Is it normal to cough a lot after you quit smoking?
Ask the doctor
Q. I recently stopped smoking - a month ago to be exact - and now I find that I'm coughing a lot. Is this normal?
A. Coughing more after quitting smoking is not unusual. In addition to coughing, people who quit sometimes also experience a transient sore throat, sneezing, and mouth sores. Knowing that these are normal helps people get through what is often a tough time.
The cough actually means that your airways are already beginning to heal. Everyone is aware that many smokers cough much more than nonsmokers. But what is interesting is that younger smokers who haven't developed chronic bronchitis actually cough less while they smoke.
This decreased sensitivity to cough at appropriate times is not a good thing. Coughing helps keep particles out of our lungs.
When you were smoking, the tobacco smoke inhibited the cough reflex and damaged the little hairs called cilia. Cilia move upward to help clear out mucous and small particles from the lower airways.
Now that you no longer smoke, your cough reflex is getting back to normal and your cilia are starting to function like they should.
The cough should subside soon, by six weeks from your quit date. If it continues, contact your doctor to be sure that something else is not causing the cough.
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About the Author
Howard E. LeWine, MD, Chief Medical Editor, Harvard Health Publishing; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
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