Contents:
- Medical Video: Exercising In The Cold With Asthma HD
- Benefits of running for asthmatics
- How to run can trigger an asthma attack
- Safe running tips
Medical Video: Exercising In The Cold With Asthma HD
Many asthma patients avoid running. Running is actually good for your body if your asthma is in good control. However, running can also trigger asthma symptoms if your asthma is not well controlled.
Benefits of running for asthmatics
Running with asthma has several advantages:
- strengthen the respiratory muscles
- maintain weight
- provide psychological benefits
- reduce the risk of heart disease
How to run can trigger an asthma attack
In general, the nose protects the lungs by warming the air and acting as a filter. When running, your body needs more air and you start breathing through your mouth. Your nose does not heat, moisturize, or filter the air. As a result, running can increase the risk of exposure to asthma triggers.
Safe running tips
Do you have asthma and are afraid to run? The following tips can help you:
- Visit a doctor first. As with other chronic diseases, make sure you discuss with your doctor before you start a significant exercise routine. Before you start, the doctor will try to control your asthma. You need to have action plan about what you should do if your asthma is recurrent when running.
- Know your limits. Running is a heavy activity and can trigger asthma compared to other activities.
- Quit smoking. Nearly 25% of adults who have asthma usually smoke and start smoking since young. Tobacco smoke irritates the lungs and worsens asthma. Smoking during pregnancy can also increase the risk of asthma in children. Quitting smoking can also help you breathe and run better.
- Watch the weather. If the cold weather makes your asthma recur, consider running in the room using a treadmill. If you need to leave the house, make sure you use a mask or scarf that reduces cold air entering your lungs. Run outdoors when the weather is warm and humid.
- Always carry an inhaler. It is important to carry an inhaler while running. The inhaler can deal with sudden symptoms of asthma.
- Watch your asthma condition. If asthma is not well controlled, you need to handle it before running.
- Follow the action plan to exercise safely. Talk to the doctor about action plan your asthma and how you can support exercise with asthma. If you are not in a safe condition, you are not allowed to exercise, because it can worsen the condition.
If you experience symptoms while exercising with asthma, you can use an inhaler to treat symptoms. Your doctor can also ask you to use an inhaler before exercise to prevent symptoms.
- Warm up and cool down. Avoid sudden changes in activities that can trigger asthma symptoms. Start slowly, don't go outside and exercise hard. Likewise, don't suddenly stop exercising. However, slowly reduce your energy before stopping.
- Avoid running when the wind is strong. The more wind, the more likely the trigger for flying asthma.
- Take a bath after running. This can reduce seasonal allergens in your home. In addition, you can also reduce allergens by directly brushing your shoes and putting dirty running clothes in a laundry basket that is not in the room. A warm bath can provide good moisture to the air after running with asthma.
- Run after rain. Rain cleanses the air of many triggers such as pollen and dust.
- Consider a protective mask. Using an allergen protective mask when running can reduce exposure to trigger asthma.
