Asthma and the Type of Exercise
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease that makes airways (bronchial tubes)
particularly sensitive to irritants, and this is characterized by difficulty in
breathing.
Asthma is a highly ranked chronic health condition in adults in most western
countries, and it is the leading chronic illness of children.
Asthma cannot be cured, but for most patients it can be controlled so that they
have only minimal and infrequent symptoms and they can live an active life.
If you have asthma, managing it is an important part of your life. Controlling
your asthma means staying away from things that bother your airways and taking
medicines as directed by your doctor.
Some types of exercise are worse than others. For example, if you do different
types of exercise that you use the same amount of oxygen, then some will cause
more wheeziness or chest tightness than others.
Running outdoors is usually worse than swimming. In fact, swimming is one of the
best forms of exercise for people with asthma because it usually causes the
least amount of chest tightness.
Also, if the air you breathe during exercise is cold and dry, then the asthma
will be worse. If it is warm and moist, the asthma will be less bad. This
explains why swimming usually causes less asthma than outdoor running.
Increased breathing during exercise causes cooling and drying of the lining of
the air passages and this is usually necessary for someone to get
exercise-induced asthma. This explains why warm moist air protects against
exercise-induced asthma. At this stage it is not understood why the drying and
cooling of the airway linings causes the asthma episode.
Some people get worsening of their asthma from the chlorine fumes from swimming
baths. This is another factor which can affect the result, and for such people
swimming in a chlorinated pool is much worse than running.
The timing of the exercise is also important. It usually takes about six minutes
of exercising to trigger an exercise-induced asthma, and exercising for less
than this may not be enough to trigger the asthma.
In addition, for a few hours after you have had the exercise induced asthma,
repeating the same amount of exercise will no longer produce the same amount of
asthma symptoms, or may even produce no asthma symptoms at all.
Some people may be able to 'run through' their exercise induced asthma either by
warming up with short bursts of exercise, or by continuous exercise which does
not bring on a severe attack.
Sports and exercises which consist of short bursts of activity with periods of
rest in between can be particularly suitable for people with asthma. For example
:
- Long-distance or cross-country running are particularly strong triggers for
asthma because they are undertaken outside in cold air without short breaks.
- Team sports such as football or hockey are less likely to cause asthma
symptoms as they are played in brief bursts with short breaks in between.
- Swimming is an excellent form of exercise for people with asthma. The warm
humid air in the swimming pool is less likely to trigger symptoms of asthma.
However, swimming in cold water or heavily chlorinated pools may trigger asthma.
- Yoga is a good type of exercise for people with asthma as it relaxes the body,
reduces stress levels, and may also help with breathing.
There is also compelling evidence that gradual athletic training can make you
less prone to exercise-induced asthma.
Better treatment with medicines can have a powerful effect on exercise-induced
asthma. The better your asthma control, the less you will be troubled by
exercise-induced asthma.
A lot of athletes, especially runners, suffer from exercise-induced asthma. This
may be partly because an amount of asthma which does not matter to most people
can mean the difference between winning and losing to an athlete.
If you are an athlete who suffers from exercise-induced asthma, then it is worth
getting top-level specialist advice to help you solve it. Athletes train to
levels of fitness which most ordinary people don't even think about, so it is
worth getting the best advice to help you manage the disease.
In the past, many Olympic medal winners have been asthmatic and have suffered
from exercise-induced asthma. With the right help, advice, training, treatment,
and self-discipline the problems can usually be overcome.
There are several steps that can be taken to help to reduce the symptoms of
exercise-induced asthma. These should be used with any medicines that your
doctor has prescribed.
- Warm up and down.
- Avoid the cold air. It can also help to cover the nose and mouth with a scarf
in cold weather.
- Stay fit. Good aerobic fitness can help to reduce exercise-induced asthma.
At a Glance … What is Asthma ?-
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease that makes airways (bronchial
tubes) particularly sensitive to irritants, and this is characterized by
difficulty in breathing.
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Exercise can induce asthma.
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However, asthma can be managed, even by professional athletes.
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People, particularly children, should not avoid sensible exercise
just because they have asthma.
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Swimming is generally a good exercise for asthmatics.
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Asthma Resources
The asthma resources on this site are based on various reports and the experience of respected authorities.
Avoid Exercise
People with asthma should definitely exercise. Enjoyable exercise is even more
important for asthma sufferers than for other people.
Occupational Asthma
Some jobs can actually cause asthma. Asthma caused by dust or fumes at work is
called occupational asthma.
Peak Flow Meters
A peak flow meter is a hand-held device that shows how well you are breathing.
Asthma Diagnosis
Diagnosis is the first step in keeping asthma under control.
Trends and Statistics
More people in western countries suffer from allergies, compared to people in
less affluent rural parts of the world, and allergy rates are also on the
increase.
Living with Asthma
It is important that you work with your doctor to make an action plan that you
are both happy with.
Asthma and Altitude
It is possible that people with asthma are more likely to be affected by
altitude sickness.
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