The winter season can be difficult for those with asthma. The colder weather can make it hard for you to breathe and make it even harder for you to control your asthma effectively.
How Does the Winter Season Affect My Asthma?
The winter season can trigger your asthma in a variety of ways, including:
Cold Air
This is a common trigger for some of those with asthma. You may notice as the temperature drops, your asthma symptoms may worsen. This is caused by the cold, dry air, which irritates your airways. It can cause you to produce more mucus, causing your asthma to worsen.
To help protect yourself from the cold air, consider wearing a scarf to cover your mouth to protect your airways while venturing outside.
Chest Infections
A chest infection, such as bronchitis or pneumonia, can worsen asthma symptoms since these infections cause inflammation of your airways. Bronchitis is caused by a virus, and pneumonia is caused by bacteria. Both of these common chest infections can be spread to you through another person coughing or sneezing.
Cold and Flu
Colds and flu are primary winter triggers for those with asthma. In addition to taking your inhaler as prescribed, we recommend that you take preventive measures to protect yourself against cold and flu.
Be sure to wash your hands often, stay away from crowded places or people with a cold or the flu, and get your flu vaccine. You will also want to keep your hands away from your face to prevent spreading a virus or bacteria through your eyes or mouth.
More Tips for Staying Safe with Asthma This Winter
In addition to the steps outlined above, we also recommend:
Using a Humidifier
Having the heat on indoors can cause the air to become dry, which can make breathing difficult. A humidifier introduces moisture back into the air to help create a more comfortable environment.
Exercising Indoors
Even those without asthma can experience shortness of breath while exercising outside in the cold. Rather than risk aggravating your asthma symptoms, consider working out indoors at home or taking a fitness class at your local gym.
Creating a Plan In Case You Get Sick
Before cold and flu season takes hold this winter, be sure to speak with your doctor at Allergy & Clinical to create a plan for handling your asthma symptoms if you get sick. This will help give you instructions on what you will need to do before you begin to experience more severe symptoms.
Contact Allergy & Clinical today to learn more about navigating the winter season with asthma.