Coughing After Quitting Smoking

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhy It HappensHow Smoking Affects CiliaCoughing After QuittingWhat You Can Do for Your CoughWhen to Call the Doc

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Why It Happens

How Smoking Affects Cilia

Coughing After Quitting

What You Can Do for Your Cough

When to Call the Doc

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 acoughearly 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.

Verywell / JR Bee

Causes of Coughing After Quitting Smoking

The reason why some people start coughingafterthey 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.

What Are Cilia?Cilia are tiny, hair-like projections on the surfaces of cells in your airways. They are mobile and work to move mucus up and out of your lungs.

What Are Cilia?

Cilia are tiny, hair-like projections on the surfaces of cells in your airways. They are mobile and work to move mucus up and out of your lungs.

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.

RecapCilia are tiny hair-like projections in the lungs that clean out pollutants. Smoking paralyzes these cilia, which means that they cannot do their job and clear toxins out of your lungs.

Recap

Cilia are tiny hair-like projections in the lungs that clean out pollutants. Smoking paralyzes these cilia, which means that they cannot do their job and clear toxins out of your lungs.

Cigarette smoke contains thousands ofchemicalsthat 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.

Learn More About Nicotine Addiction

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.

This cough is a good thingWhile it might be irritating, coughing is a good sign. It means your lungs are healing and functioning more normally.

This cough is a good thing

While it might be irritating, coughing is a good sign. It means your lungs are healing and functioning more normally.

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.

If you are concerned about your cough, how long it is lasting, or any other symptom you experience when you quit smoking, don’t hesitate to check in with a doctor to have it evaluated.

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:

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:

RecapIf you are experiencing shortness of breath, wheezing, or are coughing up blood, you should call a doctor and these might be signs of something more serious such as inflammation or infection.

If you are experiencing shortness of breath, wheezing, or are coughing up blood, you should call a doctor and these might be signs of something more serious such as inflammation or infection.

Final Thoughts

Nicotine withdrawalcan 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.

What Happens When You Quit Smoking?

10 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Hughes JR.Effects of abstinence from tobacco: Valid symptoms and time course.Nicotine Tob Res.2007;9(3):315-327. doi:10.1080/14622200701188919Tilley AE, Walters MS, Shaykhiev R, Crystal RG.Cilia dysfunction in lung disease.Annu Rev Physiol. 2015;77:379-406. doi:10.1146/annurev-physiol-021014-071931Yaghi A, Dolovich MB.Airway epithelial cell cilia and obstructive lung disease.Cells. 2016;5(4). doi:10.3390/cells5040040Prasetyo A, Sadhana U, Budiman J.Nasal mucociliary clearance in smokers: A systematic review.Int Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2021;25(1):e160-e169. doi:10.1055/s-0040-1702965Toll BA, Rojewski AM, Duncan LR, et al.“Quitting smoking will benefit your health”: The evolution of clinician messaging to encourage tobacco cessation.Clin Cancer Res.2014;20(2):301-309. doi:10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-13-2261American Cancer Society.Health benefits of quitting smoking over time.Kuang Y, Li B, Fan J, Qiao X, Ye M.Antitussive and expectorant activities of licorice and its major compounds.Bioorg Med Chem. 2018;26(1):278-284. doi:10.1016/j.bmc.2017.11.046Nakagawa NK, Macchione M, Petrolino HM, et al.Effects of a heat and moisture exchanger and a heated humidifier on respiratory mucus in patients undergoing mechanical ventilation.Crit Care Med.2000;28(2):312-317. doi:10.1097/00003246-200002000-00004An LC, Berg CJ, Klatt CM, et al.Symptoms of cough and shortness of breath among occasional young adult smokers.Nicotine Tob Res.2009;11(2):126-133. doi:10.1093/ntr/ntp015Willemse BWM, Postma DS, Timens W, ten Hacken NHT.The impact of smoking cessation on respiratory symptoms, lung function, airway hyperresponsiveness and inflammation.European Respiratory Journal. 23:464-476. doi:10.1183/09031936.04.00012704.Additional ReadingAmerican Lung Association.How lungs work.

