Coughing after running in a child and an adult occurs due to some malfunctions in the respiratory system, which appear during a sharp and prolonged physical load on the cardiovascular system. Adults and children who are accustomed to perform physical exercises aimed at increasing endurance of the heart muscle, such problems almost do not bother, as their body is already accustomed to frequent stress. It is important to determine why the cough begins after running.
Disease and cough
If a person coughs after physical exertion, then this may indicate that diseases of the respiratory tract, heart and lungs have passed into the stage of exacerbation.
Acute respiratory infections, bronchitis and various diseases of a viral and bacterial nature can trigger unpleasant symptoms. Bronchial asthma is the most common cause of severe coughing after running, after physical exertion. At the same time, a person may have additional problems with respiratory activity, a prolonged attack of suffocation (asthma status) may develop. In any case, a strong cough is an occasion to pay attention to your state of health and visit a doctor in a timely manner.
Attacks in children
An attack of dry or wet cough after running can occur both for one reason, and for several at the same time. The most common causes of coughing include:
- Irritation of respiratory receptors by air flow during improper breathing. If the child does not often engage in physical activity, and his preparation is weak, but he decided to give an excessive load on the unprepared body, then the body will consider the frequent breathing in the process of running as a deviation from normal respiratory activity. As a result, a patient may experience a strong cough with sputum after running, which often happens in the middle or at the end of a workout.
- Progression of bronchial asthma. In children who are prone to allergic bronchospasm, a dry cough appears after running or other types of physical activity due to the fact that their alveolar space regularly changes. Even after a minimal overload, spasms can occur in the walls of the bronchi, and in addition to coughing, a person will have an attack of a lack of incoming oxygen. Therefore, children who suffer from bronchial asthma, doctors forbid long-distance running. The best type of physical activity to prevent a possible coughing fit is considered to be intensive walking at a distance of 2 to 3 kilometers.
- Bacterial lesions. The presence in the tissues of the lungs and bronchi of foci of chronic inflammation of an infectious or viral type is the main reason why a child begins an attack of severe dry cough right at the end of a workout. In this case, bronchial spasm begins due to the fact that the process of blood circulation in the chest area increases under the influence of physical activity. A strong blood flow reaches the inflamed area, which leads to inflammation of the diseased tissue and the development of cough. To get rid of such a lesion, it is necessary to diagnose the lungs and, when determining the sluggish inflammatory process in them, make the correct and effective treatment.
Reasons for the appearance in adults
Permanent smoking is the first reason. Exercise and regular smoking are incompatible things. This reason is prevalent mainly in adults who smoke and from time to time subject their body to training.
In this case, a dry cough occurs due to the fact that the human body is trying to remove tar and cinder from the walls of the bronchi after cigarettes, which managed to accumulate there as a result of prolonged smoking. Such bronchial spasms appear together with an increased blood supply to the respiratory system due to running.
Dangerous diseases
Causes of coughing after running in an adult can be dangerous diseases. These include:
- Bronchiectatic disease. This pulmonological disease is most often detected in adults who do not follow a healthy lifestyle, or have been working in enterprises with harmful health conditions for a long time. In the bronchial sacs in this case, a large amount of excess purulent fluid accumulates, which appears when the tissues of the lower respiratory tract are destroyed. After running, the patient begins a strong cough, during which sputum of yellow color comes out with an unpleasant odor.
- Tuberculosis. A dangerous form of pulmonary disease that adversely affects the activity of the entire respiratory system. In this case, even after a short training session, the patient begins a strong attack of coughing, which can be either productive or dry type.
Lung cancer
An oncological disease in the first stages of development and spread always goes away with additional symptoms: pain in the head, fever, feeling weak, attacks of bronchial spasms after any exercise. At the same time, the patient cannot independently determine the source of such unpleasant symptoms.
Heart failure
A situation quite common in medicine is when an adult has acute heart failure. Moreover, in a calm state, the patient does not manifest any unpleasant symptoms.
After any active activity, the heart begins to work in a tense rhythm. As a result of the described processes, a large amount of venous blood accumulates in the lungs, which leads to difficulties with the flow of air into the body. The stronger the pressure on the lung tissue, the more often a cough will occur.
How to get rid of a cough
At the end of the workout, after which a coughing fit occurs, it is important to follow certain expert advice that will help restore breathing and lung function. Adults and children should follow these guidelines:
- At the end of the run you can not stop immediately. Regardless of the strength of the cough, it is important to continue walking at a slow pace until the breath is stabilized. This will help eliminate spasms in the bronchi, as the lungs will reduce the intensity of contractions over time. If after running, stop and just stand, trying to get rid of cough, then this will provoke severe irritation of the respiratory receptors.
- Breathe through the nose, preventing the cold stream of air from entering the heated internal organs when running. Each new portion of oxygen must be inhaled through the nose, and exhaled through the mouth. If you do not follow this rule, then you can achieve an exacerbation of the pathological process, which as a result will lead to a cold.
- Stop external exposure to the throat. With cough syndrome, which appeared during running, it is important to remove a sports cape or other clothing that is near the larynx. This is necessary so that irritated upper and lower respiratory tracts do not feel additional external influences.
- Drink warm water. Most likely, after exercise, warm water will not be the most pleasant drink, but it will be able to moisturize the mucous membrane of the respiratory system and improve its function, which was impaired during running. Experts prohibit drinking cold water, as it will lead to even more severe bronchial spasms and will cause the onset of the inflammatory process.
- Take an antispasmodic. With a particularly complex form of bronchospasm, when the cough after running is very strong, it is recommended to take the Drotaverin or Spazmolgon tablet. These funds will expand the space between the bronchi and eliminate the cough.
Timely prevention
To prevent the onset of a strong cough after running, it is important to follow the rules of prevention in a timely manner. First you need to abandon addictions (smoking, drinking alcohol), since they do not combine with physical activity.
In addition, it is worth running only in warm weather. Heavy rain, wind or cold can lead to colds. Jogging is best carried out in places remote from major roads, factories, enterprises and other sources of pollution. If a person runs around the house, it is important to make sure that there is no dust around and that the air is well moistened.
Baby treatment
If the cough after running is repeated from time to time, then certain measures should be taken. A doctor should be consulted if:
- a cough appears regularly every 20 minutes after a run; going to the doctor will help to avoid possible diseases of the respiratory system;
- the child is engaged in physical education, and a low level of training does not allow him to run;
- cough occurs with a pulse of 160 beats per minute.
It is very important to pay attention to difficulties with the work of the respiratory system in a child in a timely manner. With bronchial disease or allergies, serious measures are not necessary. In this case, you should undergo standard treatment, and the child will again be able to run regularly. Also, delaying treatment is not worth it in the presence of asthma attacks, as they can occur completely suddenly.