# cold air excercised induced asthma



## thecanoe (Jan 30, 2007)

When the temps get into the 30's and the air is dry, I suffer from cold air excercised induced asthma. after a short time I get so fatigued it feels like my body is shutting down.
Anyone have any tips for cold temps riding?


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## nov0798 (Nov 27, 2005)

I suffer from the same. An inhaler works for me sometimes. If you can find some way to warm the air prior, that will help.


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## Bill in Houston (Nov 26, 2011)

would a face mask of some kind help warm the air up? i realized you would rebreathe some of the air, but unless you are at max effort, that shouldnt be toooo big of a problem.


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## mudgirl (Jun 19, 2007)

An inhaler works for me during the warmer months, when my EIA is more pollen/mold related, but in the winter months, it doesn't do anything for me. The only thing I've found that helps at all is what Bill suggested: wear a balaclava or scarf or something so that I'm breathing in warm air instead of cold air.


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## BrokenBones (Feb 4, 2005)

I suffer the same. All good advice above. What works for me is a huff on the inhaler before starting out, then a long gentle warm-up - as much as several miles or a half hour before pushing too hard. If I push too hard too soon, I'm done, and nothing I do will allow me to recover.


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## Mudmouse (Aug 15, 2007)

I wear a thin buff around my neck that I pull up over my mouth and nose. It's thin enough that it doesn't restrict air flow too badly, and once I'm warmed up I don't seem to need it. I've also used a face mask with openings for breathing. Works well, and doesn't seem to build up as much moisture, but it's mostly over kill for temps in my area.


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## thecanoe (Jan 30, 2007)

I've tried the masked, but they build up a tremendous amount of moisture and are wet for the rest of the ride. Maybe I should try it just during the warmup period. One of my trails has a nice long, 2 mile flat curvey section for a good warmup. Other trails are like being shot out of a cannon. I gave up on those.


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## dan0 (Oct 12, 2005)

I read that a menthol cough drop will take care of it
NOt sure why but while I used to get it alot, it went away on its own and I rarley get it now


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## barrelquest (Apr 2, 2011)

My Dad is a doctor and a runner, both he and i get what he describes as Wheezing in cold weather. What he did was take an expectorant type pill about 20 minutes before a run or event. I recently remembered this and went to the store and talked with a pharmicist who agreed. I bought a small generic thing of pills called mucus relief expectorant. Helps to open up the airways before hand. Alot of times though I just deal with it and chalk it up as something that i live with. Also I have done the mask over my face to breath warm air and that seemed to work. My exercise enduced asthma was really terrible when I first got into running, but progressively has gone away the fitter I got.


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## thecanoe (Jan 30, 2007)

dan0 said:


> I read that a menthol cough drop will take care of it
> NOt sure why but while I used to get it alot, it went away on its own and I rarley get it now


I tried this on this week's ride. It was 43 degrees. With a 20 minute, flat trail warmup and the coughdrop, I was able to ride for 2 and a half hours. Could be a fluke, but tomorrow will be in the 40's again and I'll give it a try again.
I've given up on riding in the 30's


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## tednugent (Apr 16, 2009)

barrelquest said:


> My Dad is a doctor and a runner, both he and i get what he describes as Wheezing in cold weather. What he did was take an expectorant type pill about 20 minutes before a run or event. I recently remembered this and went to the store and talked with a pharmicist who agreed. I bought a small generic thing of pills called mucus relief expectorant. Helps to open up the airways before hand. Alot of times though I just deal with it and chalk it up as something that i live with. Also I have done the mask over my face to breath warm air and that seemed to work. My exercise enduced asthma was really terrible when I first got into running, but progressively has gone away the fitter I got.


So taking some guaifenesin beforehand might work?

I might have to give it a try...

EIA makes riding a recreational hobby for me... I'd love to race, I don't know if my lungs can handle it.


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## tednugent (Apr 16, 2009)

I did ride in the 30's yesterday....

forgot to mention, there is a theory of "too much oxygen" and "not enough carbon dioxide".

So, when we're gasping for air during an attack, that's actually making it worse.

Forcing yourself to slow down the breathing does seem to help. Also means for me, I can't pedal as hard and skipping some of the fun stuff, like jumping logs.


