When you have a cough that doesn't go away after a week, it's time to see a doctor.
The good news is that coughing while running is usually not serious and can be caused by a number of benign conditions. If you call it runner's cough or track hack, it can be quite irritating and may have caused you some concern about its cause. The good news is that coughing while running is usually not a serious matter and can be produced by a number of harmless conditions.
I often find that I have a light cough for the rest of the day after my long runs. I was curious if there was a reason for this.
This article covers the seven most likely causes of coughing after a run, as well as what can be done to mitigate each cause.
I have also given seven tips to avoid coughing after a run, as well as when it would be wise to see a doctor.
What is a cough?
Coughing, which is often seen as a grave portent of illness, is actually a vital player in the body's defense against disease. Coughing expels mucus, microbes, and foreign particles from the respiratory tract, protecting the lungs from infection and inflammation.
The cough begins with an initial gasp that draws air deep into the lungs. Next, the glottis snaps shut, putting a lid over the trachea, or windpipe. The third step is the forceful contraction of the muscles of the chest cage, abdomen, and diaphragm (see figure). In normal breathing, these muscles push air gently from the lungs up through the nose and mouth. But when the glottis is closed, the air can't move out, so tremendous pressure builds up in the air passages. Finally, the glottis swings open and the air rushes out. And it is quite a rush; in a vigorous cough, the air travels out at nearly the speed of sound, creating the barking or whooping noise that we call a cough.
There are two types of coughs- those that are voluntary and those that are not. If it is not voluntary, then it is a reflex caused by stimulation of the nerves in the larynx and respiratory tract. These nerves can become irritated by many things such as infections, allergies, cold air, tumors, and even by chemicals or particles in the air. That is why there are so many different things that can cause a cough.
The chronic cough
Coughing is a normal bodily function that everyone experiences. However, when a cough lasts for more than a few weeks, it may be indicative of a more serious condition. A chronic cough is one that persists for an extended period of time, and can last for months or even years.
Chronic coughing is a common problem that people often see a doctor for. In addition to being worried about the cause of the cough, patients often experience frustration and anxiety, especially if diagnosis and treatment takes a long time. Coughing can also interrupt sleep and make it hard to concentrate or be productive at work. In addition, coughing can have physical consequences like fainting, broken ribs, or urinary incontinence. All of these things can make coughing a very expensive problem.
What causes chronic coughing?
Smoking is a leading cause of a chronic “smoker's cough.” Chemical irritation is responsible for this cough, as the same noxious chemicals that cause the simple smoker's cough can also lead to more serious conditions, such as bronchitis, emphysema, pneumonia, and lung cancer. The chronic cough is always a cause of concern for smokers.
A cough that lasts a long time can be worrying for people who don't smoke. Most chronic coughs in people who don't smoke are due to harmless problems, but even so, a cough that goes on and on can cause anxiety, make you feel self-conscious, make you tired, and more. So it's important to have a chronic cough checked out and treated before it gets too bad.
7 Possible Causes for Coughing After a Run
If you find yourself frequently wondering ‘why do I cough after running’, it may be due to one of these seven possible causes. Let’s look at each of them in more detail:
1. Exercise-Induced Bronchoconstriction (EIB)
Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction is a common condition which causes the airways to temporarily narrow in response to an increased heart rate.
When the airways constrict, it becomes difficult to get air into the lungs. The body responds by coughing to get rid of any irritants.
People with exercise-induced bronchoconstriction experience inflammation and might produce excess mucus after running. It can occur during a run, but is most frequently seen immediately following a run or during short bursts of fast running.
One study showed that a significant portion of elite athletes, including long-distance runners, Olympic athletes, and professional soccer and basketball players, are not aware of it. This is not a performance limiter.
Besides coughing, symptoms of EIB may include:
- shortness of breath
- chest tightness
- wheezing
- decreased endurance.
The intensity of this illness can differ based on how serious the symptoms are.
What You Can Do for EIB
If you find that you are struggling to breathe during your run frequently, you may want to talk to your doctor about using an inhaler. They may also be able to prescribe you medication that will help to open up your airways temporarily in more severe cases.
