Smoking is a bad habit that is known to cause significant damage to the body. Tobacco smoke disrupts the respiratory system and more than 70% of smokers suffer from a chronic cough. Those who choose to overcome their addiction hope to get rid of all the consequences of smoking immediately, but after smoking cessation, the cough in most cases does not go away but intensifies. How to treat a cough in former smokers and whether treatment is needed - we will look at this article.
Why does a cough occur after smoking cessation?
When a cigarette is smoked, tobacco smoke enters the lungs, which is poisonous in its contents. Contains chemicals, resins, dust and other toxic ingredients. Gradually, a large number of them accumulate in the lung tissue.
When you quit smoking, a cough is a protective reaction that aims to cleanse the body of harmful substances. In a healthy person, this reaction is always manifested, but in smokers, this process is blocked by the inhaled smoke of cigarettes.
Note! There are epithelial tissues in the tissues of the upper respiratory tract that cause coughing when pathological particles penetrate, preventing poisoning of the body.
When you quit smoking, the cough occurs because the bronchial cilia are restored to function. In the first period after quitting smoking, many people begin to suffer from severe coughing fits. This process can be considered natural as the 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 self-cleanse during a cough.
How long does the cough last after you stop smoking
Breathing problems are seen in most people who have recently quit smoking. In rare cases, such manifestations do not occur. Coughing does not usually bother those who have smoked extremely rarely or have little experience.
But how long a cough can last for former smokers depends on a number of factors:
- the duration of the smoking period;
- number of daily smoke breaks (number of cigarettes smoked per day);
- presence of concomitant diseases;
- the extent of the effect of tobacco smoke;
- the age of the patient;
- he has other bad habits.
There is no exact data on the nature of the cough after smoking cessation and how long this period lasts. Healing happens differently and individually for everyone.
According to statistics, if breathing problems occur after smoking cessation, the respiratory system will fully recover after 1 to 3 months. However, if you have had more than 10 years of smoking experience, the problem can become chronic.
Normally, even in the case of a severe cough, improvement should be observed after 2-3 weeks in the form of a reduction in the intensity and frequency of seizures. If the situation does not change after a month, you should see a doctor.
Types of cough after smoking cessation
They attach great importance to the nature of cough in people who have given up cigarettes. Abnormal symptoms may indicate complications after smoking.
The nature of the cough that occurs 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 sputum, or on the contrary, the mucus is excreted in large quantities, causing strong and frequent coughing attacks. But this sputum discharge and sputum production is normal.
Suspicion of a pathological process in the respiratory tract causes a dry cough during the recovery period after smoking a cigarette. Difficulty excreting sputum occurs when the activity of the fibrous fibers ceases, as well as bronchial diseases associated with edema.
When smoking cessation, dry cough should be treated with medication. Lack of therapeutic help can lead to complications: poisoning, crampy shortness of breath, formation of toxins in the lungs, and others.
The biggest danger for ex-smokers is spitting on "dirt. "If brown or black mucus or blood is released with the spit during spitting, an urgent medical visit is needed.
Abnormal discharge may indicate severe lesions of the bronchial walls, lung tissue, and trachea. Tobacco smoke can cause burns to the airways that do not heal due to the constant supply of toxins, which can cause the infection to spread quickly in the affected areas.
Important! Smoking can cause life-threatening respiratory diseases (tuberculosis, cancer, cirrhosis, etc. ). As long as the nicotine enters the body, the symptoms become dull, but as soon as a person decides to give up his habit, the pathology manifests itself intensely.
What to do first - how to alleviate the condition
For those who have long been a daily habit of smoking, it seems impossible to quit smoking, but if someone does choose to do so, they will have to endure a difficult period of recovery.
The most difficult is the psychological desire that few cope with. The condition is aggravated by coughing fits. Many smokers know that if they "pull" again, their breath will recover. However, there are other ways to alleviate the condition. Use medications or folk remedies for this.
Therapeutic approach
Constant coughing attacks cause severe breathing problems and can disrupt a person’s life. To relieve the condition of the smoker, it is recommended to take medications that have a expectorant and sedative effect.
Note! The use of antitussives after smoking a cigarette is not recommended and may cause lung abscess.
In most cases, the doctor prescribes preparations of the mucolytic group when the patient stops smoking to facilitate the removal of sputum.
Taking enterosorbents 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 disturbing respiratory disorders after long-term smoking cessation can be supplemented with folk remedies. Alternative therapies should only be used with the consent of a specialist and after confirmation of the absence of an allergic reaction, which may lead to anaphylactic shock and swelling of the respiratory system.
You can reduce the frequency and intensity of cough by using folk remedies:
- Milk. You can add a teaspoon of honey or soda to the heated milk. Drink three times a day.
- Onion syrup. Rub the medium onion on a grater (finely) and mix with two glasses of sugar. The remedy must be adhered to for at least three hours. Then - put on low heat until the mixture is in a syrup state. Take a teaspoon during the day at three-hour intervals.
- Propolis egg liqueur. Grind the egg yolk with honey and beat it. 2 drops of liquid propolis are added to the mixture. Close the lid in a small bottle and put it in the refrigerator. Drink 10 ml. twice a day.
- Herbal decoctions. Suitable chamomile, St. John's wort, sage or wild rosemary. Stir in a tablespoon of ground grass with 0. 5 liters. boiling water. Insist for about half an hour and then filter. Drink a cup of tea three to four times a day.
- Birch decoction. Put the crushed birch buds (1 tablespoon L) in melted butter (100 gr. ). Put in a bowl and simmer for 30-40 minutes. After cooling, add honey. Take 10 gr. funds twice a day.
Do not abuse conventional medicine, self-heal, or reject medications. Folk remedies have an adjuvant effect and may not be effective enough in severe pathological processes.
When to see a doctor
Even a short-term smoker can have serious health problems after quitting a cigarette.
It is necessary to consult a doctor if the following symptoms start to bother you:
- coughing attacks are too common and cause severe chest pain;
- discharge of sputum is accompanied by the release of blood or dark mucous membranes;
- whistling and wheezing when breathing;
- shortness of breath occurs;
- deep breathing causes sharp, unbearable pain in the chest;
- the body has a general weakness.
Any pathological manifestation of a medical condition is a sign of a visit from a specialist. It is advisable to take immediate action to recover from smoking, as the consequences of smoking can be very severe.
Conclusion
A cough can start to torture smokers while smoking and indicate that you need to get rid of a bad habit. After smoking a cigarette, coughing attacks may intensify, but this recovery period must be endured. In most cases, the condition returns to normal after 2-3 weeks. Of course, more time is needed for a full recovery, but the main phase of cleansing the body is already complete.
After smoking cessation, experts recommend that you visit a health care facility for a medical consultation and undergo a diagnosis to determine if there are any complications from the addiction and, if appropriate, provide the necessary treatment.