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## dan0 (Oct 12, 2005)

I had a real bad problem 6 or 7 years ago
now its gone, so there is hope. I didnt do anything in particular, just the menthol cough drop trick. it gradually got better and better


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## barrelquest (Apr 2, 2011)

"
So taking some guaifenesin beforehand might work?"


Yeah, I just went and looked at the pills I bought, and they are 100% guaifenesin.

Yesterday I went on my usual 5 mile xc run and it was the coldest yet of the year here, in the 30's during the run. I remembered this thread and decided to take one, I was able to post a pretty good time, 47:00 minutes (my record is 44) and only at the end did i slightly begin a bit of wheezing. Of course I was going all out the last 200-300 yards or so.


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## Rotaphobic (Feb 11, 2007)

*fitness or weight and body composition?*



barrelquest said:


> ...My exercise enduced asthma was really terrible when I first got into running, but progressively has gone away the fitter I got.


As you got fitter were you also losing weight? I used to get asthma on cold mornings but it went away after I either lost weight or got fitter. I think it was the weight though. 10 years ago I lost 50 pounds and had no more issues with asthma. After a recent injury (actually a series of injuries, when it rains it pours) I gained 25 pounds in only a month and a half, so I did not lose any appreciable fitness. I just did not match my much lower activity level that was due to my injuries with the amount of food that I could eat and maintain a steady weight at that activity level.

Anyway, my asthma came back bad. It scared the #$%@# out of me. I thought it might be related to the weight gain so I knocked 15 pounds off in two weeks and the rest in another month. Anyway, as soon as I lost the weight, no more problem with asthma.

Because of my injuries I have been going to the doctor pretty regularly and I talked to him about the asthma and weight gain and loss. He had never heard of any theory that would indicate that weight loss would affect asthma and was very skeptical. I don't know how well read he is about asthma, and I certainly am pretty ignorant about it, but it was interesting that it came and went in such a short time when my weight changed but my fitness and strength did not materially change.


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## koretex (May 15, 2011)

fleece buff and an albuterol inhaler, and I dont ride if the air temp is below freezing


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## paulrb02 (Aug 3, 2009)

Yeah I had the same problem I live on the gulf coast so it usually only effects me for about a month. But my doctor got me an inhaler. 

And I don't have allergies or any other breathing problems.


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## Adroit Rider (Oct 26, 2004)

To echo a few others:
Warm up with breathing exercises. Think yoga type deep breathing with full exhales. Exhale until you feel like you might pass out (careful if driving to trail). 
Use a peak flow meter to accurately gauge your capacity before ride starts. 
Take albuterol before the ride, two puffs, full exhales before inhalation. 
Use HRM and note when a certain effort level triggers asthma.


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## thecanoe (Jan 30, 2007)

Adroit Rider said:


> To echo a few others:
> Warm up with breathing exercises. Think yoga type deep breathing with full exhales. Exhale until you feel like you might pass out (careful if driving to trail).
> Use a peak flow meter to accurately gauge your capacity before ride starts.
> Take albuterol before the ride, two puffs, full exhales before inhalation.
> Use HRM and note when a certain effort level triggers asthma.


What is a Peak Flow Meter?


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## Adroit Rider (Oct 26, 2004)

A peak flow meter is a gauge designed to help you communicate with your medical care professional. An asthma attack is subjective and hard to explain. The peak flow meter establishes a healthy reading when your breathing is efficient and provides a diagnostic measurement when an attack occurs. 

If you have asthma, you should have a peak flow meter. 

It measures the volume and force of your exhale.


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## mood (Nov 15, 2011)

I have EIA and I use a mask that warm up the air through a filter. I've been training in -30C with it and it works great. The air feels a lot warmer.

Link: airtrim.se/eng/default.asp


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## thecanoe (Jan 30, 2007)

mood said:


> I have EIA and I use a mask that warm up the air through a filter. I've been training in -30C with it and it works great. The air feels a lot warmer.
> 
> Link: airtrim.se/eng/default.asp


Can you give more details or brand of the mask?


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## mood (Nov 15, 2011)

Check the link (Airtrim breathingfilter asthma sport cold airways or Vapro Produktutveckling AB). It's called airtrim and the mask is made from some kind of soft plastic and covers your mouth and nose. You can have different filters to switch between depending on how cold it is. The swedish national team in xc skiing use them when training in cold conditions.

