Home  Asthma Questions and answers about asthma Asthma and exercise
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| Is it good for people with asthma to exercise? | Yes. Even though physical exercise is a common trigger of asthma symptoms, it is just as important for people with asthma to exercise as for anyone else. Keep in mind that it takes time to get in shape and you lose it quickly when you stop exercising regularly.
With the right medication, most people will be able to do some kind of physical exercise, many will feel no restrictions, and some will only react to running or exercise in combination with other triggers. |
| Exercise is good for you. So why can it cause asthma symptoms? |
Exercise is good for you, but sometimes it can cause asthma symptoms – particularly if your asthma is not well controlled.
Normally, the airways are moist and warm, but during exercise, they are exposed to large amounts of dry, cool air as you breathe more rapidly or deeply. This can irritate the already sensitive lining of the airways and cause asthma symptoms or trigger an asthma attack.
This is called exercise-induced asthma |
| How do I know if I have exercise-induced asthma? |
The common symptoms of exercise-induced asthma are: -
Wheezing
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Abnormal shortness of breath
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Tightness in the chest
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Coughing
Your may have just one of these symptoms or a combination of them.
Treatment with a airway opener/reliever medicine like a fast-acting bronchodilator should have immediate effect on one or more of the symptoms; otherwise other reasons for the symptoms should be discussed with your doctor. |
| How can I avoid exercise-induced asthma? |
The best way to prevent and avoid exercise-induced asthma is to see that your asthma is properly controlled and, if needed, that you take extra medication before exercising. A good warm-up also reduces the risk of exercise-induced asthma.
Anti-inflammatory treatment (the best is inhaled corticosteroids) taken every day will prevent exercise-induced asthma in many people. But some will need to add a airway opener/bronchodilator before the exercise. Many people with asthma should have daily treatment with both inhaled corticosteroids and a long-acting reliever/bronchodilator. This so-called combination medication is now available in many countries.
Particular types of exercise, such as running and jogging, are more likely to expose the airways to dry air and trigger asthma, while less vigorous activities, like swimming and yoga, are less likely to cause these symptoms. |
| Are some kind of physical activities more suitable for people with asthma? |
The most important thing is that the exercise you do is fun; otherwise it’s easy to skip it. Make sure to warm up first, since that reduces the risk of exercise-induced asthma.
Aerobics is one effective method; this means that you train in sessions with varying intensity. The purpose of aerobics is to develop your breathing and heart capacity. If you start by warming up with light jogging, you can, for example, increase the intensity for a couple of minutes, slow down again and then increase the speed once more.
Indoor swimming is also thought to be good, since you exercise in a controlled temperature and in a humid environment. Try aerobics here as well by increasing and decreasing your swimming speed.
Keep in mind that you’ll always get the best effect from your exercise if you do something that you enjoy. It’s important to find the exercise that suits you! |
| How intensively do I dare to exercise? |
Your training program should help you get in better shape gradually. Remember that it takes time to get in shape. A rule of thumb is that you should feel fine after every training session. It is therefore important that you do not try to do too much at once, so “hurry slowly”. You should not feel totally exhausted for a couple of hours after every training session.
If you often get asthma symptoms when you exercise intensively, it could be a signal that you are not taking enough medication or that your asthma doesn’t allow such intensive exercise. Talk to your doctor about optimizing the therapy. |
| I often feel my asthma when I jog. Do I have to quit jogging? | | Absolutely not! Very often it can be enough if you prepare yourself for your jogging somewhat differently. There are two things you should remember: first, take your airway opener medication about 15 minutes before you get started. Second, warm up properly before you give it full steam. |
| What should I do if I get asthma symptoms while exercising? | Make sure that you always carries a quick-relief airway opener medicine.
If exercising often causes asthma symptoms, your may need to take a better preventive medication, or to avoid this particular kind of exercise. |
| Can I take asthma medications and still take part in competitive sports? |
Yes. Most of the commonly prescribed asthma medicines are allowed in competitive sports. Generally the use of inhaled anti-inflammatory medicines and bronchodilators are allowed, but corticosteroids in tablet, syrup, suppository or injectable form are banned.
Check with your doctor or the national sports associations – especially if competing internationally – to be sure that your medication doesn’t violate any doping rules.
In some cases, you may need a certificate from the doctor about the need for asthma medication. |
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