Prevent Exercise Induced Asthma

Exercise and asthmatic symptoms for many asthma sufferers cannot be separated. All types of exertion such as playing sport, exercising or even brisk walking or running can trigger asthma. The medical community has even coined the name Exercise Induced Asthma to describe it.

Exercise is very important for everybody especially asthmatics. Sufferers will often find that their asthma is often improved when they are regularly undertaking exercise.
When partaking in exercise, carbon dioxide levels increase along with hydrogen ions which stimulates your breathing rate to expel the excess CO2. It is not a lack of oxygen that creates the increase in breathing rate rather the increase in CO2. When CO2 levels decrease so does the breathing rate. It's normal for this chain of events to occur, more oxygen is required by our muscles during exercise. But this is when many asthmatic sufferers experience problems. Problems occur because often breathing becomes out of control and hyperventilation can easily occur.

The reason why you will experience an asthma attack whilst exercising is because you are hyperventilating. Therefore the key is to control your breathing, more specifically control your carbon dioxide levels.

It 's a good idea to important to warm up your breathing before you exercise and gradually build up intensity. Let your body build up carbon dioxide levels slowly and don't go all out from the start will ensure you don't have an asthma attack when exercising.

The Second Wind

Asthma sufferers won't have high levels of carbon dioxide within their lungs to cope for very long exercising. Because their levels are so low to begin, when their level of CO2 is further decreased as in when over-breathing and expelling it, the lungs will start to narrow in defence.
If they can go through the first stages of exercise, your body will start to produce and store more CO2 and consequently open up your airways. The Second Windas it is often called. That is when about 15 minutes after beginning exercise, the body is producing enough carbon dioxide to keep airways open allowing for much easier breathing. You can exercise as if you are on steroids, and technically you are and it's your body's natural one.

Another important thing to remember is to breathe through your nose when exercising just as you should at any time. The nose is acts like a filter and an air-con for your lungs and makes hyperventilation much harder.