Coming cold weather could trigger asthma symptoms
Colder weather is on the way, and cold air can be an asthma trigger.
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) offers tips on managing asthma symptoms during cold weather, including:
- Wear a scarf or face mask over your mouth and nose when outside in cold temperatures. This will help warm and humidify the air you breathe.
- Choose indoor activities when the outdoor weather is cold. Yoga, basketball, volleyball, indoor swimming, and martial arts are some good choices to prevent exposure to cold, dry air.
- Carry the asthma inhaler that you use to treat symptoms with you everywhere you go. Keep it accessible before, during, and after exercise.
When you breathe in dry, cold air, your airways start to narrow, making it hard to breathe. Cold air can especially affect your airways when you are doing physical activities that make you breathe through your mouth. When you breathe through your mouth, the cold air can’t be warmed by your nose first before moving to your lungs. This may cause an asthma attack.
Our full list of cold-weather-related asthma triggers and tips for managing asthma in colder weather is here.
For more weather coverage, click here.
