What About Exercise and Asthma?

Disclaimer: This information is not meant to replace any medical treatment. It is offered here as a service. Use this information at your own risk. No guarantee is made towards validity.

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While exercise can bring on an asthma attack, it is also a recognized part of any asthma treatment plan. Asthma and exercise have a unique relationship.

An important aspect of understanding how they relate is to be aware of why physical activity can bring on an attack. Basically, physical exertion increases your body’s need for oxygen, which makes your breathing faster and harder. This can bring on the feelings of breathlessness, tightness in the chest, and wheezing that are associated with asthma attacks.

In spite of this, asthma and exercise do not have to be mutually exclusive. In fact, in many cases they shouldn’t be, since many asthma sufferers who exercise regularly report having fewer attacks than when they did not exercise. Exercise improves your overall physical health.

They can exist side by side with proper care and planning. Asthma sufferers should consult with their doctor about different types of exercise, and prior to starting an exercise regimen should be sure that they are already managing their asthma on a daily basis.

Regardless of general health or fitness level, everyone is encouraged to warm up and cool down prior to exercising, whether through playing a sport or participating in a solitary activity such as walking or cycling. In spite of this sound advice, many of us skip warm ups and cool downs to cut down the time we spend on our workout routines.

It is particularly critical for those with asthma not to do this, as warming up and cooling down make changes in your breathing pattern more gradual. Stretching and walking before and after your more intense workout can help manage asthma and exercise.

Having the appropriate medical equipment including inhalers easily accessible is important when you are dealing with asthma and exercise. Be certain to pack what you need with you before you start your work-out.

A regular workout routine can actually help manage your medical condition, but asthma and exercise don’t always mix. You should not start, continue, change or increase a workout routine if your asthma is not currently under control. In addition, you should not exercise if you are suffering from a cold, the flu or allergies that are already exacerbating breathing difficulties. In any of these cases asthma and exercise aren’t the best combination.

Always be aware of how you are feeling while working out and stop if you feel symptoms coming on. Always wait several minutes after symptoms return to normal before you begin exercising again. With awareness and ongoing day-to-day treatment and control of your asthma, exercise can be not only a part of your life and a contributor to your overall well-being, but something that helps you to manage your medical condition.

Taking care of yourself when you have asthma is particularly important. You need to understand exactly how your asthma and exercise work together.