Seasons of Change Affecting Asthma

[choo_choo]

For the past few weeks I've been having a little more difficulty with my asthma.  I've been waking up at night more, sometimes coughing in the AM, and sometimes coughing after exercise (I pretreat with albuterol).  My morning peak flow readings have been in my yellow zone or very close to my yellow zone for the last 2 weeks.  My peak flow readings, in general, have been lower than usual for the past 3 weeks.
At the risk of sounding stupid, how does a change in the weather affect a person's asthma?  Where I live the weather has been sporadic for the past 3-4 weeks.  We're transitioning from summer/fall/winter and the weather changes on the drop of a dime.

Thanks

[ChitChatNine]

Welcome!

My kids used to get croup a lot when younger .. now that they are older they tend to get it in the AM and then feel better .. but I still remind them to take their albuterol with them!

the dry cold air ....
C~

[geminigirl1963]

I, too, find that my asthma gets worse with changes in weather.  I'm not exactly sure of the scientific reason for it, but I believe it's because of a combination of barometric pressure changes, as well as changes in temperature/humidity levels.  Of course, too, as seasons change, so does the allergy seasons - while the outdoor allergies may be less in the winter time, the inside "household" allergies may kick up more, causing trouble with your asthma.

I also find that my airways tend to dry out more with the heat running and that sometimes also triggers my asthma to kick up.  If you're finding the same thing (or think it might be happening), try eihter using a humidifier or, if your heating vents are on the floor, put a small container of water on the vent to add moisture to the air.  Either way you do it - be sure to clean the vessel (humidifier or container) often and change the water often - you sure don't want a build-up of mold/mildew in either one becuase that, too, could cause an asthma flare.

Another thing to make sure you do is when you go out int he cold air, cover your mouth and nose with a scarf or something else so that you are not breathing in the extreme cold air, but rather a wamer, moister air  Breathing in cold air can definitely trigger an attack.

Another thing to rmember also is that this time of year is also flu season, so it's very important to keep especially good track of your peak flows and how you're feeling.  If you start feeling sick or your peak flows conitnue to stay lower than normal - get to the doctor to get checked - it may be an asthma flare, but it could also be a virus or bacterial infection.

I hope you feel better!

[sugarlanddentist888]

yes i also suffer from almost same problem.what should we do?