Finally breaking free from the shackles the smoking puts on you is one of the most liberating feelings in the world. There’s no denying the challenges of quitting a nicotine addiction, but it’s one of the best decisions you can make - one that could save your life.
Still, you might notice that even days or weeks after that last cigarette you’re not quite breathing as easy as you once did. You need to give your lungs a bit of help by implementing a lung detox after quitting smoking, and we’ll show you how below.
You’ll learn all the natural techniques you can use as a lung detox for smokers, from controlled coughing to exercise, steam therapy, dietary adjustments, and of course, natural supplements like ours here at res.
How smoking affects the lungs
To understand the importance of a lung detox from smoking, you need to recognize what happens to your lungs when you smoke. There are immediate and long-term effects at play.
Each puff introduces over 7,000 chemicals, including over 70 known carcinogens, into your lungs. These damage lung tissue immediately upon contact.
Nicotine, tar, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, and hydrogen cyanide, among other components, contribute to this harmful mix. These all impair the normal function of the respiratory tract, leading to diminished lung efficiency right away.
Normally your lungs would be able to restore their own function through a built-in defense system. There are tiny hairs called cilia and a layer of mucus that fight off foreign substances.
However, smoking paralyzes these cilia, preventing them from effectively clearing mucus and debris from the lungs. The end result is a chronic cough as your body attempts to expel the substances in other ways. Here are a few more long-term damages associated with smoking:
- Chronic Bronchitis: Continuous agitation of the airways caused by smoking can lead to chronic bronchitis, where the airways become swollen and filled with mucus.
- Emphysema: The delicate walls between air sacs in the lungs are destroyed, reducing the surface area available for gas exchange and making breathing harder and harder over time.
- Decreased Lung Capacity: As the alveoli are destroyed, shortness of breath and decreased tolerance for physical activity become more common.
- Increased Risk of Respiratory Infections: The damaged cilia are unable to effectively remove bacteria and viruses, leading to increased infection rates.
- Lung Cancer: As we said earlier, there are 70+ carcinogens in tobacco smoke. This can heighten your risk of developing mutations in lung cells, which can lead to uncontrolled cellular growth and cancer. Lung cancer is among the most deadly cancers globally.
The good news is that the sooner you stop smoking, the better chance you have of restoring proper lung function and avoiding these horrible dangers. This begs the question, can lungs heal after smoking or is the damage irreversible?
Can lungs heal after smoking? What you can expect from a lung detox after quitting smoking
Yes - your lungs can heal, at least to some extent, after you quit smoking. This recovery process can be bolstered with the help of a lung detox for smokers.
What’s really impressive about the human body is how quickly this regeneration can occur. Let’s quickly walk through the timeline of a lung detox after quitting smoking.
Within just a few hours after quitting smoking, the body starts to repair itself. The cilia begin to recover from the paralysis caused by smoking right away. This allows the lungs to clear out mucus more effectively and reduce the risk of infections.
A few weeks down the road you can expect an improvement in lung function. Airflow resistance decreases, and you may notice a decrease in coughing and shortness of breath. Exercise becomes easier too as the lungs can exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide more efficiently.
You’ll also become less at risk for many of the chronic issues and diseases that smoking is associated with over time. For example, the risk of developing lung cancer drops by about half after 10 years of cessation in comparison to continuous smokers.
All that being said, you need to understand the limitations of a lung detox from smoking. Some damage is irreversible, such as that from emphysema, where the air sacs (alveoli) are destroyed.
There’s nothing you can do about your decisions in the past - all you can do is do your best to repair the damage and prevent more issues down the road. So, let’s get into some tips on implementing a lung detox for smokers below to help you set out on the right foot!
Getting started with a lung detox for smokers
There are so many things you can do to support your lungs on this road to recovery, many of which can be done right from the comfort of your home today.
However, the best way to begin a lung detox for smokers, or anyone for that matter, is with our solution here at res. Here’s how our lung support probiotic can set you up for success…
Controlled Coughing Techniques
One of the most important things to do as part of your lung detox from smoking is mucus removal. Controlled coughing is an excellent way to safely speed this process up. Here’s how it works:
- Deep Breathing: Start by inhaling deeply through your nose, allowing your lungs to fully expand.
- Hold and Cough: Hold your breath for three seconds, then cough strongly two or three times with your mouth slightly open. This deep, forceful cough should push from the diaphragm, moving mucus toward the upper airways.
- Repeat: Repeat this process until you feel relief from congestion.
