Quitting smoking is a process, and not every step of that process is going to be smooth. You will notice the withdrawal symptoms and effects of nicotine cravings as you continue to abstain from days and weeks and months. But what you may have wondered about why you are coughing so much.
Some people assume that once they stop smoking, they will stop coughing, as coughing is often a byproduct of inhaling smoke regularly. This is known as smoker’s cough. But what about the cough that starts appearing after you stop smoking? That is a different kind of cough altogether.
This cough is a result of your body healing, and it is natural for your body to react like this. You see, as the nicotine leaves your system and your body tries to regenerate, the tiny projections along the inside of your respiratory tract are recovering. These are called cilia, and they are small and thin and look something like little hairs.
Once you stop smoking, these cilia start regenerating. As they grow, they cause small disturbances along your respiratory tract. This in turn makes you cough. So that coughing is a healthy sign that your body is recovering and trying to get back to normal.
That’s Not the only reason someone might start coughing as they quit smoking. Your body is also getting rid of toxins, and sometimes it does that through your respiratory tract. Your throat and lungs are going to feel the irritation of trying to expel the toxins from the cigarettes. When that happens, coughing is inevitable.
But don’t just assume that just because you are coughing, it has to do with quitting smoking. If the cough is persistent and particularly vigorous, then you may need to see a doctor. You definitely want to see someone if the coughing starts to involve expelling blood. It is possible that your lungs are damaged or that you have lung cancer. These are all byproducts of smoking, and coughing may be an early sign that something is wrong there.
So you definitely don’t want to ignore the coughing. In many cases, it is natural and is a result of your body healing. But stronger, more persistent coughs can be causes for alarm. Even without a serious cough, it is a good idea to have yourself checked out after you quit smoking.
You should go for a checkup after you have quit for a few weeks. During this checkup your doctor can assess the damage to your lungs and respiratory tract. The doctor will be able to tell you if your body is healing like it should or if there is serious long-term damage caused by the smoking. The longer and more often you smoked, the more damage there is likely to be.
Keep in mind that not everyone will experience the same symptoms as they quit smoking. Everyone is bit different, so it is possible that you could experience little to no coughing at all. That’s fine too, and it doesn’t mean your body is healing at a slower rate or that something is wrong. It could just mean that the cilia re-growing aren’t affecting you as much as it does some other people.
Still, you do want to make sure you are healing okay and that the toxins are leaving your body. Have yourself checked out and make sure the doctor thoroughly examines your lungs. That’s where smoking does the most damage, and you want to be sure that any major problems are caught before they can become very serious.