Coughing often is the first reaction of anyone after inhaling any type of concentrated smoke. People smoking their first cigarettes often cough shortly after the first burst of smoke enters the lungs merely from the initial irritation of gasses and noxious fumes not intended for natural processing within the human body. But beyond that first shock lies a host of other health problems for long-term smokers, of which coughing is only one symptom.
The Root Cause
Cigarette smoke carries more than 250 toxic chemicals that, when inhaled, coat the lungs with poisonous particulate matter known as tar, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Among the most noxious of gasses contained in cigarette smoke is carbon monoxide, a colorless, odorless gas that is fatal to humans in concentrated doses.
Effects on Lung Function
Over time, tar builds up in the lungs of smokers, impeding the function of the cilia-- the internal structures that cleanse the lungs. When lungs cannot naturally cleanse themselves of irritants, many smokers develop a chronic cough and ultimately a host of other potential breathing problems and diseases, according to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
Long-Term Imacts
Over the years, the chronic coughing of smokers can signal the onset of other breathing diseases, such as emphysema. The disease causes extremely belabored breathing and ultimately can lead to early death, according to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also reports that smoking causes 90 percent of fatal lung cancer cases in men and nearly 80 percent of such fatalities in women.
Benefits of Quitting
The American Cancer Society reports a host of benefits to the lungs of ex-smokers almost immediately after kicking the habit. Within 20 minutes, an ex-smokers heart rate and blood pressure drop back to normal levels, and within 12 hours, carbon monoxide leaves the body. Sometime after the first two weeks, lung function begins to improve. And within nine months, lungs shed the toxic tar build-up and cilia clean the lungs of excess mucus, effectively putting an end to the chronic cough in most ex-smokers.
Considering Methods of Quitting
The American Cancer Society recommends several methods of quitting cigarette smoking that help begin the process of shedding the smoker's cough almost immediately. Among the methods are chewing sugarless gum to fulfill the oral habits of smokers without the toxic impact of cigarette smoke. Nicotine gum and using graduated doses of nicotine patches also help many long-time smokers quit.
References
- Cedars-Sinai Medical Center: Emphysema
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Smoking & Tobacco Use
- When Smokers Quit; American Cancer Society, 2003
