How To Prevent A Vaping Cough
When you first start to vape it is very likely you will cough. This is normal as the sensation of vaping differs from smoking. New vapers will try to inhale on their e-cigarette like a smoker rather than a vaper. Vapour produced from an e-cig is much thicker than cigarette smoke so it can be too much for most people at first.
What is a Cough?
The NHS describes a cough as a reflex action to clear the airways. It can be caused when trying to clear airways of smoke and vapour. Smokers can develop long term coughing caused by the smoke weakening the cells when it passes through the airways. This then allows toxins to enter the lungs which the body reacts to by coughing to clear it.
Why You Develop Vaping Cough
Coughing is also common when vaping, with a majority of vapers admitting to coughing the first time they tried an e-cigarette. This lessens over time as they get used to vaping, however some still notice a cough weeks later. A smokers cough only worsens over time so the gradual decrease in coughing when vaping is a positive sign.
One of the likely causes of coughing while vaping is the PG content which is one of the main ingredients in e-liquid. Its role is to carry the flavour and also provide a throat hit when inhaled. Like consuming anything, if you take in too much all at once your body will try to reject it. If the PG level is too strong you will notice it will be harsh. This can leave you with a sore throat which can cause a cough. However, it is important to know that the FDA[1] has classified this ingredient as safe in both medial and food products.
The other diluent VG can also be a factor. VG is the ingredient in e-liquid that produces the vapour. When inhaling this vapour your body may try to clear your airways by coughing. The nicotine strength of the e-liquid can also be a cause.
Tips to Prevent Coughing When Vaping
New vapers should start with a mouth-to-lung vaping technique to get used to the sensation. MTL vaping requires you to hold the vapour in your mouth before inhaling into the lungs. This technique also uses less vapour than direct-lung vaping so it shouldn’t cause your body to try to clear your airways.
The vape kit you are using may be too powerful. MTL vaping doesn’t require as much power as DL need to produce big clouds of vapour. Using a mod kit with sub-ohm coils will produce too much vapour. Try using a starter kit to get used to MTL vaping at lower output wattages before switching to a higher powered kit.
Nic salt and bar salt e-liquids could also prevent a cough. They are designed to mimic the salts found in tobacco leaves to replicate smoking. This makes it great for transitioning from cigarettes by delivering a smoother throat hit even at higher nicotine strengths. Bar salts are very strong in flavour and mimic disposables.
As most vapers find they stop coughing after the first few weeks of vaping, the best method for new vapers is to keep vaping. Once they have got used to vaping the coughing should clear up.
Like What You’ve Read?
If you are still having difficulty with coughing when vaping, get in touch with our friendly customer service team on 01254 269380. You can also contact us through our live chat feature in the bottom right corner of the homepage.
Sources
[1] U.S. Food and Drug Administration (2021). How Smoking Affects Reproductive Health.