If you're interested you should send an email to [email protected] - They should have a retailer in the us according to their hompage.


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## jamesstout (Feb 10, 2012)

Mudmouse said:


> I wear a thin buff around my neck that I pull up over my mouth and nose. It's thin enough that it doesn't restrict air flow too badly, and once I'm warmed up I don't seem to need it. I've also used a face mask with openings for breathing. Works well, and doesn't seem to build up as much moisture, but it's mostly over kill for temps in my area.


+1 on the buff, you could try enbrocation as well. and i find ginger infused hot drinks help open up the tubes a bit


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## DLew (Feb 17, 2012)

thecanoe said:


> When the temps get into the 30's and the air is dry, I suffer from cold air excercised induced asthma. after a short time I get so fatigued it feels like my body is shutting down.
> Anyone have any tips for cold temps riding?


I had a similar issue when I was playing football in this type of weather. Have you tried supplements of Garlic. Garlic naturally buildings up the cardiovascular system. After I used 1000mg Garlic pills daily I noticed my breathing in cold weather improved.


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## thecanoe (Jan 30, 2007)

DLew said:


> I had a similar issue when I was playing football in this type of weather. Have you tried supplements of Garlic. Garlic naturally buildings up the cardiovascular system. After I used 1000mg Garlic pills daily I noticed my breathing in cold weather improved.


That's interesting. A while back I started taking 1000mg's of garlic and 5mg's of Astaxanthin. 15 minutes before a ride I start sucking on a Hall's Mentholiptis cough drop. I've been riding very well in the upper 30's and above. Maybe it's the garlic.


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## DLew (Feb 17, 2012)

thecanoe said:


> That's interesting. A while back I started taking 1000mg's of garlic and 5mg's of Astaxanthin. 15 minutes before a ride I start sucking on a Hall's Mentholiptis cough drop. I've been riding very well in the upper 30's and above. Maybe it's the garlic.


Yep garlic is an awesome natural remedy, I'm not saying it will cure asthma but I think it will improve cardiovascular system plus it's a natural vegetable.:thumbsup:


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## zeeke (May 10, 2006)

Ive had asthma my whole life, really bad at times not so bad at times. Lately mostly only excercise induced.

I was on singulair and advair and that worked pretty well but was expensive on my insurance, 50.00 each per month.

Oddly I started taking zyrtec daily instead of the advair/singulair and ive not had a single problem in a long time. Just take them daily, its pretty cheap. This winter ive ridden in 20 degree mountain rides and not had any issues.

My two cents.


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## ligniteminer (May 10, 2012)

Sorry for resurecting an old forum but I have had asthma since I was born and was a fairly competitive nordic skier in highschool, I know a thing or two about working out in cold weather. My asthma always sucked the first couple weeks of cold weather but eventually I would aclimate. An inhaler is the best route, use it 15~20 minutes before excersice and you should do well. Remember to breathe through your nose, it will naturally warm the air before it gets to your lungs, but can be hard to do when you are really pushing it. 

My girlfriend has problems with headaches when running in colder weather, I think from poor breathing, an allergy pill 30 minutes before a work out usually solves the problem. any other suggestions would be appreciated.

My allergist told me that I could switch to the 24 hour claratins from singular, he also said the 24 hour is just a lower dose so you don't get drowsy. That said, he told me if I needed to take one every 4 to 5 hours it wouldn't harm me. This tends to help my asthma greatly, even my EIA. 

While I was in college I deviated from my work out daily ways and gained a lot of weight and lost a ton of fitness but now I am seeing improvements in my EIA, hopefully my general asthma that haunts me will get better too. 

The garlic supplements sound rather interesting, going to have to give that a try.


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## Bill in Houston (Nov 26, 2011)

anyone who can breathe in through his nose while riding at any interesting pace must have an entirely different facial structure from me.


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## ligniteminer (May 10, 2012)

It was something learned, it is only necessary before you are fully warmed up. No need for it now that I live in San Antonio.


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## SpecializedWindsor (Jul 19, 2012)

If I bike in cold weather, I'll usually end up with a nasty cough, because the air dries out the mucous membranes in my throat. I think I would need to wear a muffler to warm the air.


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