4.18.2012

Why Does Smoker's Cough Occur

By Darren Boste


Why does a person cough? Well, coughing usually indicates there are foreign contaminants in the respiratory passages that wouldn't be there under normal circumstances, and when smoking is involved that something is the toxins found in cigarette smoke. The body is basically trying to clean itself by coughing, which is a vital part of our body's sophisticated defence mechanism. But despite the body's best efforts get rid of these harmful chemicals, some of the poisons in the smoke are not expelled from the lungs.This means that over time the smoker's health gets worse, never better, as a direct result of inhaling tobacco smoke.

Coughing is a natural reflex that keeps your respiratory tract clean. Although it can be annoying, coughing helps your body heal or protect itself. Coughs can be either acute or chronic. Acute coughs begin suddenly and usually last no more than 2 to 3 weeks. Acute coughs are mostly associated with a cold or flu. Chronic coughs normally last longer than 2 to 3 weeks.

Cigarette smoke contains toxins that irritate the respiratory tract and lungs. When a smoker inhales this smoke, the body tries to defend itself by making mucus and coughing. The early morning smokers cough happens for many reasons. Normally, tiny hair-like formations (cilia) beat outward and sweep harmful material out of the lungs. Cigarette smoke slows the sweeping action, so some of the harmful substances in the smoke stay in the lungs and mucus stays in the airways. While a smoker sleeps, some cilia recover and begin working again. After waking up, the smoker coughs because the lungs are trying to clear away the irritants and mucus that built up the previous day. The cilia will completely stop working after they have been exposed to smoke for a longer time. Then the smoker's lungs are even more exposed and prone to infection and irritation.

For smokers it can be easy to cough. In fact morning coughing is not only typical it is often routine. This is often called "smokers cough". A heavy smoker may find they are prone to a lot of coughing in the morning. Generally phlegm expulsion is normal and may seem more abundant than it should.

Deciding to quit is the single biggest obstacle that smokers face when they want to quit smoking. Making a decision is the very first and most important step in the process of becoming healthy again.

Once the decision has been made that smoking is not your thing, and you are determined to quit smoking no matter what the results are, you will have made a choice that will positively impact the rest of your life. You will feel relieved of a dirty habit and not only feel healthy but also good about yourself and what you have accomplished.




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