke a cough, thereby preventing intoxication of the body.
Cough when smoking cessation occurs due to the restoration of the functionality of the bronchial cilia. In the initial period after quitting smoking, many people suffer from violent fits of coughing. This process is considered natural, since addiction leads to inflammatory processes on the mucous membrane. As a result, sputum builds up in the bronchi and the lung tissue can be attacked by toxins. The organs of the respiratory system at the time of coughing are self-cleaning.
How long does a cough last after quitting smoking
Breathing disorders are seen in most people who have recently quit smoking. In rare cases, such manifestations do not occur. Coughing is usually not a problem for people who have smoked cigarettes extremely rarely or who have had little experience.
But how long a cough can last in ex-smokers depends on many factors:
- length of smoking period;
- number of smoking breaks per day (number of cigarettes smoked per day);
- the presence of concomitant diseases;
- the degree of exposure to tobacco smoke;
- patient's age;
- have other bad habits.
There is no exact data on what the cough should look like after quitting smoking and how long this period lasts. Recovery happens differently and individually for everyone.
According to statistics, if breathing problems arose after a person quit smoking, the respiratory system is fully restored after 1-3 months. However, if the smoking experience is more than 10 years, the problem can become chronic.
Usually, even with a strong cough, improvements in the form of a decrease in the intensity and frequency of attacks should be observed after 2-3 weeks. If the situation does not change after a month, it is necessary to see a doctor.
Types of cough after quitting smoking
In people who have quit smoking, great importance is attached to the nature of the cough. Pathological symptoms can indicate complications that have arisen after smoking.
The type of cough that manifests itself after giving up a bad habit, according to medical information:
- wet;
- dry;
- with secretions.
A wet cough is a reflex shedding of purulent mucus (sputum) that has accumulated in the lungs or airways. There may be very little sputum, or, conversely, mucus is excreted in large quantities, provoking strong and frequent bouts of coughing. But it is an expectoration with expectoration, which is considered normal.
Suspicion of a pathological process in the respiratory organs during the recovery period after quitting cigarettes causes a dry cough. Difficulties with ejection of sputum occur when there is a loss of activity of the ciliated fibers, as well as bronchial diseases accompanied by edema.
Dry cough during smoking cessation should be treated with medication. The lack of therapeutic support can lead to complications: intoxication, spasmodic shortness of breath, the formation of toxins in the lungs and others.
The greatest danger for ex-smokers is sputum "with impurities". If at the time of sputum production brown or black mucus or blood is released along with sputum, an urgent visit to the doctor is required.
Pathological discharge can indicate severe lesions of the bronchial walls, lung tissue and trachea. Tobacco smoke can cause respiratory burns that don't heal due to the constant influx of toxins, leading to an infection that can quickly spread to the damaged areas.
Important! Smoking can cause life-threatening respiratory diseases (tuberculosis, cancer, cirrhosis and others). As nicotine enters the body, the symptoms become dull, but as soon as a person decides to quit the habit, the pathology begins to manifest itself intensively.
What to do first - how to alleviate the condition?
For people for whom smoking has long been a daily habit, giving up cigarettes seems impossible, but if a person nevertheless decides to do so, he will have to go through a difficult recovery period.
Most difficult is the psychological craving, which few can cope with. The condition is aggravated by fits of coughing. Many smokers know that if you "puff" again, your breath will recover. However, there are other ways to alleviate the condition. To do this, use drugs or folk remedies.
therapeutic approach
Constant coughing fits cause serious breathing problems and can also affect a person's life. To alleviate the smoker's condition, it is recommended to take drugs that have an expectorant and sedative effect.
Note! After giving up cigarettes, the use of antitussive drugs is not recommended, the use of which can cause lung abscess.
In most cases, when the patient quits smoking, to facilitate the removal of sputum, the doctor 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 respiratory diseases, antihistamines, immunomodulators and antibiotics may be prescribed.
folk methods
The treatment of respiratory diseases that bother after the cessation of long-term smoking can be supplemented with folk remedies. The use of alternative medical methods should be carried out only with the approval of a specialist and after confirming the absence of an allergic reaction, which can lead to anaphylactic shock and swelling of the airways.
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 warmed milk. Drink three times a day.
- onion syrup. Medium-sized onions are grated on a grater (fine) and mixed with two glasses of sugar. The remedy must exist for at least three hours. After that - put on low heat until the mixture acquires the state of syrup. Take one teaspoon every three hours during the day.
- Propolis eggnog. Egg yolk is ground and whipped with honey. 2 drops of liquid propolis are added to the mixture. Close the lid in a small jar and put in the fridge. drink 10ml. twice a day.
- herbal brew. Matching chamomile, St. John's wort, sage or wild rosemary. A tablespoon of ground grass is steamed with 0. 5 liters. boiling water. Insist about half an hour, then filter. Drink a cup of tea three to four times a day.
- Birch decoction. Crushed birch buds (1 tbsp) are laid out in melted butter (100 g). Pour into a container and simmer on fire for 30-40 minutes. Add honey after cooling. Take 10 gr. money twice a day.
Do not abuse traditional medicine, do not self-medicate and refuse medication. Folk remedies have an auxiliary effect and in severe pathological processes may not be effective enough.
When should you see a doctor
After giving up cigarettes, even a person who has smoked for only a short time can have serious health problems.
It is necessary to consult a doctor if the following symptoms begin to bother:
- coughing fits are too frequent and cause severe chest pain;
- expectoration from the sputum is accompanied by the release of blood or clots of dark mucus;
- whistling and wheezing are heard when breathing;
- shortness of breath occurs;
- with deep breaths there is a sharp, excruciating pain in the chest;
- there is a general weakness of the body.
Any pathological manifestations in a state of health are a signal for a visit to a specialist. It is advisable to take immediate steps to stop smoking, as the consequences of smoking can be very serious.
Conclusion
Cough can begin to torment smokers when smoking and become a signal that it is necessary to get rid of a bad habit. After stopping smoking, the coughing fits can intensify, but this recovery phase should be endured. In most cases, the condition returns to normal after 2 to 3 weeks. Of course, more time is required for a full recovery, but the main stage of body cleansing has already been completed.
After quitting smoking, experts recommend visiting a medical institution to consult a doctor and undergo a diagnosis to determine whether there are complications from addiction and, if necessary, undergo the necessary treatment.