Why Does Smoking Weed Make Me Cough?
One of the most common sounds in a smoking circle is the veritable symphony of bronchial irritation – a cacophony of hacks and coughs as a newly opened preroll gets sparked and makes its way around the circle. If you’re anything like the rest of us though, you’ve often wondered why. No matter how irritating or unpleasant it is, coughing is a routinely accepted side effect of smoking. But why is that? Why does smoking weed make me cough and is there anything we can do to
Start with the fact that inhaling any kind of smoke into your lungs is going to cause minor amounts of inflammation. That irritation which will increase over time, especially for daily cannabis users who aren’t careful to take care of their throats with warm water and soothing drinks after smoking.. Some people have a harder time with coughing than others because their lungs are more sensitive. Although cannabis is regarded as relatively safe to consume for adults, the smoke itself is filled with many of the same chemicals contained in cigarette smoke like tar, ammonia, and nitrous oxides, according to the Michael G. DeGroote Center For Medicinal Cannabis Research.
These harmful microscopic bits of ash and tar are common to smoking flower and are especially easy to inhale when smoking a joint or a blunt where no filter is used. Building a filtered with a rudimentary crutch can be a great start to making your joint a bit healthier, but these hot particles can make their way through. And when they do, they can cause a spasmodic coughing reaction that can do real damage to your throat.
Coughing fits don’t have to be an accepted part of your cannabis ritual though. There are plenty of ways to consume cannabis that will give your lungs a break or avoid them completely. The most obvious is to give yourself a break. Simply stop smoking for an short period of time can give you a chance to heal up. While this method might be the most difficult for some, it’s without a doubt the most effective.
If you want to keep smoking there’s still a ways to mitigate the smoke’s harmful effects. Take smaller hits and hold your hit in for less time. It’s an urban legend that holding your hit in for longer gets you higher. Don’t believe the hype. While holding a hit deep in your lungs comes with a visceral satisfaction, it’s not great for your lungs. Cutting this habit out might lead to less wheezing and hacking over time.
Looking deeper into the type of cannabis you’re consuming may alleviate some bronchial discomfort as well. Unfortunately, not all cannabis brands have high standards in healthy product production. Some flower contains pesticides and many pre-rolled joints contain artificial flavoring. These additives may add to the coughing equation.
If you’re a preroll fan Filter420 offers a great option to reduce coughing. This small device fits in the palm of your hand and can be used with any regular sized pre-rolled joint. The filter uses a neat trick of physics called the Venturi Principal to separate hot particles in cannabis from the actual smoke. Silicon beads inside the body of the catch these particles preventing them from reaching your throat and helping to prevent the phlegm that can lead to coughing. Each device can filter two or three grams and you can even see the tar build up right inside the body.
Vaping cannabis has exploded in popularity over the last few years because of its ease of access as well as device and product selections have greatly increased. There are hundreds of portable cannabis vaporizing options on the market. Whether you want a device that vapes flower, oil, or both, you can find something that fits your needs. The other reason for vaping’s rise is its perceived health benefits compared to smoking.
Smoking uses an open flame to combust the flower while vaping uses heat to ignite the flower or oil, releasing vapor instead of smoke. Some studies suggest that vaping cannabis does reduce possible toxins and carcinogens consumed, according to Leafly. While the research hasn’t reached a clear verdict on the health of vaping, there is a lot of anecdotal evidence from cannabis users that vaping cannabis reduced coughing and phlegm build up from years of smoking.
Edible cannabis will allow you to get high without any wear and tear on your lungs. Edible cannabis is digested, passes through the liver then users feel edible’s heightened and long-lasting effects. Some types of edibles are used sublingually and are absorbed into the bloodstream almost instantly, much like smoking cannabis.
Whichever way you choose to go, knowing how and why smoking weed makes you cough can be a great first step in reducing its impact on your body.
