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Verified By Apollo General Physician January 25, 2021
Asthma is a health condition that leads to inflammation and narrowing of the airways. If you or anyone else in the family has asthma, you probably know how the changing seasons can affect the symptoms. The winter season is no exception. With the temperatures, dipping below normal, cold-induced asthma can make your symptoms worse. Sometimes the symptoms become so severe that even going out or doing light exercises can make breathing difficult, followed by wheezing and coughing.
In people who have asthma, the airways tend to get inflamed when subjected to specific triggers. When the airways swell, they get narrow; and it becomes hard to inhale air properly. It is the reason why people who have asthma often face issues while breathing, and the winter season aggravates the situation even more. According to a study (2014), admissions to healthcare facilities due to asthma increase manifold during the winter season
Exposure to cold weather causes cold air to be inhaled into the airways. It increases the chances of a possible asthma attack.
There are several reasons why cold air can be troublesome for people with asthma.
A layer of fluid lines your air passages. So, when you inhale cold and dry air, the lining tends to volatilize faster than inhaling air at room temperature. It is easy for dry air passages to get inflamed and irritated, making asthma symptoms worse.
Cold air can provoke histamine production. It is a chemical your body makes in response to an allergen attack. This chemical can cause wheezing and worsening of asthma symptoms.
The mucus layer that lines airways to remove allergens and other pollutants from the inhaled air. During the winter season, your body happens to secrete more mucus than average. It might make you more susceptible to cold, cough, and other infections.
During winters, cold, cough, fever, and other respiratory conditions are quite common. These illnesses can act as triggers for an asthma attack.
When you spend more time indoors during cold weather, you are more prone to allergies caused by indoor allergens, including dirt, dust, pet dander, mold, among others. These allergens can also induce symptoms of asthma.
Make sure to pay a visit to your doctor if your asthma symptoms tend to worsen.
Apart from cold air, there are many other triggers for inducing an asthma attack. It includes the following:
Following are the telltale signs of an asthma attack:
Follow the instructions given in your asthma action plan as soon as you experience any of the symptoms mentioned above. In case your symptoms are severe, and you cannot even breathe or talk properly, take your emergency medications, and call your doctor right away.
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When it comes to managing winter-induced asthma, we should take into account many factors, including environmental and genetic. Here is how you can manage and avoid getting asthma attacks:
Inhaling a pollutant or being near a possible trigger can irritate your airways and cause an asthma attack. The best thing to do here is to identify those triggers and avoid them as much as you can.
An efficient air-filtration system clears the air inside your home and eliminates pollutants and asthma triggers, including pollen, molds, smoke, dust, dirt, and mites, among others. As per the ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers), air filtration units with particulate filters can clean up to 99.97% allergens. Therefore, you should consider installing one and let it work with other systems at your home so that you can enjoy clean air and keep asthma at bay.
Humidifiers are designed to increase the level of moisture in the air by discharging water vapor. In many asthma sufferers, increasing the moisture content in the air can help in easing the symptoms. However, make sure to use a humidifier very carefully, or else the symptoms could worsen due to too high a moisture content in the air. According to the AAAI (American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology), the ideal range of humidity should be 30% to 45%.
There are two categories of asthma medications – medications to take in the long run and regularly and instant-relief drugs for fast relief. Asthma medications are available in the following forms:
Other preventive asthma medications include:
According to the American Lung Association, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and other noted asthma experts, it is highly advisable to work with your healthcare provider and get an asthma action plan. It will help you manage asthma properly and effectively.
A typical asthma action plan is a document wherein you can feed all crucial and relevant information about your condition. It includes information such as the medications you take daily, emergency pills you should keep handy, your symptoms, and how you can control them.
It is essential to undergo a lung function test to understand if your medications are working correctly or not. For this, you can get a device (handheld) known as a peak flow meter. It will help you monitor the volume of air that flows from your lungs. With this device’s help, you can find out if there is a narrowing in the air passage even before experiencing any signs or symptoms. You can take readings and compare the peak flow at different time intervals to identify the following:
If you have asthma, keep your asthma action plan within easy reach and stick to it. Also, as cold weather is likely to induce asthma, take the necessary precautions and medications on time.
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July 7, 2023