We recommend this technique after using a steam inhaler or while in a steamy shower, as humidity helps to soften the mucus, making it easier to expel. But, you can do it at any time really. A few sessions a day for the first few days or weeks after quitting smoking is a good start.
Regular Physical Activity
Even though it can be tough if your lung capacity is low, pushing your body to the limits with regular physical activity will help restore healthy lung function. Here are some of the benefits of this component of your lung detox after quitting smoking:
- Increasing Breath Depth: Aerobic exercises, like jogging or cycling, increase the demand for air and train your lungs to draw deeper breaths.
- Boosting Circulation: Improved blood flow enhances oxygen exchange and helps clear mucus from the lungs.
- Strengthening Muscles: Stronger respiratory muscles contribute to better lung function and more effective coughing - which as you now know, is a key part of the lung detox for smokers.
This doesn’t have to be anything crazy, either. Even just a 30-60 minute walk 5-7 days a week is a start in the right direction. As you build your physical stamina and lung capacity, you can branch out into more strenuous exercises such as cycling, jogging, or swimming.
Steer Clear of Other Pollutants and Irritants
You’re obviously done smoking cigarettes at this point, but there are many other pollutants and irritants that can hold you back as you embark on your lung detox from smoking.
These include pollen and environmental contaminants, which is why we recommend staying indoors on poor-quality air days and keeping windows closed.
Better yet, get an air purifier in your home or office to reduce the presence of airborne irritants that can exacerbate mucus production. You should even look into lung friendly cleaning products going forward.
Drink Plenty of Fluids (Better Yet, Warm Fluids)
Staying hydrated is sound advice for anyone regardless of their health goals. However, it’s especially important for those who have recently quit smoking because adequate fluid intake keeps the mucus thin and less sticky, helping with clearance from the lung passages.
If possible, try to drink warm fluids as well. This can be as simple as bone broth, soup, or even the best tea for gut health. These soothe airways and loosen mucus even more to support more productive coughing.
Dietary Recommendations
Now that you’re making healthier choices for yourself by quitting smoking, it’s also a great opportunity to rethink your diet. There are some foods that can help with your lung detox after quitting smoking, like those rich in antioxidants.
We have a separate resource highlighting what fruits are good for your lungs, but think apples, berries, and citrus fruits. These are also among the best fruits for gut health. You can round out your dietary regimen with leafy greens, bell peppers, nuts, and seeds, as well.
Omega-3 fatty acids can be helpful as well. These are found in fish like salmon and mackerel and help decrease imbalance in the body, including the lungs.
Sauna or Steam Therapy
Heat exposure through sauna or steam therapy can be another powerful addition to your lung detox from smoking. The warm, moist air from a sauna or steam room can help open up the airways, loosen the mucus, and make it easier to expel.
There’s also the added benefit of detoxification through sweating, which will help you eliminate toxins from the body including those holding up in the lungs.
Additional Supportive Practices
There are so many other complementary practices as you set out on your lung detox for smokers. Here are just a few more tactics to consider adding to your routine:
- Essential Oils: Eucalyptus, peppermint, and tea tree oil can be used in steam inhalation or diffusers to help clear mucus and soothe the airways.
- Humidifiers: Maintaining optimal humidity indoors can prevent airways from becoming dry and irritated, which can send mucus production into overdrive.
- Salt Water Gargle: This can help soothe the throat, reduce mucus, and alleviate coughing.
- Honey: A spoonful can coat the throat and soothe irritation. Honey also has natural antibacterial properties that can support respiratory health.
Learn how to assess lung health in our blog so that you can document your progress and determine if things are moving in the right direction or not.
We also have resources on the holy basil health benefits, vasaka leaf benefits, gut health detox, how much of your immune system is in your gut, vitamins for gut health, and more. At this point, though, it’s time we left you with a few closing thoughts on our guide to lung detox for smokers.
Closing thoughts on lung detox from smoking
While smoking can take a dramatic toll on lung function and whole body health in general, quitting is the first step to turning things around. From there, it’s just a matter of embarking on a lung detox after quitting smoking to try and restore healthy function as fast as possible.
Techniques like controlled coughing, regular exercise, avoiding pollutants, staying hydrated, and using natural supplements can speed things up.
---
Whether you need a prebiotic or probiotic supplement or both we’ve got clinically studied solutions waiting to be discovered.
These are expert opinions on lifestyle from professionals who are board-certified physicians, registered dietitians, or healthcare professionals. This content does not represent any medical advice for the prevention or treatment of any medical diseases.