Exercise-Induced Asthma

One of the potential problems asthmatics encounter during exercise is exercise-induced asthma (EIA). As a rule, the harder and faster you breathe, the greater your risk of EIA. EIA feels just like regular asthma except that the symptoms usually occur several minutes after you stop exercising. Preventing EIA is easy: Take two puffs of a beta-agonist, such as albuterol, fifteen minutes before exercise. Cromolyn sodium is another medication used to prevent EIA (taken as two puffs within an hour of exercise). If you'd rather avoid medications, there are several natural remedies that can help prevent EIA, such as vitamin C.

 

Breathing hard and fast is an unavoidable and healthy part of strenuous exercise. What really promotes EIA is not how hard or fast you breathe but the temperature and humidity of the air you're breathing. The lower the temperature and humidity, the greater the risk of EIA. This is why so many asthmatics have trouble in the winter, especially with outdoor sports. Don't despair, because the well-prepared asthmatic can exercise safely, even in the winter.

 

The lungs don't want air that is too cold or dry, forcing them to work extra hard to warm and humidify the air as it enters the body. This rapid exchange of heat and moisture is blamed for triggering bronchoconstriction and causing EIA. This is why smart asthmatics make sure they cover their mouth and nose with a fabric before venturing into the cold. Breathing through fabric causes the material to become warm and moist, thereby preheating and premoisturizing the air before it hits your lungs. This helps the lungs avoid radical shifts in temperature and humidity, thereby lowering the risk of EIA. The role of cold, dry air in EIA was shown in a study that examined the effect of inhaling humidified air at body temperature in asthmatics. According to this study, warming and humidifying the air virtually eliminated EIA.

 

How you cover your mouth and nose depends on what you're doing. If you're going for a simple walk, a scarf works fine. If you're climbing mountains and plan to be in very cold weather for a long time, a balaclava (combination face mask, hat, and neck scarf) is probably best. Wool and fleece are the most winter-friendly fabrics, because they retain heat even when wet. Cotton is not recommended, as it tends to freeze and rob your body of heat when moist. This same technique works indoors if you happen to be very sensitive to exercise. The only potential problem with covering your face indoors is that you run the risk of overheating. During exercise, you lose a tremendous amount of heat from the lungs, neck, and head. Not allowing excess heat to escape can limit your performance and may even cause heat exhaustion. So, if you're going to cover your face indoors, use a small face mask that covers no more than your mouth and nose, and dress a bit lighter than usual to help prevent you from getting too hot.

 

If you've done all the right things but are still having EIA trouble, try moving your exercise indoors. For most asthmatics, this should help; however, there will be a small percentage of people who are very susceptible to EIA no matter what they do. For these individuals, I recommend swimming in an indoor, heated pool, one of the safest and best-tolerated exercises for asthmatics. Besides being in a warm and humid, lung-friendly environment, swimming is an exercise that anyone can do regardless of their fitness level. Swimming is one of the best all-around exercises, combining aerobic and anaerobic conditioning. You can swim as fast or as slow as you want, from a leisurely backstroke to a brisk butterfly. You don't even have to swim to exercise in a pool. Most fitness clubs offer a range of water aerobics classes that cater to everyone, from recovering couch potato Olympic hopeful. Even people with severe medical problems or disabilities can exercise safely in a pool.

 

Are there any sports in which asthmatics should not participate? The only sport I wouldn't recommend is scuba diving, because there is evidence that asthmatics and people with EIA are at greater risk of diving-related barotrauma, a type of lung injury caused by rapid changes in lung pressure.