Many people make the jump from smoking cannabis to reusable or disposable THC vape pens for health reasons.
The question follows for some then is “if I’ve made the switch, why am I still coughing?” Can even smoking a disposable THC vape make you cough?
The answer is yes. For first-time users – especially in public – this can be the cause of some embarrassment. For longer-term users, it can be more than a little annoying.
But is coughing a bad thing? Why does smoking cannabis make you cough? What can you do to avoid it? In this article, we’ll find out.
Why does cannabis smoke make you cough?
Coughing is a natural function with a specific purpose. In short, it’s designed to protect your lungs from anything harmful that might try and get in there when you breathe in.
At the risk of getting deep into the biology of this, your lungs aren’t designed to breathe in smoke or vapor. If you breathe in something that isn’t the good old air you were raised on, the tubes between your throat and lungs open up to try to kick out the unwanted irritants.
A little bit of coughing usually isn’t a problem. But if even a brief inhale of your disposable THC pen makes you cough, you may need to take a break from it or try some edible gummies or a tincture as alternatives.
Does coughing make your “high” stronger?
This is an urban myth that has led to all kinds of games and practices that actually have no real benefit.
After a couple of seconds, your lungs have absorbed all of the THC they are going to. It doesn’t matter how long you hold your breath or try to cough out the smoke or vapor you have breathed in. That maximum has already been achieved.
Likewise, trying to inhale much more smoke or vapor at once is likely to lead to coughing. This means that trying to consume more cannabis in one go is almost always a mistake – and one that ironically tends to lead to a reduced amount of marijuana being consumed.
This is not to mention the fact that you will end up ruining the experience for yourself. For example, as well as being convenient and discreet to use everywhere from your local nightclub to on a camping expedition, inhaling something like a K.I.N.D. Resin disposable THC vape pen is something to be savored. It gives you your choice of preferred cannabis strains and produces a potent effect because of its full-spectrum nature.
It’s a real shame to waste something like that trying to cough to increase your “high” or hold your breath. Especially when neither of those actually produce a beneficial result.
I've switched to a vape – why am I still coughing?
Switching to using a THC oil vape pen after being a smoker is almost always regarded as a good move as far as your health is concerned. Inhaling bits of plant that have been burnt or may still be burning – along with the often carcinogenic additives that are found in tobacco and other parts of a joint – is obviously bad for you.
Vapor is bound to be better than that. Indeed, some people are prompted to make the switch to vaping precisely because they have started to notice themselves doing things like coughing whenever they smoke.
But for some people, that switch doesn’t lead to instant relief from coughing and other side-effects of smoking. Here are some of the possible reasons why:
1) You may have smoked for a long time
If you were a committed smoker of joints or just cigarettes for a long period, it’s sad to say that you’ve probably caused your lungs to become irritated.
Your lungs are comparatively delicate things. They may take a long time to recover.
2) You may need to adjust your technique
Inhaling from a THC oil pen – disposable or reusable – isn’t like smoking a cigarette or joint:
- Go small – take smaller, shallower inhales.
- Stop before you’re full – don’t completely fill your lungs with vapor. Instead, stop with a good bit of room still to go.
- Add some air – inhale from your vape, stop partway, remove your vape, and complete the inhale with some fresh air.
Many former smokers find it hard to break old habits. But once you adapt to the best way to use your vape, you’ll hopefully start to notice a reduction in coughing and other smoking side-effects.
There’s no need to rush. With high-potency products like K.I.N.D. Sweet Karts available in disposable THC vape pen format, you can end up with a more powerful experience that you were used to when smoking even when inhaling less.
3) You are still inhaling something dry and heated
It might not be burning plant, but vapor is still hot and dry. Most importantly, it’s not the air that your lungs are supposed to be breathing.
Even if you use good technique and don’t have a long history of smoking to blame, it’s still worth remembering that this is technically an unnatural activity for your lungs.
If this happens to you, you can try setting your vape to a lower temperature. Or, if you prefer THC pen disposables, choose one that’s already set to a temperature somewhere around 350-375 degrees.
4) You are still inhaling THC
It might be the heat. It might be your technique. It might be a lot of smoking in your past. But even if you’ve got a handle on all of those, THC is still a potential irritant as far as your throat and lungs are concerned.
This means that if you are prone to coughing, you may need to take some alternative steps in order to combat it.
What can you do to avoid coughing when smoking?
Most people who smoke experience coughing – even if it’s a small, mild cough – on a regular basis. Vaping tends to cause less of a cough than smoking. But if you regularly have problems with coughing from vaping or smoking, you might want to try:
1) Stay hydrated, drink fluids
Make sure to drink plenty of water. You might also try some herbal tea. Both can help you clear your throat of anything that may be lingering there, causing a tickle in your throat or cough.
2) Stay natural
Nasty additives in cigarettes and tobacco are a big cause of coughing in addition to the other health problems they can lead to. In vaping, anything that isn’t a natural ingredient can potentially also lead to irritation.
That’s why everything in the world of K.I.N.D. is made from cannabis grown using natural, organic farming methods in the good old US of A. Plus, we use a special proprietary technique to ensure no trace solvents are left behind from the extraction process. This is a common cause of coughing with products made using other methods.
3) Stay on top of your technique
Try using the shorter inhale technique above and see if that helps with the problem. If it doesn’t, you may want to try even shorter inhales. Try not to hesitate when you inhale either. The longer you keep the smoke or vape in contact with your throat or lungs, the harsher the cough will be when you eventually exhale.
Disposable THC vapes and coughing – the takeaway
A little cough isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Coughing is a natural process and part of your body designed to keep bad things out of your lungs.
If you have just switched over to using a THC disposable vape pen from smoking, you may need to adjust your technique. This may relieve your cough. Otherwise, bear in mind that the heat your vape is set to – or simply the irritant nature of THC – may be at fault.
When it comes to avoiding coughing, drink plenty of water or herbal tea, and always choose a product that is made of natural ingredients.