10 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Hughes JR.Effects of abstinence from tobacco: Valid symptoms and time course.Nicotine Tob Res.2007;9(3):315-327. doi:10.1080/14622200701188919Tilley AE, Walters MS, Shaykhiev R, Crystal RG.Cilia dysfunction in lung disease.Annu Rev Physiol. 2015;77:379-406. doi:10.1146/annurev-physiol-021014-071931Yaghi A, Dolovich MB.Airway epithelial cell cilia and obstructive lung disease.Cells. 2016;5(4). doi:10.3390/cells5040040Prasetyo A, Sadhana U, Budiman J.Nasal mucociliary clearance in smokers: A systematic review.Int Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2021;25(1):e160-e169. doi:10.1055/s-0040-1702965Toll BA, Rojewski AM, Duncan LR, et al.“Quitting smoking will benefit your health”: The evolution of clinician messaging to encourage tobacco cessation.Clin Cancer Res.2014;20(2):301-309. doi:10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-13-2261American Cancer Society.Health benefits of quitting smoking over time.Kuang Y, Li B, Fan J, Qiao X, Ye M.Antitussive and expectorant activities of licorice and its major compounds.Bioorg Med Chem. 2018;26(1):278-284. doi:10.1016/j.bmc.2017.11.046Nakagawa NK, Macchione M, Petrolino HM, et al.Effects of a heat and moisture exchanger and a heated humidifier on respiratory mucus in patients undergoing mechanical ventilation.Crit Care Med.2000;28(2):312-317. doi:10.1097/00003246-200002000-00004An LC, Berg CJ, Klatt CM, et al.Symptoms of cough and shortness of breath among occasional young adult smokers.Nicotine Tob Res.2009;11(2):126-133. doi:10.1093/ntr/ntp015Willemse BWM, Postma DS, Timens W, ten Hacken NHT.The impact of smoking cessation on respiratory symptoms, lung function, airway hyperresponsiveness and inflammation.European Respiratory Journal. 23:464-476. doi:10.1183/09031936.04.00012704.Additional ReadingAmerican Lung Association.How lungs work.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Hughes JR.Effects of abstinence from tobacco: Valid symptoms and time course.Nicotine Tob Res.2007;9(3):315-327. doi:10.1080/14622200701188919Tilley AE, Walters MS, Shaykhiev R, Crystal RG.Cilia dysfunction in lung disease.Annu Rev Physiol. 2015;77:379-406. doi:10.1146/annurev-physiol-021014-071931Yaghi A, Dolovich MB.Airway epithelial cell cilia and obstructive lung disease.Cells. 2016;5(4). doi:10.3390/cells5040040Prasetyo A, Sadhana U, Budiman J.Nasal mucociliary clearance in smokers: A systematic review.Int Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2021;25(1):e160-e169. doi:10.1055/s-0040-1702965Toll BA, Rojewski AM, Duncan LR, et al.“Quitting smoking will benefit your health”: The evolution of clinician messaging to encourage tobacco cessation.Clin Cancer Res.2014;20(2):301-309. doi:10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-13-2261American Cancer Society.Health benefits of quitting smoking over time.Kuang Y, Li B, Fan J, Qiao X, Ye M.Antitussive and expectorant activities of licorice and its major compounds.Bioorg Med Chem. 2018;26(1):278-284. doi:10.1016/j.bmc.2017.11.046Nakagawa NK, Macchione M, Petrolino HM, et al.Effects of a heat and moisture exchanger and a heated humidifier on respiratory mucus in patients undergoing mechanical ventilation.Crit Care Med.2000;28(2):312-317. doi:10.1097/00003246-200002000-00004An LC, Berg CJ, Klatt CM, et al.Symptoms of cough and shortness of breath among occasional young adult smokers.Nicotine Tob Res.2009;11(2):126-133. doi:10.1093/ntr/ntp015Willemse BWM, Postma DS, Timens W, ten Hacken NHT.The impact of smoking cessation on respiratory symptoms, lung function, airway hyperresponsiveness and inflammation.European Respiratory Journal. 23:464-476. doi:10.1183/09031936.04.00012704.

Hughes JR.Effects of abstinence from tobacco: Valid symptoms and time course.Nicotine Tob Res.2007;9(3):315-327. doi:10.1080/14622200701188919

Tilley AE, Walters MS, Shaykhiev R, Crystal RG.Cilia dysfunction in lung disease.Annu Rev Physiol. 2015;77:379-406. doi:10.1146/annurev-physiol-021014-071931

Yaghi A, Dolovich MB.Airway epithelial cell cilia and obstructive lung disease.Cells. 2016;5(4). doi:10.3390/cells5040040

Prasetyo A, Sadhana U, Budiman J.Nasal mucociliary clearance in smokers: A systematic review.Int Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2021;25(1):e160-e169. doi:10.1055/s-0040-1702965

Toll BA, Rojewski AM, Duncan LR, et al.“Quitting smoking will benefit your health”: The evolution of clinician messaging to encourage tobacco cessation.Clin Cancer Res.2014;20(2):301-309. doi:10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-13-2261

American Cancer Society.Health benefits of quitting smoking over time.

Kuang Y, Li B, Fan J, Qiao X, Ye M.Antitussive and expectorant activities of licorice and its major compounds.Bioorg Med Chem. 2018;26(1):278-284. doi:10.1016/j.bmc.2017.11.046

Nakagawa NK, Macchione M, Petrolino HM, et al.Effects of a heat and moisture exchanger and a heated humidifier on respiratory mucus in patients undergoing mechanical ventilation.Crit Care Med.2000;28(2):312-317. doi:10.1097/00003246-200002000-00004

An LC, Berg CJ, Klatt CM, et al.Symptoms of cough and shortness of breath among occasional young adult smokers.Nicotine Tob Res.2009;11(2):126-133. doi:10.1093/ntr/ntp015

Willemse BWM, Postma DS, Timens W, ten Hacken NHT.The impact of smoking cessation on respiratory symptoms, lung function, airway hyperresponsiveness and inflammation.European Respiratory Journal. 23:464-476. doi:10.1183/09031936.04.00012704.

American Lung Association.How lungs work.

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