Smoking is a bad habit that is known to cause serious damage to the body. Tobacco smoke impairs the function 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 after quitting smoking, the cough often does not go away, but intensifies. In this article we will look at how to deal with a cough for former smokers and whether it needs treatment.
Why does cough occur after quitting smoking?
During smoking, tobacco smoke enters the lungs, which contains toxins. Contains chemicals, resins, dust and other toxic components. Gradually, most of them accumulate in the lung tissue.
Coughing when quitting smoking is a protective reaction aimed at cleansing the body of harmful substances. In a healthy person, such a reaction always manifests itself, but in smokers, this process is blocked under the influence of inhaled smoke from cigarettes.
Note! There are epithelial cilia in the tissues of the upper respiratory tract, which provoke coughing when pathological particles penetrate and thus prevent poisoning of the body.
Coughing when quitting smoking occurs due to the restoration of the functionality of the bronchial eyelashes. After giving up smoking, many people begin to suffer from severe coughs in the first period. This process is considered natural, because the addiction causes inflammatory processes in the mucous membrane. As a result, sputum is formed in the bronchi, and lung tissue can be affected by toxins. When you cough, the organs of the respiratory system clear themselves.
How long does the cough last after quitting smoking?
Most people who have just quit smoking have respiratory problems. In rare cases, such manifestations do not occur. As a rule, cough rarely bothers smokers or inexperienced people.
But for former smokers, how long a cough lasts can depend on many factors:
- duration of smoking period;
- number of smoking breaks per day (number of cigarettes smoked per day);
- presence of concomitant diseases;
- degree of exposure to tobacco smoke;
- age of the patient;
- having other bad habits.
It is not known exactly what the nature of the cough is after quitting smoking and how long it lasts. Recovery happens differently and individually for everyone.
According to statistics, if a person develops respiratory problems after quitting smoking, the respiratory system is fully restored after 1-3 months. However, if you have more than 10 years of smoking experience, the problem can become chronic.
Normally, even with a strong cough, improvement should be observed after 2-3 weeks in the form of a decrease in the intensity and frequency of attacks. If the condition does not change after a month, you need to see a doctor.
Types of cough after quitting smoking
The nature of the cough is very important in people who quit smoking. Pathological symptoms may indicate complications after smoking.
According to medical data, the nature of the cough that manifests itself after giving up a bad habit:
- age;
- dry;
- with secretions.
Wet cough is a reflex rejection of purulent mucus (sputum) accumulated in the lungs or respiratory tract. There may be very little sputum or, conversely, a large amount of mucus is secreted, which is strong and often causes coughing attacks. But it is the removal of sputum with the secretion of sputum, which is considered normal.
Suspicion of a pathological process in the respiratory system during the recovery period after smoking cessation causes a dry cough. Difficulties with the flow of sputum occur in cases of loss of activity of the ciliary fibers, as well as bronchial diseases accompanied by edema.
Dry cough should be treated with medication when quitting smoking. Lack of therapeutic care can lead to complications: intoxication, spastic shortness of breath, the formation of toxins in the lungs, etc.
The biggest danger for ex-smokers is the removal of mucus with "dirt". If sputum, brown or black mucus or blood is released during sputum removal, seek medical attention immediately.
Pathological discharge may indicate severe lesions of the bronchial walls, lung tissue, and trachea. Tobacco smoke can cause incurable respiratory burns due to the constant supply of toxins, resulting in an infection that can spread rapidly to the affected areas.
It is important! Smoking can cause life-threatening respiratory diseases (tuberculosis, cancer, cirrhosis, etc. ). When nicotine enters the body, the symptoms subside, but as soon as the person decides to give up the habit, the pathology begins to manifest itself in an intensive manner.
What to do first - how to alleviate the situation
For people who have been smoking for a long time, it seems impossible to quit, but if a person still decides to do so, he or she will have to endure a difficult recovery period.
The most difficult is the psychological desire, which very few people can cope with. The situation is aggravated by coughing attacks. Many smokers know that if you "drag" them again, your breathing will be restored. But there are other ways to alleviate the situation. To do this, use drugs or folk remedies.
Therapeutic approach
Frequent cough attacks cause serious respiratory problems, and they can interfere with a person's life. It is recommended to take drugs that have expectorant and sedative effects to alleviate the condition of the smoker.
Note! It is not recommended to use cough suppressants after quitting smoking, as their use can cause lung abscess.
In most cases, the doctor prescribes preparations of the mucolytic group to facilitate the removal of sputum when the patient quits smoking.
By taking enterosorbents, you can speed up the body's cleansing of toxins.
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
Treatment of disturbed respiratory disorders after long-term smoking cessation can be completed with folk remedies. The use of alternative medicine should be performed only with the consent of a specialist and after confirmation of the absence of an allergic reaction that may cause anaphylactic shock and swelling of the respiratory system.
If you use a folk remedy, you can reduce the frequency and intensity of cough:
- Milk. You can add a teaspoon of honey or soda to warm milk. Drink three times a day.
- Onion syrup. Grate a medium-sized onion (finely) and mix with two cups of sugar. The remedy should be insisted on for at least three hours. Then - put on low heat until the mixture becomes syrup. Take a teaspoon during the day with an interval of three hours.
- Propolis egg. 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 decoctions. Suitable chamomile, St. John's wort, sage or wild rosemary. One tablespoon of ground grass is evaporated with 0. 5 liters. Hot water. Insist for about half an hour, then strain. Drink three to four times a day for a cup of tea.
- Decoction of maple. Crushed maple buds (1 tablespoon L) put in melted butter (100 g). Transfer to a container and cook on the fire for 30-40 minutes. After cooling, add honey. Take 10 g. funds twice a day.
Do not abuse traditional medicine, do not treat yourself and do not give up drugs. Folk remedies have a side effect and may not be effective enough in severe pathological processes.
When to see a doctor
Smoking can cause serious health problems, even for a short time after quitting.
If you have any of the following symptoms, consult your doctor:
- cough attacks are very common and cause severe chest pain;
- sputum discharge is accompanied by clotting of blood or dark mucus;
- wheezing and hissing are heard while breathing;
- shortness of breath occurs;
- with deep breaths, there is a sharp unbearable pain in the chest;
- there is a general weakness of the body.
Any pathological manifestation in the state of health is a signal to visit a specialist. It is advisable to take measures to quit smoking immediately, as the consequences of smoking can be very serious.
The result
Coughing can start to hurt smokers when they smoke, and it can be a signal that they need to get rid of a bad habit. Coughing may worsen after quitting smoking, but this recovery period should be tolerated. In most cases, the situation returns to normal after 2-3 weeks. Of course, more time is required for full recovery, but the main stage of cleansing the body will be over.
Experts recommend going to a doctor to see a doctor after quitting smoking, to be diagnosed to determine if there are any complications of addiction, and to undergo appropriate treatment if indicated.