Why Does Coffee Make Me Cough? 4 Reasons!

When coffee makes you cough, it's fair to be asking why does coffee make me cough? And it could boil down to numerous reasons, today we explore some of the primary reason's behind coffee making you cough!

The majority of people do not experience coughing upon consuming coffee. However, some people may cough upon consuming coffee due to factors including their medical condition and state, and according to health digest, drinking too much coffee can make your cough worse. 

Therefore, some people may experience coughing, or their coughing may get worse when they consume coffee.

Some of the common effects of coffee (and its ingredient caffeine) on humans include;

1.  muscle tremors, gastrointestinal tract upset, headaches, dizziness, irritability, difficulty in sleeping, anxiety, and alertness. These effects may last up to a maximum of 14 hours usually and the onset is within 1 hour of consumption of coffee.
2. Consuming coffee in greater amounts (more than 500 mg in a day) can cause dehydration, which may trigger the act and condition of coughing, or may aggravate the condition. Because the throat may get dry due to dehydration, excessive coffee consumption may cause coughing and its worsening.

When you want to know the answer to the question "why does coffee make me cough?", dehydration may be one of the reasons.

Allergy due to the intake of caffeine is rare, but may still occur. When a person is allergic to caffeine, he or she will not only cough upon the consumption but will also experience other symptoms including nausea, diarrhea, stomach cramps, and vomiting.

Such allergic reactions upon coffee consumption may occur within a few minutes to a maximum of a few hours of coffee consumption. If you are not experiencing any of these symptoms but only coughing, it is not due to an allergic reaction to caffeine intake.

Is it Ok to Drink Coffee When You Have a Dry Cough? 

A dry cough may cause pain as well as constant itchiness, and you need some rest and sound advice to overcome the medical condition.

While you should stay hydrated when you have a dry cough, you should avoid or limit the intake of caffeinated beverages such as coffee, black tea. sodas, and energy drinks if you are having a dry cough.

The most appropriate hydration sources during this condition include water and consumption of vegetables and fruits that also contain ample amounts of water and can provide hydration.

Coffee (classified under N-Methylxanthines) exerts certain effects on coughing and cough reflex. It is also a known diuretic and therefore even worsens the condition of dehydration. Coffee consumption may build up thick mucus within the lungs.

Adequate hydration and restraining from consuming caffeinated beverages can provide certain beneficial outcomes during dry cough.

The cough drops for lozenges can moisturize the throat and can provide relief from scratchiness, dryness, and persistent cough reflex and urge.

If the dry cough is causing pain and other physiological conditions that you cannot bear, you can try medications containing ingredients including phenylephrine, acetaminophen, and diphenhydramine.

The combination can help you overcome fever as well as pain, suppress the cough, and also act as a decongestant.

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Does Coffee Cause Cough? 

A few people may start coughing when they consume coffee if they are allergic to coffee. It is a rare condition and is also accompanied by other conditions including rash/hives/redness on the skin, nausea, diarrhea, stomach cramps, and/or vomiting.

If you are coughing upon consuming coffee and these other conditions are absent, coffee is not an allergen for you. Sudden rush of the hormone adrenaline may occur in people who are sensitive to coffee.

These people will metabolize caffeine rather slowly when compared to others. The immune system may find caffeine to be an adverse and harmful invader when caffeine allergy is there in a person.

In response to the aggression by the harmful invaders, the body will secrete the antibodies that cause the allergy symptoms.

If you are consuming multiple mugs of coffee every day, so that the total amount consumed is more than 500 mg of caffeine, you may start to cough.

Coffee consumption in such large amounts may cause dehydration, dry the throat, and result in coughing, as stated earlier. You can reduce the amount of coffee you consume during the day, and see if the coughing ceases.

Coffee is not harmful and will not exert any adverse side effect such as coughing when it is consumed in moderate amounts (up to 400 mg a day), for majority of people.

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Does Coffee Cause Throat Clearing? 

People like to clear their throats from time to time. The normal reasons for throat clearing include a nervous habit, catching someone's attention, or clearing something from the throat when you have such a feeling.

However persistent throat clearing can damage the vocal cords over a period, and result in other grave and serious medical conditions as well.

In some cases, coffee and caffeine may be a cause of a throat clearing disorder known as "laryngopharyngeal reflux". It is a chronic condition where a person may constantly develop an uncomfortable sensation in the throat region, which makes him or her clear the throat often.

The consumption of alcohol and caffeine, and fatty/spicy/acidic food can cause laryngopharyngeal reflux. However, there are also other causes of this condition including stress and obesity.

Coffee and caffeine can be a cause of reflex and throat clearing, especially when it is consumed in high amounts. Because chronic throat clearing can be a cause of serious damage to the cords, it is important to see the doctor if you witness the condition.

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Final Thoughts to Why Does Coffee Make Me Cough!

Acute coughs are usually caused by conditions including sinus infection, flu, and the common cold. These coughs are accompanied by other conditions including sinus pressure, congestion, body ache, headache, and fever. An acute cough will not last for more than 3 weeks.

However, a chronic cough lasting for more than three weeks may be due to conditions including tumor, an intestine or lung disease, bronchiectasis, gastrointestinal reflux medical condition, OPD or obstructive pulmonary disease, and lung infections among others.

Some medications or irritants present in the air may cause coughing as well. Therefore, if your cough is persistent, you should be calling your doctor to get the best advice.

Moderate consumption of caffeinated beverages like coffee (no more than 400 mg) would not result in any problem, for the majority of people.

 However, there can be issues like allergies and conditions such as laryngopharyngeal reflex. If you experience such issues upon consumption of coffee repeatedly, you can consult your doctor for better advice.