- Read more tips for running with asthma >>
- Ensure you always complete a warm up prior to your workout
- Try breathing through your nose
2. Seasonal Allergies
The same pollen that causes hay fever might also induce coughing during or following a run.
The more you breathe deeply while running, the more pollen and mold spores you inhale, which can cause coughing and discomfort.
What You Can Do for Seasonal Allergies
If you believe your coughing is caused by poor air quality, try running at times of day when pollen counts are lowest, such as early in the morning or late at night.
If you’re having difficulty breathing due to allergies, you may want to consider running indoors on days when there is a high pollen count.
I'm passionate about this topic, so here are 15 tips for running with allergies. You might not realize it, but your lotion could be part of the problem!
3. Postnasal Drip
If your cough produces phlegm frequently and you find yourself frequently cleaning your throat or suffering from a chronic sore throat, post-nasal drip may be the cause.
Mucus dripping from the nose to the throat, causing discomfort and coughing, is called runny nose. It can be caused by the common cold, sinus infections, allergies, and even poor air quality.
What You Can Do for Postnasal Drip
You should drink lots of water during the day to help make your mucus thinner. This will make it easier for it to move through your nasal passages. Hot drinks like herbal tea can also help.
Wearing a face covering, such as a scarf, while running can help minimize mucus by warming the air and adding moisture to it before breathing it in.
4. Acid Reflux
Acid reflux can cause you to cough up phlegm. It may also cause a sensation that something is stuck in your throat.
This condition, known as laryngopharyngeal reflux, occurs when stomach acids rise up your esophagus into your throat, causing discomfort and coughing.
What You Can Do for Acid Reflux
There are certain foods that are known to trigger acid reflux, so it's best to avoid them if you're prone to the condition. These include coffee, alcohol, citrus fruits, spicy foods, onions, and tomatoes.
Avoiding these foods a few hours before your run will help keep them from coming back up during or after your run. If this happens often, read more about how long you should wait to exercise after eating.
5. Cold Weather
Running outside in cold weather means you're taking in drier air than what's already inside your body.
. Cool air generally has less moisture than warm air. Inhaling large amounts of cold air can dry out airways and cause them to constrict, not allowing much air to pass.
If the air you're inhaling is drier than the air inside your body, you may start coughing. This is more likely to happen during winter, when the air is much drier than it is during summer.
If you don't live in a place like Phoenix, where extremely hot and dry summer temperatures could be the problem.
You may have trouble breathing in air and feel similar discomfort to EIB when this condition develops. This may cause coughing.
What You Can Do During Cold Weather
Covering your face with a mask will help trap moisture in the air you breathe, making it warmer and more humid. This can reduce coughing by making the air more tolerate-able for your lungs.
Here are some more tips to make winter running better. Follow these to feel better and stay safe while running in the winter.
6. Vocal Cord Dysfunction
VCD occurs when the vocal cords close abnormally during inhalation and exhalation. Although it is less prevalent than the other suspected reasons for runner's cough, it can still trigger coughing.
There are several things that can trigger VCD, such as exposure to irritants, upper respiratory infections, or even just exercise. VCD differs from asthma in that it doesn't affect the lower airways and isn't caused by an immune system reaction.
Symptoms that would clue you to this:
- Wheezing (so more than a cough)
- Tightness in your through
- Being Hoarse or Vocal Changes
If you're finding it harder to breathe in than out, and if your asthma medications aren't helping, you should consider getting checked for VCD.
What You Can Do for VCD
Talk to your doctor if you think you might have this condition. They can figure out what's wrong and treat you.
7. Common Cold
Colds can cause coughing after or even during running, even though they are not typically related to coughing. This is because colds can occasionally impact the lungs.
The common cold is often more than simply coughing; it also contains a number of other symptoms, including the following:
- a blocked or runny nose
- sneezing
- a sore throat
- headaches
- muscle aches
- a raised temperature
- pressure in your ears and face
What You Can Do for Common Cold
If you think you have a cold, you may want to see your doctor or go to the pharmacy for some over-the-counter medication.
Even though you may be feeling okay to go for a run when you have a cold, it is important to take precautions so that you do not make your condition worse.
