Coughing After Quitting Smoking

Smoking damages the lungs in a variety of ways. One of the ways smoking harms the lungs is the damage it does to the tiny hair-like cilia that help keep your lungs free of pollutants. When you quit smoking, however, the cilia begin functioning once again, which can sometimes lead to increased coughing.

Although coughing is not a common symptom of withdrawal from smoking cigarettes, some ex-smokers do develop a cough early on in smoking cessation for a short period of time. This can be distressing for some people and may make giving up cigarettes more difficult. But understanding why this symptom happens can help you find ways to cope with it.

This article discusses how smoking affects the cilia of the lungs and why you might experience increased coughing after you quit smoking. It also covers some of the things you can do to help ease your cough.

Causes of Coughing After Quitting Smoking

The reason why some people start coughing after they have quit smoking usually has to do with the cilia in the lungs. Cigarette smoke paralyzes and damages the cilia; when you stop smoking, the cilia start to function again.

Cilia create a protective barrier between the outside world and the delicate tissue of the lungs. The bronchial tubes in healthy lungs are lined with a thin coating of mucus and cilia. Moving back and forth in unison, cilia clean house by sweeping inhaled pollutants that have been trapped in the mucus layer back out of the body.

Once the mucus reaches the throat, it's either coughed out or swallowed. This work done between cilia and the mucus layer in the lungs protects us from a host of respiratory infections and diseases.

How Smoking Affects Cilia

Cigarette smoke contains thousands of chemicals that can damage the lungs. It also leaves a sticky yellow coating called tar on everything it touches, including a person's teeth, fingers, clothing, and furniture—and the inside of their lungs.

In the lungs, the buildup of tar shuts down the motion of cilia and causes inflammation in the airways, prompting excess mucus production. With the lung's natural defense system neutralized, toxic particles in cigarette smoke and other inhaled dust, dirt, and germs stay in the lungs, putting the person at risk for chest infections and respiratory diseases like chronic bronchitis and lung cancer.

Smoking Cessation-Related Coughing

When you stop smoking, cilia gradually start functioning again, and the lungs begin moving trapped toxins up and out. This might cause a cough that lasts for the first couple of months of smoking cessation until the cilia have fully recovered.

In other words, while you were smoking, your cilia were moving less, so they were not able to move mucus out of your lungs. Once you quit, those cilia become active again. The resulting cough is caused by those cilia actively working to clear mucus and old toxins out of your lungs.

You may notice that the cough is dry at first. As the cilia begin to function once again, they will start to move mucus, which may result in a wet cough accompanied by coughing up phlegm.

How long does the cough last after quitting smoking? It might last for a few weeks or even a couple of months, but it should gradually begin to improve. It can take up to 12 months for the cilia to return to normal function and handle moving mucus out of the lungs.

Relief for Coughing After Quitting Smoking

While you don't want to necessarily reduce the productive quality of your cough because it is helping to rid the lungs of tobacco pollutants, there are a few things you can do to soothe your throat and help the process along:

• Stay hydrated by drinking water, juice, and tea. Teas with licorice root are an especially good choice, as licorice root is a natural expectorant that also soothes the throat.
• Use a humidifier in your home, especially if you live in a dry environment. It will help to loosen mucus and encourage a productive cough.
• Ease your tender throat with a tablespoon of honey one to three times a day. It coats and soothes irritated throats.

Generally, the goal is not to suppress a productive cough. But if the cough is causing you severe discomfort or interfering with your sleep, talk to a doctor about what you can do to find relief.

When to Call the Doctor

If you experience any of the following symptoms, schedule an appointment with a doctor as soon as possible, as there may be something more serious than cilia recovery going on:

• Shortness of breath: Struggling to catch your breath after little or no exertion or feeling that it is difficult to breathe in and out.
• Wheezing: Noisy breathing may be a sign of inflammation in your airway.
• Blood in sputum: Coughing up flecks or streaks of blood in phlegm can be a sign of infection.

Final Thoughts

Nicotine withdrawal can produce a number of discomforts, including increased coughing, that may be intense. However, it is important to recognize that these symptoms are temporary. They are signs that your body is healing from the damage that tobacco has inflicted.

Reading about what you can expect as you recover from nicotine addiction and connecting with other ex-smokers for support will help you go the distance with smoking cessation. It's worth the work it takes, and the benefits are undeniable.