My niece, who has exercise-induced asthma, stays with me a lot during the summer. We enjoy going out a lot to playgrounds and parks to jump, climb, skip, and run. These activities are all typical of an American childhood, but not for everyone.
Studies have shown that as many as 15% of American children have breathing problems to some degree that can make exercising difficult for them. Many children suffer with asthma, which can make it hard for them to breathe since it is a chronic condition that causes the lungs airways to become swollen and narrow then fill with mucous. For anyone suffering with asthma, or any other chronic breathing condition, it can be uncomfortable to participate in sports or any other physical activity.
Luckily, having asthma doesn’t mean you can’t play sports. As you exercise, your heart rate increases and you began breathing faster so your lungs are able to send oxygen to your body’s muscles. As you breathe faster, you are more likely to breathe through your mouth rather than your nose. This causes the air going into your lungs to be cool and dry, thus making the air passages strict. This will trigger symptoms of asthma. Typically, asthma symptoms will begin showing up between 5 to 20 minutes after beginning your exercise. They may become worse shortly after exercising.
There are some ways you can help prevent asthma that is exercise-induced, though. To help prevent your asthma from flaring up, never exercise when it is cold. Wrap a scarf around your face to help keep moisture and heat in. Before you begin exercising, take a couple puffs of your inhaler. Can stabilize your four start vigorous exercising by doing a warm-up routine for 6 to 10 minutes. Most importantly, keep yourself hydrated. One of the worst things you can do is allow your body to become dehydrated, especially if you suffer with asthma.
As you can see, it is still feasible to work out with exercise-induced asthma. Just take the few extra steps needed to keep yourself breathing well.