Exercise and Asthma
Asthmatics often have a problem with exercise because they either lack stamina and need to slow down or stop sooner than they would like, or they develop breathing difficulties. Why does this happen?
Since at least 1968 it has been well-documented that people who have asthma breathe more air each minute than is considered normal, and this elevated breathing pattern continues when the person sleeps, watches television, and of course while exercising.
During exercise, everyone has to breathe more air, but if you are already breathing more than you really need to before you even start, then the extra burden will cause more problems than usual.
Part of the problem is that while breathing too much air, additional pollen, dust and pollutants are also inhaled. The airways try to restrict the intake of these irritants by narrowing the airways, which makes the breathing muscles work harder to provide sufficient gas exchange for the desired level of activity, creating fatigue sooner rather than later.
The other major part of the problem is that an excessive breathing pattern creates an abnormally high rate of cooling and drying of the airways. Airways function best when they are warm and moist, and so they react in a negative way to this excessive breathing.
To compensate for the drying out, airways increase mucus production, and in an effort to slow down the flow of air, the inner airway lining swells and the outer smooth muscle tightens. These are symptoms of asthma, but instead of recognising that breathing too much air is causing the problem, the person usually just takes a puff of their reliever and continues to breathe badly. The more you breathe the more short of breath and the tighter the airways become…
You seldom see animals with asthma, and you also seldom see them breathing through their mouth, even when they are exercising. So take a leaf out of their book and go a little slower so that you do not become excessively short of breath. By following this rule you will build fitness without distressing yourself. Copy of article by Jenny Stark www.buteykoworks.com
Asthmatics can exercise!