How Coughing After Running is Diagnosed
It is important to get an accurate diagnosis from your physician if you have a cough, as the cause could be anything from a medical issue to environmental factors.
Your doctor will ask about your medical history and symptoms to determine the cause of your cough.
If your doctor thinks you might have EIB, they will look for a group of symptoms that occur during or after exercise, such as coughing, shortness of breath, or wheezing.
Additionally, they may use objective examinations such as lung function tests that measure the lungs at rest and during activity. This is done in order to see how well the lungs are working and if there is any obstruction.
Research indicates that between 5% and 20% of people without asthma have EIB. This figure dramatically increases to 90% in people with asthma.
7 Ways to Prevent Coughing After Running
I’ve mentioned the specific solutions to each of the possible causes of coughing after running above, but here are the top 7 ways you can prevent it from ever occurring in the first place:
1. Minimize Exposure to Cold
If you notice that you cough more after running in the cold, it might be because your lungs are trying to adjust to the dry and cold air.
If you're worried about running in cold weather, try running on a treadmill or indoor track. If that's not possible, try to run at the warmest time of day.
If you must run in the cold, take it slow at first to let your lungs get used to the conditions. Also, don't try to go too fast when it's very cold out.
It is beneficial to breathe through your nose as the air is warmer before it reaches the lungs.
2. Avoid Running Outside During High Pollen Count
If you're coughing and it appears to be due to allergies or other airborne irritants, check the pollen count and air quality before going for a run.
The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology's website is a great source for this information.
After some experimentation, you should be able to figure out how much pollen or pollutants in the air you can tolerate and what levels are too much for you.
If the conditions aren't ideal for running, either train indoors or reschedule your run. The American Lung Association has labeled spring as the most harmful season for allergy and asthma sufferers, so be extra careful during that time of year.
3. Try an Inhaler
If you have asthma or EIB, you can avoid or reduce coughing by taking your inhaler just before your run.
You should speak to your healthcare provider to see if this is a good option for you and, if it is, when and how you should use your inhaler most effectively.
If you have allergies or a runny nose, antihistamines or decongestants from the drug store may help.
If you are experiencing acid reflux, over-the-counter antacids or acid reducers may help reduce your symptoms, so you can run without coughing.
4. Avoid Acid-Causing Foods
If the cough you experience after running is believed to be caused by acid reflux, you should avoid consuming foods that can trigger acid reflux. These foods include coffee, alcohol, citrus fruits, spicy food, onions, and tomatoes. It is advised to not consume these foods at least a few hours before running.
5. Wear a Face Covering
-If you are having difficulty breathing and coughing during your workouts, you might want to try using a face mask next time. -This will help by keeping the air moist and filtering out larger particles.
6. Rest
If you believe your cough is due to a cold or upper respiratory infection, you might want to consider taking a few days off to let your body recover and keep your symptoms from getting worse.
7. Drink More Water
Drinking a lot of water will help thin your mucus and make it easier to cough up.
When to See a Doctor If You’re Coughing After Running
You can usually deal with the occasional cough after running if it's because of seasonal allergies or postnasal drip. But if your symptoms last or are more than mild, you should see a doctor.
If your cough is accompanied by any of the following serious symptoms, seek immediate medical assistance: high fever, palpitations in the heart, or shortness of breath.
If you find yourself coughing while running, it is probably not indicative of a serious health issue. However, if the coughing persists, you should look into possible causes and get a diagnosis.
If you can, keep a record of your symptoms. This will help your doctor figure out the right diagnosis and treatment plan for you.
Asthma symptoms may require professional attention, particularly EIB and VCD. Different inhalers and drugs may need to be experimented with to find the most beneficial combination for controlling asthma.
If you have VCD, you may need speech therapy to help you learn how to relax your throat, breathe with your abdomen, and keep your vocal chords open. Your doctor may also be able to teach you some breathing techniques that can help relax your upper airways and voice box.
Post run coughing is normal and not harmful, so don't let it stop you from running.
There are a few things you can do to stop coughing. First, limit your exposure to cold and respiratory irritants. Second, gradually warm up. Third, if required, treat your symptoms with diet changes and medication.
