Exercise Induced Asthma
Exercise is generally a common cause of asthma attacks. A person suffering from exercise-induced asthma attacks may show asthma symptoms after a strong workout. Doctors believe that such an attack is caused by a sudden change in temperature and the sensitivity of the body to humidity. A person who is at rest breathes through the nose, warming and humidifying the air, making it similar to the air in the lungs. When a person exercises, breathing is done through the mouth, so that the air that enters the lungs is very much colder and drier. The difference in the temperature between the cold inhaled air and the warm inhaled air in the lungs can trigger an asthma attack.
The causes of asthma attacks, as well as their severity, vary from patient to patient. Triggers may include contaminants in the air like smoke, vapors, pollution, dust, chemical particles, respiratory infections, allergens in the air, a sudden change in temperature and emotional stress. When a person experiences an asthma attack, the airway swells and begins to secrete a large amount of mucus, partially blocking the airway. This makes the person experience difficulty in breathing.
Given proper medication, a person suffering from exercise-induced asthma can have a normal life without experiencing any asthma attacks. In fact, several professional athletes have a medical history of asthma, but are not bothered by the situation. Medical researchers really cite athletes as their prime example of how far asthma medications have come in the recent years.
Coughing, wheezing and a tightening of the chest are all symptoms of exercise-induced asthma. These symptoms will generally be felt after beginning the exercise and will gradually worsen even after exercise stops. Even after years of research, the reasons for exercise-induced asthma are not clear. However in theory asthma sufferers will breathe faster which does not allow for the nose and airways to add moisture to the air, therefore the air being taken in is cold and dry. This intake of dry and cold air triggers asthma symptoms
Doctors will refer to a patient’s medical history and perhaps perform peak flow tests in order to examine whether the case of exercise-induced asthma exists. But in some cases it may be difficult for the Doctor to make a full diagnosis without further tests at a specialized unit.
Follow the steps below to manage with Exercise Induced Asthma
- Long distance or cross-county running can be triggers for asthma attacks due to the intake of cold air without any breaks.
- sports such as basketball, football, or tennis are less likely to induce an attack if short breaks are taken.
- An excellent sport for asthma patients to take part in is swimming because the warm humid air in the swimming pool is less likely to trigger asthma symptoms. It must be noted that heavily chlorinated pools can have the opposite effect, as can swimming in cold water.
- Another good exercise for people with breathing problems is yoga, because when you do yoga, the muscles are relaxed and can help by practicing breathing exercises.