Smoking is a bad habit that is known to cause significant harm to the body. Tobacco smoke impairs the functioning of the respiratory system and more than 70% of smokers suffer from chronic cough. People who have decided to overcome addiction hope to get rid of all the effects of tobacco immediately, but the cough after quitting smoking in most cases does not disappear, but rather intensifies. How to deal with cough for ex-smokers and whether treatment is needed - we will discuss in this article.
Why does a cough occur after quitting smoking
During cigarette smoking, tobacco smoke enters the lungs, which is poisonous in its content. Contains chemicals, resins, dust and other toxic components. Gradually, a large number of them accumulate in the lung tissue.
Cough when you quit smoking is a protective reaction aimed at cleansing the body of harmful substances. In a healthy person, such a reaction always occurs, but in smokers this process is blocked under the influence of inhaled cigarette smoke.
Note! There are epithelial cilia on the tissues of the upper respiratory tract, which, when penetrated by pathological particles, cause coughing, thus preventing poisoning of the body.
Smoking cessation cough occurs due to the restoration of the functionality of the bronchial cilia. In the first period after giving up the habit of smoking, many people begin to suffer from severe bouts of coughing. This process is considered natural, as addiction leads to inflammatory processes in the mucosa. As a result, sputum forms in the bronchi, and lung tissue can be affected by toxins. The organs of the respiratory system clean themselves during coughing.
How long does the cough last after quitting smoking
Respiratory disorders are seen in most people who have recently given up smoking. In rare cases, such manifestations do not occur. As a rule, cough does not bother people who have smoked cigarettes extremely rarely or have had little experience.
But how long a cough can last in ex-smokers depends on many factors:
- 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 influence exerted by tobacco smoke;
- age of the patient;
- there are other bad habits.
There are no exact data on the nature of the cough after quitting smoking and how long this period lasts. Recovery happens differently and individually for everyone.
According to statistics, if breathing problems occur after a person quits smoking, after 1 to 3 months the respiratory system fully recovers. However, if you have been smoking for more than 10 years, the problem can become chronic.
Usually, even with a severe cough, after 2-3 weeks improvements should be observed in the form of a decrease in the intensity and frequency of attacks. 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 arising from smoking.
The nature of the cough, which manifests itself after giving up a bad habit, according to medical information:
- wet;
- dry;
- with secrets.
Damp cough is a reflex rejection of purulent mucus (sputum) accumulated in the lungs or airways. There may be very little sputum or, conversely, mucus is excreted in large volumes, which provokes severe and frequent bouts of coughing. But expectoration with sputum is considered normal.
The suspicion of a pathological process in the respiratory organs during the recovery period after quitting cigarettes causes a dry cough. Difficulty with sputum production occurs in the loss of activity of the ciliary fibers, as well as in bronchial diseases accompanied by edema.
Dry cough when quitting smoking should be treated with medication. Lack of therapeutic help can lead to complications: intoxication, spastic dyspnea, formation of toxins in the lungs and others.
The biggest danger for ex-smokers is expectoration "with impurities". If brown or black mucus or blood is expelled during sputum, along with sputum, an urgent visit to a doctor is necessary.
The pathological course may show 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, leading to an infection that can spread quickly to the affected areas.
Important! Smoking can cause life-threatening respiratory diseases (tuberculosis, cancer, cirrhosis, etc. ). As nicotine enters the body, the symptoms become dull, but as soon as a person decides to give up the habit, the pathology begins to manifest itself intensely.
What to do first - how to alleviate the condition
For people for whom smoking has been a daily habit for a long time, quitting cigarettes seems impossible, but if one still decides to do so, then one must endure a difficult period of recovery.
The most difficult is the psychological desire, which few cope with. The condition is aggravated by bouts of coughing. Many smokers know that if you "drag" again, then your breath will recover. However, there are other ways to alleviate the condition. To do this, use drugs or folk remedies.
Therapeutic approach
Persistent bouts of coughing cause serious breathing problems and can also interfere with a person's life. To alleviate the smoker's condition, it is recommended to take drugs that have expectorant and sedative effects.
Note! After quitting cigarettes, the use of cough suppressants is not recommended, their use can cause lung abscess.
In most cases, the doctor, when the patient quits smoking to facilitate the removal of sputum, prescribes drugs from the mucolytic group.
You can speed up the body's cleansing of 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.
Folk methods
The treatment of respiratory disorders that bother you after quitting long-term smoking can be supplemented with folk remedies. The use of alternative medicine methods should be carried out only with the consent of a specialist and after confirmation of the absence of an allergic reaction, which can lead to anaphylactic shock and swelling of the respiratory system.
You can reduce the frequency and intensity of cough 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-sized onion is rubbed on a grater (finely) and mixed with two cups of sugar. The drug should be insisted for at least three hours. Then - put on low heat until the mixture acquires the state of syrup. Take one teaspoon during the day with an interval of three hours.
- Egg propolis. The yolk is ground with honey and beaten. 2 drops of liquid propolis are added to the mixture. Close the lid in a small jar and place in the refrigerator. Drink 10 ml. twice a day.
- Herbal decoctions. Chamomile, St. John's wort, sage or wild rosemary are suitable. One tablespoon of ground grass is brewed with 0, 5 liters. boiling water. Insist for about half an hour, then filter. Drink one to four cups of tea three times a day.
- Decoction of birch. The crushed birch buds (1 tablespoon l) are poured into melted butter (100 g). Transfer to a bowl and simmer on the fire for 30-40 minutes. After cooling, add honey. Take 10 grams twice a day.
Do not abuse traditional medicine, self-medicate and do not refuse drugs. Folk remedies have an ancillary effect and may not be effective enough in severe pathological processes.
When to see a doctor
After quitting smoking, even a person who smokes briefly can have serious health problems.
It is necessary to consult a doctor if the following symptoms begin to bother:
- bouts of coughing are too common and cause severe chest pain;
- sputum production is accompanied by blood or clots of dark mucus;
- wheezing and wheezing are heard when breathing;
- shortness of breath;
- with deep breaths there is acute excruciating chest pain;
- there is a general weakness of the body.
All pathological manifestations in a healthy state are a signal to visit a specialist. It is advisable to take immediate measures to recover from smoking, as the consequences of smoking can be very serious.
Conclusion
Coughing can start to torment smokers while smoking and become a signal that you need to get rid of the bad habit. After giving up cigarettes, coughing fits may intensify, but this recovery period must be endured. In most cases, the condition returns to normal after 2 to 3 weeks. Full recovery, of course, takes more time, but the main stage of cleansing the body is already complete.
After quitting smoking, experts recommend a visit to a medical facility to consult a doctor and conduct a diagnosis to determine if there are complications of addiction and, if indicated, to undergo the necessary treatment.