Today, more and more people want to know if exercise helps in preventing asthma. This issue has received increased attention because of the global presence of asthma and its increasing severity. Efforts are on to understand the relationship between exercise and asthma. Research indicates that a shift from an active lifestyle technology driven and sedentary lifestyle of today is one of the culprits for the rising number of asthma cases around the world. Sedentary lifestyles are also associated with obesity, which is one of the risk factors that can trigger asthma.
What To Do
Asthma, being a non-preventable and non-curable disease, there are no chronic or routine exercise regimens that can prevent asthma. However, general exercise has proven to be beneficial effects for the body’s health. So, it is a good idea to incorporate exercise into your daily routine. Exercising increases the breathing and respiratory ability of asthma sufferers. It also enhances the quality of their lives. Regular exercise may even decrease our dependence on medication. Exercise helps by stretching the bronchial tubes and lungs, which in turn results in reduced resistance to breathing. In asthma patients, the bronchial tubes may become inflamed but the beneficial effects of exercise may put off attacks.
Lack of exercise contributes to obesity of a person. Obesity is one of the causes of asthma. It is a good idea to include brisk walking, light jogging and swimming in your daily routine if you suffer from asthma. Taking up exercising is a great way to burn calories and stay in shape. However, vigorous aerobic exercises may trigger asthma attacks because the body strains to get oxygen to carry out these kinds of exercises. This phenomenon is called exercise-induced asthma, when exercise itself triggers an asthma attack.
Strenuous exercises are harmful to the lungs and bodies of asthma patients. Strenuous physical activities result in coughing, chest tightening and wheezing in asthma patients. Such asthma attacks can be prevented by using inhalers before starting exercise. Medical advancements have made it possible for asthma sufferers to enjoy an active lifestyle by participating in all kinds of sports.
You may want to consider adopting certain breathing exercises such as pranayam, a type of yoga, and buteyko - a form of Russian breathing. These exercises require minimal amounts of effort and exertion and help the patient gain control over their respiratory muscles. Deep breathing and relaxation techniques also help in correcting breathing patterns.
Exercises are simple methods that you can use to control the onset of asthma attacks.