Jun

24

Exercise Induced Asthma

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A small percent of people experience asthma symptoms like coughing, difficulty breathing, wheezing and tightness of the chest after working out. Exercise induced asthma can even be found in professional athletes and usually does not hinder performance as the symptoms usually occur shortly after exercising. Obviously people who suffer from asthma or breathing problems should avoid working out outdoors when pollution or pollen levels are high making breathing difficult. It is also important to consume plenty of water both during and after exercising. You may also want to change the type of exercises you are performing as some people find activities like swimming cause fewer attacks. This is due to the fact that changes in humidity and temperature are thought to play a major part in exercise induced asthma. Normally air passes through the nose which acts as a natural humidifier but during exercise air passes through the mouth.

Exercise Induced Asthma Tips

  • Possible Medications: beta agonist, corticosteroids and mast cell stabilizers. There are a variety of medications available your doctor will help select one that best fits your needs.
  • Be sure you have your medications with you.
  • Warm up in cycles,  some people experience some exercise induced allergy symptoms after warming up but will be symptom free initially after exercising. Warming up may prevent the lungs from being overwhelmed from temperature changes in the air.
  • Avoid weather extremes, both extreme cold and heat can be problems.
  • Swimming seems to cause fewer asthma attacks.
  • Sports that require long periods of strenuous exercise may need to be modified.
  • One study at the University of Indiana found that caffeine reduced exercise induced asthma.
  • Under no circumstances should you resume exercise while experiencing asthma symptoms.
  • Its a good idea to wear a asthma-allergy alert bracelet and have a emergency plan in place if medication fails to relieve asthma symptoms.

Other Exercise Induced Allergies

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Diagnosing exercise induced asthma is done with a breathing test, where breathing is measured at rest and following vigorous exercise. If there is a noticeable difference in air speed when breathing out after exercising than you may be experiencing exercise induced asthma.

If you experience any symptoms during or after exercise its very important to consult a doctor. Not only could they be symptoms of a serious illness but ignoring them may derail your exercise program. Many athletes have suffered from exercise induced asthma but with the help of medication they are still able to compete at a professional level.