What is Asthma?
Asthma is a chronic condition in which airways in the lung become narrow due to inflammation and tightening of muscle, affecting both children and adults. The common symptoms of asthma, include coughing, wheezing sounds, tightness of the chest, and shortness of breath, which are intermittent worsening during night or exercise. Asthma can be triggered by viral infections such as cold, pollen and dust, perfumes, smoke, fumes, animal fur, and feathers.
What are the signs of asthma?
There are three signs of Asthma;
- During normal breathing muscles of the airway are relaxed and air moves freely while during asthma airway muscle tightens making it harder for the air to pass through.
- Inflammation of bronchial tubes in the lungs during asthma can cause serious damage.
- Slight triggers can cause airway irritability in asthma due to the sensitivity of airways tending to overreact and become narrow.
Photo:Google Image |
Cold air can easily trigger asthma due to the sensitivity of bronchial tubes. Cold air especially when it is dry, can irritate the airways and cause symptoms like cough, wheezing, and shortness of breath. To keep themselves safe from the worst situation, asthma patients are highly recommended to keep themselves warm by wearing warm coats, scarves, hats, and gloves to reduce the risk of asthma flares. It will help you to cover your mouth and nose to avoid the risk of airway irritability due to inhalation of cold air. It’s important for patients with asthma that they breathe through the nose instead of their mouth during cold temperatures to avoid rushing air into their lungs. During breathing via the nostrils, the air gets warmth due to structures in the nose. This warm air is less irritable to the lungs as compared to cold air which is a direct trigger of asthma. It’s imperative to visit your healthcare provider during cold weather to schedule an asthma management plan. Routine checkups will help not only to monitor your treatment plan but will better help you control asthma during winter times.
| Photo: Google Image |
