Asthma Symptoms To Watch Out for During Winter Season

While for some people, winters are synonymous with hot chocolate, snow, and getting wrapped in cosy blankets, for others, it is about the winter air that triggers their asthma.

Here’s what you need to know:

• What is asthma?
• Asthma symptoms to watch out for
• Safety precautions to handle asthma

What is asthma?

Asthma is a chronic long-term illness in which the airways that carry oxygen to your lungs produce excess mucus. The airways narrow and swell, making breathing difficult. An asthma attack can be triggered when you breathe in irritants, dust particles, pollutants, pollen or smoke.

Asthma symptoms to watch out for

Changes in weather have an enormous impact on asthma. The winter season can prove to be potentially dangerous for this illness. The dryness in the cold air tends to aggravate breathing problems. Cold air is very challenging for people with asthma as it can flare up sinusitis, can lead to a cold or flu which further thickens the mucus in bronchial tubes, making it hard to breathe.

The signs of an asthma attack to watch out for this winter season include:

1. Breathlessness

Rapid breathing or being short of breath is the first sign of an asthma attack. When the airways are inflamed and narrow, it hampers the transportation of the required amount of oxygen to the lungs, causing breathlessness.

2. Coughing

Issues such as coughing follow suit. The aforementioned micro-particles that are inhaled, irritate the bronchial tubes, causing inflammation. Although coughing is not common in all asthma patients, it is, however, dangerous in patients diagnosed with acute respiratory problems.

3. Wheezing

Cold air can cause the muscles around the airways to clamp down. This makes it harder for air to pass through. As a result, a wheezing sound is produced when you are unable to inhale the right amount of oxygen.

4. Tightness in the chest

The irritants that enter your body stimulate nerves that signal the brain to make the muscles in the chest and abdomen expel air from the lungs with a cough. Tightness in the chest occurs when you are unable to breathe properly.

Safety precautions to handle asthma

Take a look at ways you can handle asthma during winters:

• Wear a scarf and use it to warm the air you are breathing
• When you approach the first asthma symptom, use a short-acting albuterol inhaler
• Instead of exercising outdoors, try working out at home or in a gym
• Keep your hands away from your face to avoid the spread of germs
• If pet dander triggers your allergies, then limit your time with them
• Clean and replace filters in your heating and cooling air ducts
• Keep dust mite-proof pillows and mattresses in your bedding
• Using nasal sprays can help moisten dried out nasal passages
• Keep your house cool and dry to keep off mold and dust mites
• Ensure you have prescriptions for all your asthma medications

In case the situation gets out of control, visit your doctor immediately. You can use our Asthma Control Questionnaire to help you check if your asthma is safely under control or requires treatment. For more information on fitness and nutrition, visit the Activ Living Page.