Home Lung and airwaysAsthma Is it OK to exercise if you have asthma?

Is it OK to exercise if you have asthma?

by Alivia Nyhan
Published: Last Updated on

Many people suffer from this respiratory disease, asthma, and if you have been diagnosed with this ailment or someone around you, it is normal that you have many doubts about its degree of affectation in daily life and if you can carry a normal day to day .

One of the most common questions we ask ourselves when this disease is detected is its impact on our physical activity; if I have asthma, can I exercise? How can it affect us and to what degree can we normalize it when we have a respiratory problem? To solve these doubts, in this FastlyHealarticle, we will find out if you can exercise if you have asthma.

What is asthma?

We call asthma a chronic disease that affects the respiratory system through swelling or inflammation of the airways that hinder the normal respiratory circuit and create difficulties in performing this basic action.

Asthma is increasingly common in industrialized societies, due to the fact that the quality of the air we breathe is increasingly deteriorating and there is an accumulation of elements of pollution that can directly affect our respiratory tract creating allergic reactions , generating respiratory difficulties and various ailments.

When the symptoms of this ailment appear, we speak of asthmatic attacks and they can be perceived in different ways. When they appear due to obstruction of the bronchi, we can hear a hiss or beep, perceive signs of exhaustion and suffocation in the person who suffers from it. An asthmatic attack can occur due to inflammation, usually due to allergy, in these episodes the tissues of the respiratory zone become inflamed, generating more mucus and coughing. It can also happen that the bronchial tubes are narrowed and difficulty in breathing leads to drowning.

As can be concluded from these attacks or crises, breathing difficulties are evident and make normal life difficult for people who suffer from this chronic disease. For this reason, it is important that if it is believed that you may have asthma or it is known that you have this disease, a doctor is consulted and the appropriate pharmacological treatments are carried out for each case.

If I have asthma, can I exercise?

The answer to this question is yes. Yes, you can play sports if you have asthma and it can even be beneficial for your health and for your disease if you do the right exercises for you. Many current elite athletes, even Olympic winners, suffer from this disease, but with the proper controls, pharmacological help and taking into account certain aspects to carry out the practice they can do it without problems.

In addition, doing sports increases lung capacity, which can be a help for your case and to start improving your physical condition.

Next, we present a list of certain elements that you should take into account before doing sports or during the performance in the case of asthma, so you can ensure that the performance will be beneficial and safe in your case:

  • The first thing you should do if you want to practice sports is to consult your doctor about your situation and allow yourself to be recommended by an expert. Depending on your situation and the causes that generate your asthmatic attacks, it will be more advisable to perform one type of exercise or another. For example, if you suffer from asthma due to allergies, it is most likely that you would recommend doing indoor sports or swimming to avoid contact with allergens.
  • Another aspect to take into account is to take into account your personal needs and practice sports in a safe and gradual way , that is, start by performing gentle exercises, in short periods of time and gradually increasing the difficulty, intensity and time of realization as your pulmonary and respiratory capacities adapt to the practice of sport.
  • Another element that you should not forget if you suffer from asthmatic attacks is having with you the necessary drugs or elements that can help you in the event of a respiratory crisis. Normally, emergency bronchodilator drugs are used, which when they pass through the obstructed airways and their medical efficiency is applied, dilate the bronchi and bronchioles allowing air to circulate without difficulty and reach the lungs more directly.
  • If you want to play sports and suffer from asthma, it is important that you do not do it alone, since in the event of an asthmatic attack having people nearby who can help you or facilitate the search for your drugs can be a reason to do it in a calm and safe way. That is, you should try to play sports accompanied by other people and communicate your asthmatic condition and what they should do in case you suffer a crisis.
  • It is also important that you listen and know your own body , that you take into account its limits and respect them. Our body speaks to us and gives us signals when something begins to not work. So, if you notice that you start to cough or hear a small hiss, that you have small breathing difficulties or that your mucus begins to increase, it is important that you respect yourself and stop doing physical activity, since your body is telling you that you are beginning to suffer the consequences of overexertion.
  • You have to bear in mind that it is important to do a good warm-up prior to doing sports, starting with gentle exercises and gradually increasing the pace and difficulty in the same session to prepare the body.
  • Performing breathing correctly is essential for your physical improvement and lung capabilities. Breathing in through the nose allows the air to be filtered from external elements that can cause ailments, in addition to heating the air that enters the respiratory tract and not producing a thermal contrast. Exhaling through the mouth is the best option to perform in moments of effort because it eliminates all the elements that must be expelled more easily. In the following article, we answer the question: “Is it bad to breathe through your mouth?” .

Sports and exercises to improve asthma

Now that we know that it is good to play sports with asthma, we are going to show you some exercises to improve your asthma situation and recommend the best sports for you to practice:

  • The best sport for you to do if you have asthma is swimming , since the aquatic environment increases the humidity of the air and entails the elimination of external elements and pollutants, as well as allergens. In addition, the water does not cause chest pressure, which facilitates the increase in lung capacity.
  • If you like running, the best option is to do relays , since it allows you to make stops to measure your fatigue and your respiratory situation.
  • You can do Pilates or yoga , two sports modalities that do not require excessive cardiovascular effort so that breathing does not accelerate as much.
  • Trekking or walking are other very successful options if your asthma is not caused by allergies, since when doing it in open areas, you can suffer asthmatic attacks.
  • On the other hand, you can incorporate a breathing routine into your day to day, since taking full breaths with holds can help you improve your lung capacity. Inhale filling first the belly and then the lungs, noticing how the ribs widen. You retain air for as long as is comfortable for you, without overdoing it because it would be counterproductive. When you can’t take it anymore, you expire as slowly and continuously as possible. You repeat the process ten times and little by little your lung capacity will increase.

We hope that this FastlyHealarticle has helped you clarify your doubts regarding whether you can exercise if you have asthma and we suggest that you consult with your doctor to ensure that it will be beneficial for your case.

This article is merely informative, at FastlyHeal .com we do not have the power to prescribe medical treatments or make any type of diagnosis. We invite you to see a doctor in the case of presenting any type of condition or discomfort.

If you want to read more articles similar to If I have asthma, can I exercise? , we recommend that you enter our category of Lung and respiratory tract .

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