Blog post written by Sonali Bose, MD MPH, Assistant Professor, Medicine, Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine Division, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
The show is not over yet. If you are like me and spent all summer long mesmerized by the limitless abilities of the summer Olympic athletes, prepare to keep your jaws open, as age-defying tennis stars are about to play their best games at the U.S. Open this fall. While these super-humans are constantly trying to outdo their opponents by a blink of a point, for many of these athletes–for example, four-time French Open champion Justine Henin–their toughest competition is not the player across the net: it is asthma. Other Olympic gold medalists, such as track-and-field star Jackie Joyner-Kersee and swimmer Amy Van Dyken, battled significant asthma symptoms throughout their professional careers. In fact, asthma affects 1 in 12 Olympians, making it the most common chronic illness among these competitive athletes. But having asthma doesn’t stop them from achieving their goals, and it shouldn’t stop you.
In fact, participating in regular exercise and sports activities is actually encouraged for people with asthma, and keeping active has many benefits for our bodies, as well as our minds. If your asthma is well controlled, exercising or playing sports (even competitively) may not give you any problems at all. However, for some people, participating in sports itself can trigger asthma symptoms such as wheezing, tightness in the chest, or shortness of breath, and can result in “exercise-induced broncho-constriction” which is the narrowing of your airways that occurs during exercise and makes it harder to breathe.
Luckily, here are a few simple recommendations that can help prevent or alleviate your symptoms:
- Warm up! This is good advice for anyone doing physical activity and it prepares your body to be active without causing an injury. If you have asthma, a gentle warm up to activate the muscles in your upper body and chest can get you ready for the extra breathing you are about to do.
- Stay ahead of the curve: If you sometimes need to take your rescue inhaler for your asthma (such as a short-acting beta-2-agonist inhaler) when you exercise, you might consider taking it 15-20 minutes before you start working out, instead of waiting for symptoms to slow you down or make you stop mid-game.
- Avoid your usual triggers: When you exercise, you breathe in more air per minute than you would while you are at rest. As a result, you might inhale higher amounts of allergens, pollution, or other airborne particles that you are sensitive towards. Avoid participating in activities that brings you into environments that expose you to these agents.
- Avoid extremes: For many asthmatics, cold, dry air can trigger the airways to constrict, leading to more respiratory symptoms. If you have to exercise outdoors, play winter sports such as ice hockey, or ski/snowboard, consider using a scarf or mask to prevent the cold air from directly entering your mouth before it has a chance to be warmed up by your nose. Alternatively, swimming in warm, moist environments, may be better tolerated. Controlled, paced activities such as walking and biking are also recommended.
- Know your body: If you are not feeling well or your asthma symptoms during exercise are not responding well to treatment, be sure to talk to your doctor. He/she will work with you to help you tolerate as much exercise as you would like to do.
Watching the amazing athletes perform in the U.S. Open is incredibly inspiring and is a great reminder that nothing, not even asthma, should stand in your way of being your best, on the court or off.