A deep breath of cold winter air can be risky for
people with asthma, bronchitis, or COPD. It can trigger wheezing, coughing, and
shortness of breath. It can irritate the airways, causing the upper airways to
narrow and making it a little harder to breathe even in healthy individuals.
1. Get your drugs titrated: Work with your doctor in advance to optimize
medications for the winter months. Patients with asthma who are sensitive to
cold air may be asked to use an inhaler; short-acting bronchodilator
2. Moist your nose: A dry nose generally feels like a congested nose,
which results in mouth breathing. Regular use of a nasal saline spray help
decrease the sense of nasal congestion, which will decrease mouth breathing.
3. Cover your nose and mouth: with a scarf when
you're outside. It reduces symptoms by warming the face, warming the air you
breathe, and increasing the moisture in the air you breathe
4. Stay indoors: People with respiratory conditions should avoid
spending time in the cold whenever possible
5. Avoid exercising in cold as it will
further increase the dryness of the airways and potentially increase symptoms
or the risk of an asthma attack. The need to move your exercise routine indoors
during the winter months is a good opportunity to take an exercise class at a
gym, start a home workout program, or join a walking club at a local mall.
6. Adjust the indoor air: Keep the air
warm and moist. Don't let the indoor air temperature fall below 64 degree F and
use a humidifier to keep the air from becoming too dry.
7. Avoid lung irritants like
wood-burning fireplaces
8. Take annual flu shot
9. Complete your pneumonia vaccine protocol
10.
Make sure you do not miss heart symptoms as lung symptoms, as both are
common in winter.
Dr KK Aggarwal
Padma Shri
Awardee
President Confederation of Medical
Associations in Asia and Oceania (CMAAO)
Group
Editor-in-Chief IJCP Publications
President Heart
Care Foundation of India
Past National President
IMA
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