Exercise can be essential to managing asthma symptoms, but too much may trigger flare ups. Luckily, there are certain forms of physical activity which are less taxing on the lungs.
Cycling regularly can help build lung strength and endurance; however, certain forms of cycling could aggravate existing conditions.
Medications
As with any exercise regimen, taking medications daily to keep asthma symptoms under control and protect your overall health is also key in order to preventing long-term damage to lungs.
Some athletes, even highly trained professional cyclists, can still experience Exercise-induced asthma (EIA). This condition is typically brought on by sudden inhalations and high ventilation rates associated with demanding sports such as cycling; or by mouth breathing allowing cold air into lower lungs without first passing through nose. EIA is particularly common among endurance athletes such as swimmers, cross-country skiers and runners.
To combat EIA, try exercising in short bursts rather than long continuous activities like running. This can help warm the air more effectively, providing relief for symptoms. Furthermore, avoid outdoor exercise on days with poor air quality and high pollen counts; swimming or bike riding indoors could provide better alternatives.
Avoiding Asthma-Inducing Exercises
Asthmatics who exercise can find certain forms of physical activity trigger their symptoms. Usually this happens during vigorous or extended exercise and can last 10-15 minutes after stopping exercising – this includes wheezing, tightness in chest or coughing.
These symptoms are known as exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) or exercise-induced asthma, though this name can give people the wrong impression that exercise causes asthma. However, in fact it does not.
EIB occurs when breathing cold, dry air triggers a bronchoconstriction reaction in the lungs. This often results in mouth breathing and exposure to low temperatures when working out outdoors – particularly at lower temperatures than average. Athletes and endurance athletes involved in prolonged exercise or high intensity exertion such as cycling or cross country skiing often use asthma medication in response. Kent University School of Sport & Exercise Sciences’ John Dickinson has reported that up to half of elite cross country skiers and Paula Radcliffe suffer from EIA symptoms.
Keeping a Close Eye on Your Lungs
Every time you inhale, your lungs work hard to supply your body with oxygen – but asthma can interfere with this process and make breathing harder than usual, leading to wheezing, coughing, chest tightening or other respiratory symptoms.
High-intensity exercises and sports can sometimes trigger asthma in individuals who already suffer from this lung condition. Examples of such exercises and sports include long distance running, basketball and soccer that require sustained activity over an extended period of time, etc.
Following Simon Yates’ revelations about using terbutaline for banned substances, asthma and endurance athletes have become a hot topic of conversation. Cycling Weekly collaborated with John Dickinson, an exercise sciences expert from Kent University, to assess two endurance riders from our ranks: art editor Dan Baines and photographer Dan Gould.
Staying Hydrated
Hydrating is of particular importance on longer rides. Your body can lose liters of fluid through sweat, which must be replaced for peak performance. Without enough fluid replacements in your system, performance declines considerably.
Exercising during extreme heat or cold, or when air pollution or pollen counts are high can trigger asthma symptoms. When exercising outdoors, wear a mask or scarf over your mouth and nose to block out pollution and pollen particles.
Rigorous physical activity such as cycling, running and swimming can trigger exercise-induced asthma (EIA), whereby your lungs tighten during exertion. Symptoms usually appear within minutes of beginning exercise and last up to 30 minutes post workout; worsened by cold air, perfumes/cleaners/fumes from paint/new equipment fumes as well as cold temperatures or being exposed to someone with respiratory infections such as colds/flu. EIA can only be prevented using short-acting bronchodilators prior to exercising in conjunction with your action plan for controlling asthma.https://www.youtube.com/embed/ozedxUQNYsI