Why Do I Cough When Taking a Deep Breath? Causes and Solutions

Coughing on a deep breath can be caused by irritated airways, asthma, infection, or reflux. Seek care if it comes with chest pain.

Common causes

• Asthma.
• Bronchitis or pneumonia.
• Postnasal drip.
• Acid reflux.
• Dry or irritated airways.
• Smoking.
• Allergies.

Why

A deep breath stretches the airways and triggers the cough reflex when irritated.

What helps

Drink water, use a humidifier and avoid irritants.

See a doctor

If the cough lasts over 3 weeks, with fever or wheezing.

Emergency

Chest pain or trouble breathing. Call 911.

Why a deep breath triggers cough

A deep breath stretches the airways and can trigger cough receptors if the airways are irritated or narrowed. Causes include asthma, bronchitis, post-viral cough, GERD, postnasal drip, smoking, allergies and pneumonia. Cough after deep breath is a classic feature of cough-variant asthma.

• Most acute coughs last under 3 weeks. A subacute cough lasts 3 to 8 weeks and chronic over 8 weeks.
• ACE inhibitors cause a dry cough in 5 to 20 percent of users.
• Pleurisy causes sharp chest pain with deep breaths.

Care and warning signs

Drink fluids, use a humidifier, avoid smoke, and treat the cause. Honey (for age 1 and older) can ease cough. See a doctor for cough over 3 weeks, wheezing, fever, shortness of breath or night sweats. Seek emergency care for chest pain, coughing blood, severe breathlessness or bluish lips. Sudden sharp chest pain with breathlessness can signal a collapsed lung or pulmonary embolism.

Why a deep breath triggers cough

Deep breaths can irritate sensitive airways in asthma, bronchitis, allergies or after infections. Cold dry air and reflux also trigger cough. Post viral cough can last 3 to 8 weeks.

Care and warning signs

Hydrate, avoid smoke and use a humidifier. See a doctor if there is wheeze, fever, chest pain, coughing blood or cough over 8 weeks.

Airway reactivity and lung conditions

Asthma affects about 25 million Americans, and a deep breath can trigger bronchial spasm in sensitive airways. Post-infectious cough lasts up to 8 weeks. Pulmonary fibrosis, pneumonia, pleurisy or pulmonary embolism can cause pain with deep inhalation plus cough. GERD can cause cough through micro aspiration.

Evaluation

Doctors do spirometry to check for asthma and COPD, chest X ray for pneumonia, and sometimes CT. Treatments include inhaled bronchodilators and steroids for asthma. Avoid smoke and irritants. Urgent care is warranted for cough with fever, bloody sputum, sharp chest pain or breathlessness.

Based on data from the American Lung Association and the CDC