Cold weather and asthma
It’s long been a subject of debate what impact the weather has on asthma symptoms. Especially when you have allergy-induced asthma, it probably even perplexes *you* what the link might be.
I was searching for ideas to keep my asthmatic symptoms at bay this winter and discovered that doctors think it’s not so much the actual temperature as it is the temperature *change*. In my case, that helps explain why I’m more likely to have exercise-induced asthma attacks during my winter runs even though my allergies are usually pretty under control then.
How about you? Do you find your asthma symptoms act up more when the temperature rises or drops quickly?
In my research, I was hoping to find some tips on how to reduce winter asthma symptoms, especially during my runs. I did find a few useful tips:
- When outdoors in the cold, protect your nose and mouth with a scarf. This will both warm and humidify the air you’re breathing in and both may help reduce asthma symptoms.
- Try to limit exposure during days when the weather is especially irritating. For some people, this may mean staying indoors when thunderstorms are likely as they create conditions that lead to attacks in some people; for others, this would mean staying indoors when it’s windy. Find out what kinds of weather conditions you’re especially susceptible to and avoid them as much as possible.
- Exercise indoors when you can. Your body still needs movement to stay healthy, but if you find the cold weather triggers your asthma, talk to your doctor about an exercise routine that keeps you indoors and away from your biggest triggers.
What weather conditions do youf ind trigger your asthma? And what do you do to help stay healthy and asthma attack free?