What Is A Smoker's Cough?

 Is There A Smoker's Cough Remedy?

A smoker's cough is a particular type of cough that usually afflicts people who have smoked cigarettes for a long time. It's possible for a smoker's cough to occur in people who don't smoke but are exposed to a lot of second hand smoke or other respiratory irritants over a period of years. But most people with smoker's cough are smokers.

Getting rid of smoker's cough There's really only one way of getting rid of smoker's cough. It's the obvious step, but a very difficult one: stop smoking and you'll stop coughing.

Smoker's cough symptoms Smoker's cough is especially active in the morning just after you get up. Coughing a lot shortly after rising is one of the most prominent smoker's cough symptoms. Here's why.

There are tiny fibers in your respiratory system that help keep out pollutants, foreign objects, dust, etc. These are called cilia. Repeated exposure to cigarette smoke damages cilia so they can no longer function effectively.

During the night, these damaged cilia can't move phlegm up into your throat where you can swallow it. The phlegm builds up. Then in the morning, when you get up, it becomes irritating and makes you want to cough - and often, cough repeatedly until you get rid of the mucus.

Smoking also causes your respiratory system to produce extra mucus.

Damaged cilia can lead to other health problems. They can't filter out germs as efficiently as healthy cilia, so you have a higher risk of contracting other respiratory illnesses. When you get a cold or a flu, it takes longer to recover because your cilia are not able to help clear germs out of your system.

Once you stop, your lungs and respiratory begin to reverse the damage. Your airways not only become cleaner, but you immediately begin to reduce your risk for a heart attack, stroke, or lung cancer. The cilia also begin to recover. Your lung capacity will grow, especially if you start exercising.

Just after you quit, you'll probably notice that you actually cough more than you did when you were still smoking. Believe it or not, this is a good sign. It means your cilia are recovering, and doing a better job of cleaning out your airways. As they clear out more "gunk," you'll probably still wake up in the morning and "hack" for a while. This will pass.

Smoker's cough remedy As mentioned above, there is only one smoker's cough remedy: you have to stop smoking. Everyone knows it's a tough habit to break. But there are some home remedies you can use to make the passage from smoking to non-smoking (and getting rid of smoker's cough) a little easier.

• Chew gum or keep some long-lasting hard candy in your mouth.
• Drink a lot of liquids. Water is always good. You might also want to try some honey in hot tea.
• Try aromatherapy. There are several different kinds of scents you can use that may help curb your urge to light up. Some companies offer oils which they claim are specifically designed to help smokers quit.
• Some natural health enthusiasts recommend boiling eucalyptus and mint leaves in water.

If you've smoked heavily for a really long time - 20 years or more - your lungs may never be as healthy as they were before you started. But you'll undoubtedly feel better, and you won't have that nasty smoker's cough when you get up in the morning.

Smoker's cough is not always a symptom of lung cancer, but it can be.

To review programs aimed at helping you stop smoking, click on Quit Smoking Today.

 
Recommended reading on how to stop smoking and stop coughing