An interesting fact is that there are more than 1 billion people in this world who consume coffee on a daily basis.
According to the information published at Dealsonhealth.net, people from all over the world drink more than 500 million cups of coffee per day.
But have you ever noticed that some people do cough immediately after having coffee?
Don’t you think it is really an issue that needs to be addressed in time?
I think you must be asking this question to yourself at some point of time.
Does having coffee regularly cause cough?
Is this cough a serious symptom which is why you should stop drinking coffee?
Is it really ok to have coffee if we have a cough?
Does hot coffee help in clearing your throat?
There are several of these types of questions that come naturally to our mind when we think about the correlation between coffee and cough.
Today, in this article, I am trying to provide some important insights about this topic.
Do you really think that coffee addiction causes you to cough?
In general, have you ever noticed that our cough seems to get worse after more coffee consumption?
The truth is that the coffee does not cause you to cough directly.
There are no ingredients present in the coffee that makes you cough. (Source: Roastycoffee.com)
But the active elements which are present in the coffee like caffeine are responsible for causing you to cough sometimes.
Unless we sip hot coffee too quickly, it is unlikely that the coffee causes you to cough.
If you drink too much of hot coffee too quickly then it may burn your mouth and, in this situation, you might have a cough as a consequence of that.
In certain situations, too much consumption of caffeine can cause you to cough excessively.
Some people do have allergic reaction to consumption of excessive caffeine.
This allergic reaction to excessive amount of caffeine may be the main reason behind the coughing of some people.
When you consume hundreds of milligrams of caffeine in one cup of coffee, then it can surely affect your throat and can cause excessive coughing.
But the short dosage of caffeine from 1-2 cups of coffee usually does not cause you any harm.
So, to answer the main question, I would say “No”.
No, coffee does not cause you to cough directly.
However, it might cause coughing only when you drink too much of coffee at one point of time.
I also strongly suggest you to avoid drinking too much coffee when you have dry cough already.
Because it is believed that the hot coffee makes your throat drier and it worsens your dry coughing.
So, if you have dry cough, then stay away from hot beverages that contain caffeine such as hot coffee.
Table of Contents
- Does Coffee Make Me Cough up Mucus?
- Does Decaf Coffee Make Me Cough?
- Is It Ok To Drink Coffee When You Have Dry Cough?
- Does Black Coffee Help in Cough?
- Does Coffee Cause Throat Clearing?
- Final Thoughts
Does Coffee Make Me Cough up Mucus?
The short answer is “Yes”.
Yes, excessive consumption of coffee can make you cough up more mucus.
Mucus is a sticky and slippery viscous secretion which is produced by mucous membranes.
Some people do get thick mucus or thick saliva after drinking hot coffee.
Caffeine present in the hot coffee makes your throat dry and if you do not keep your body properly hydrated, then the dry throat causes more mucus production.
Due to the dry throat while drinking your coffee, this mucus is mixed with the hot liquid coffee and it then coughed out automatically.
Due to the dehydration in our body caused by caffeine containing beverages like tea and coffee, the mucus production increases in our body.
High consumption of caffeine drinks can make the mucus thicker gradually.
Therefore, to avoid thickening of mucus and to reduce dry coughing, it is highly recommended to avoid drinking caffeine drinks such as coffee and tea.
To keep your body hydrated all the time and to reduce mucus production in our body, you must increase the water intake.
So, try to drink at least 2-3 liters of water everyday if you want to reduce your coughing symptoms.
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Does Decaf Coffee Make Me Cough?
The short answer is “No”.
No, decaf coffee does not cause you to cough because it contains very less amount of caffeine.
Decaf coffee simple means decaffeinated coffee.
It is a type of coffee made from the coffee beans where 97% of their caffeine is removed during the roasting process.
According to the research report published at Researchgate.net, it is quite clear that caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee does produce good results in curing common cold symptoms.
This also means that the right amount of decaf coffee can help you improve your body alertness and overall performance even when you are sick.
It helps in reducing your cold which means it also helps in controlling the internal mucus secretion.
Decaf coffee also contains very low amount of caffeine which is why it does not induce too much secretion of mucus.
I recommend you to drink lot of water along with hot coffee when you have common cold symptoms or having dry cough.
This will keep your body properly hydrated and will reduce the cough and excessive mucus secretion.
Is It Ok To Drink Coffee When You Have Dry Cough?
As already mentioned above, if you have dry cough then I recommend you to avoid drinking coffee.
And you already know that coffee contains higher amount of caffeine.
If you drink too much of coffee every day, then excess amount of caffeine makes your throat dry.
It also induces higher secretion of mucus which makes your dry cough worse.
Dry cough is worsened by higher caffeine consumption.
It is highly important for you to keep your body properly hydrated and avoid mucus creation in the throat.
Therefore, I strongly advice to avoid caffeine drinks such as coffee and tea and start drinking at least 2 to 3 liters of water everyday when you have cough.
If you are an avid coffee lover and cannot live without coffee every day, then you may consume 1 or 2 cups of decaf coffee.
And don’t forget to drink lots of water to keep yourself hydrated adequately.
Does Black Coffee Help in Cough?
Yes, having a cup of black coffee during a cough may provide temporary relief and it also helps in dissolving mucus to some extent.
Consuming a cup of black coffee may help to purify your lungs.
It may also help in dissolving pure oxygen into our blood which again helps in curing our cough symptoms faster.
But having more than 2 cups of caffeine or excess is not good for your health.
Limiting intake of black coffee to one to two cups a day and keeping your body properly hydrated with at least 2-3 liters of water every day is the best way to cure your cough problems naturally.
Does Coffee Cause Throat Clearing?
Some people do experience throat tightness or throat irritation when consumed too much amount of coffee.
These symptoms may differ person to person and also by the type of coffee you consume.
According to this article at Livestrong.com, caffeine drinks and foods such as coffee, tea, chocolate can cause throat infection or irritation.
But this happens with those people who have allergic reactions to excess caffeine consumption.
People having gastrointestinal issues, usually experience throat irritation or throat tightness, when they consume lot of caffeine drinks such as coffee and tea.
If not treated in time, these allergic reactions can lead to diseases like gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
Sometimes it causes scratchy throat, pain or hoarseness in the chest, and the feeling of food stuck in your throat.
The throat irritation usually happens because of the trouble in proper food swallowing and feeling of chocking due to the GERD symptoms.
Therefore, you need to avoid excess consumption caffeine foods and drinks such as coffee if you are suffering from disorders such as GERD.
This will help you to keep your throat free from any irritation and tightness.
Final Thoughts
From the above facts, one thing is clear that if you are suffering from dry coughs, then you must limit your caffeine intake at any cost.
Too much consumption of caffeine foods and drinks such as coffee and tea could worsen your dry cough and can cause throat tightness.
If you want to cure your cough symptoms faster, then drink more water and reduce the intake of coffee on a daily basis.
I highly recommend to consume only one or two cups of decaf coffee if you cannot live without your favorite cup of coffee.
The best decaf coffee according to my research is from Starbucks.
References:
https://www.roastycoffee.com/coffee-cough/
https://www.livestrong.com/article/524257-does-caffeine-make-coughing-worse/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Coffee/comments/9g1ycr/coffee_and_coughing/
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/13786132_Caffeine_and_the_common_coldhttps://www.livestrong.com/article/520028-caffeine-and-throat-tightness/