Why Do I Cough When Taking a Deep Breath?

Ever experienced a bout of coughing after taking a deep breath? Once you recover, the experience may leave you wondering about the underlying reasons for your coughing fit, as well as the million-dollar question: “Is this normal?”

Keep reading to find out why you might cough when taking a deep breath and when a cough might be a sign of an underlying condition you should discuss with your doctor.

Coughing After Taking a Deep Breath Is Not Normal

“While cough is a normal and protective reflex, coughing after taking a deep breath is not normal,” says Michael Ghobrial, MD, pulmonologist and critical care doctor and director of the Chronic Cough Program at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean you have a serious medical problem, he adds.

Mucus Tickling the Airways or Cold, Dry Air May Trigger a Cough

There are a few reasons that a healthy person with no underlying health conditions might cough after taking a deep breath, says Norman Edelman, MD, professor of pulmonology and family, population, and preventative medicine at Stony Brook Medicine in New York.

“Ordinarily, you have a very thin layer of mucus covering your airways that helps protect your lungs. But let’s say you have a little excess mucus because of a mild cold or allergies. When you take a deep breath, you’ll move that mucus around. That movement could ‘tickle’ the airways, and make you cough,” he says.

Breathing in cold, dry air could also trigger a cough when you inhale deeply. “The air you bring into your lungs is much cooler and much drier than the air already in your body,” Dr. Edelman says. That difference can irritate the airways and result in a cough.

Coughing Can Be a Sign of an Underlying Condition

If you have more than a little extra mucus along with a runny or stuffy nose, low-grade fever, or chest congestion along with your cough, you may have bronchitis, or temporary inflammation in the bronchial tubes. Bronchitis typically goes away on its own but can sometimes require medical treatment.

If you have a coughing fit when you inhale cold, dry air, it could be a symptom of asthma. “People with asthma know that if they go out in the wintertime, they’ll start coughing or maybe having trouble breathing,” Edelman says.

You may have chronic cough if your cough is triggered by more than just a deep breath and lasts eight weeks or longer on some or most days. In addition to allergies and asthma, chronic cough can be a symptom of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pulmonary fibrosis, certain medications, or smoking.

When to See Your Healthcare Provider About Coughing

If you are coughing frequently after a deep breath or physical exertion (like walking up a flight of stairs) or if you have a chronic cough that no home remedy seems to ease, talk with your healthcare provider, says Dr. Ghobrial. “It could mean several things from inflamed airways to inflamed lung tissue, or even a more serious lung disease, including lung cancer,” he says.

• Coughing is the body's natural way of clearing the airways of irritants.
• Breathing in cold, dry air can irritate the airways and trigger a cough as well.
• If you are coughing frequently after taking a deep breath and have no underlying condition, visit a doctor who can help diagnose your cough.