Relation between Asthma and Cold Weather

Asthma triggers can be substances as well as conditions existing in the environment that start, initiate or trigger asthma symptoms in asthmatics or allergic people. For some people, being exposed to cold and dry air can give rise to the asthma symptoms. It often affects them when they are exercising. If you are able to understand the relation between cold weather and asthma, and how it affects your lifestyle, it would let you enjoy the benefits of an active lifestyle with reduced risk of asthma attacks.

Generally, what act as an asthma trigger for one person would be quite harmless for other persons. It basically involves over reaction of your airways to the triggers and initiating the changes in them that lead to inflammation. This inflammatory response to the asthma trigger is actually to protect you from adverse impact on health. But the reaction is so intense that you feel quite ill. The symptoms such as coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath and feeling tight in the chest make your life very difficult.

Asthma in Cold Weather: How cold acts as an asthma trigger

While the actual reason behind asthma has not been understood well, hereditary and environmental factors do play a role. Whatever be the asthma triggers, or the condition that initiates asthma symptoms in people suffering from the condition, are not difficult to identify. Some people suffer from asthma when they exercise during cold, while others get the trigger due to a variety of factors.

Exercise induced asthma attacks during the cold season may be triggered by many factors, which include cold or dry air, air pollution or high pollen counts. As air is made warm and moistened in our nose, breathing through mouth that occurs while intense exercise is performed, allows cold air to reach the lungs, leading to causing constriction of airways and a rise in severity of symptoms.

Symptoms of Asthma during Winter

Although there is no way to suggest the kind of symptoms that trigger from the cold brings about, in general people suffering from asthma during cold season have symptoms such as coughing, chest tightness and difficulty breathing during or after a workout. Symptoms may be different in their intensity and may occur only while the patient is exercising. Trigger can also be expected 10 to 15 minutes after workouts. Fatigue, poor athletic performance and wheezing are some common symptoms expected from asthma induced by exercise.

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