How to Prevent Exercise Induced Asthma

Have you ever seen some athletes inhale something into their mouths from a hand held canister before their sporting events? No they're not using breath fresheners but rather they're probably using an inhaler medication to prevent  exercise induced asthma. Many athletes have exercise induced asthma, they just don't advertise it nor do they allow it to effect their competitive spirit. Left untreated it can prevent you from performing at your highest level. In severe cases untreated exercise induced asthma can be fatal. Fortunately a number of steps can be taken to prevent exercise induced asthma.

Perform an appropriate warm up routine prior to exercise as well as a similar warm down routine afterwards to prevent exercise induced asthma.

Always breath through your nose when possible to prevent exercise induced asthma; doing so can warm and humidify inhaled air which is less likely to trigger exercise induced asthma symptoms.

Avoid exercising outdoors particularly in the winter to prevent exercise induced asthma. Cold dry inhaled air is the primary trigger for exercise induced asthma.

Keep your allergy symptoms under optimum control to prevent exercise induced asthma. Many individuals with exercise induced asthma also have allergic rhinitis. Take your allergy medications faithfully and avoid outdoor exercise when pollen and mold counts are elevated.

Avoid exercise if you're experiencing symptoms consistent with an upper respiratory infection. You'll be more susceptible to exercise induced asthma symptoms until you've successfully recovered from the infection.

Participate in sports less likely to trigger exercise induced asthma. Sports which require short intense bursts of activity are least likely to cause episodes of exercise induced asthma. Sports that occur in cold or cooler environments or those that require endurance or continuous sustained effort are most likely to trigger symptoms. Avoidance is the best way to prevent exercise induced asthma.

Use your asthma medications faithfully and as directed to help prevent exercise induced asthma.

*  Exercise induced asthma can be a serious medical disorder. It requires the expertise of a medical doctor.
*  The symptoms of exercise induced asthma can be controlled with proper medications and exercise techniques.
*  Many successful athletes have been able to compete at the highest levels despite having exercise induced asthma.