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Sports, Other Activities, and Asthma
Don’t let asthma keep you from having
fun with sports or other activities. Exercise is good for
everyone, including people with asthma!
If you can’t keep up with the
other kids in gym class, can’t seem to be able to “get in
shape” no matter how much you work out, or have trouble
breathing after exercise when your classmates don’t, then
exercise might be triggering your asthma. There are ways to manage
asthma that is triggered by exercise, and having your asthma under
control will keep you breathing easy while you play your best!
Just the facts:
- The
more in shape you are, the better your lungs work.
- The
better your lungs work, the fewer problems you should have
with your asthma.
- The
fewer problems you have with your asthma, the better you’ll
feel and the more you’ll be able to do.
- There
are lots of ways to get exercise. Find one that you like, and
work with your doctor or asthma coordinator to keep asthma
under control.
- Having
an Asthma Action Plan takes all the mystery out of treating
your asthma. Make sure your coaches have a copy, and know what
to do if you need help.
Exercise-Induced Asthma (EIA)
Some kids have asthma that is triggered
only by physical activity, called exercise-induced asthma (EIA).
Just as with other asthma triggers, a person who is triggered into
an asthma attack by exercise has airways that narrow and tighten
after they begin exercising. Fast, hard breathing, coughing,
wheezing and a tight chest are signs of an asthma attack.
An asthma attack can be very serious, and can even kill.
- Symptoms
of EIA can be made much worse with seasonal allergies.
- The
symptoms usually start within 5 to 10 minutes after exercise,
and may last as long as 30 minutes.
- If
a kid with EIA doesn’t get treatment, they will often keep
themselves from taking part in sports or other activities.
Remember, if it is treated right, EIA can be kept under
control, so that kids with this kind of asthma can be as
active as they want to be.
Asthma
Action/Management Plans
Make sure you talk to your doctor or
asthma counselor about what to do before, during and after
exercise to keep you from having asthma symptoms. Then follow the
Asthma Action/Management Plan given to you by your doctor. The
following steps can help you and your doctor make a plan that
works for you:
- Keep
an activity diary where you write down your activities and
when you have asthma symptoms. It’s a good idea to write
down the steps you took to get relief, too, so that you can
show your doctor how the treatment plan is working.
- When
you take your medication can be very important. Ask your
doctor about the best times to take each of your medications
so that exercising is easier.
- When
you are being active, take notice of the kinds of exercises
that feel best to you, and the amount of time you can do them
without asthma symptoms. For example, can you get through a
whole soccer practice? How far can you run comfortably? By
telling the doctor about your problems and skills, he may be
able to help you improve, or help you find new ways to be
active.
- If
you follow your Asthma Action Plan and still have trouble
breathing while working out, tell your doctor. He or she
should be able to change the plan a little to keep you
breathing easy.
Which sport or activity is best for you?
If your asthma is under control, then you
should be able to do pretty much anything you like. However, there
are a few things you should think about when choosing a sport or
activity:
Season:
Does your asthma get worse in different seasons? If it does
you may want to think about what season your activity takes place
in. For example, if pollen makes you wheeze, spring games of
softball may give you trouble. This doesn’t mean that you
can’t play softball. It means that you should talk to your
doctor or asthma counselor to make sure your medications will keep
you symptom-free while you play.
Time Outs:
Sometimes people with asthma do better in activities with
clear-cut starts and stops. Some activities with built in “time
outs” for rest include baseball, gymnastics and marching band.
Sports like soccer don’t allow as much rest time, and this may
make the sport hard if your asthma is severe. In these kinds of
sports, think about playing a position that doesn’t require
quite so much running, so that you can still be involved and have
fun.
The big picture:
An activity may seem like a good fit for you in some ways,
but there may be other reasons not to choose it. For example,
swimming is often a great choice because the added moisture in the
air at the pool soothes inflamed lungs. On the other hand, some
people have asthma that is triggered by the chemicals used to
clean the pool. So look at everything about the activity before
you make your choice.
What are the best ways to deal with asthma and exercise?
Try these tips:
- Start
with a 15-minute warm-up to let your lungs adjust to the
bigger demand for air.
- In
cold weather, cover your mouth and nose with a scarf to help
warm the air before it gets to your lungs.
- Stay
away from triggers that may make your asthma worse (for
example, don’t exercise outdoors when pollen counts are high
if pollen is a for you).
- End
with a 15-minute cool-down rather than stopping suddenly.
- Follow
your Asthma Action Plan about using medication before or after
exercise. If
you’re on a team, be sure your coach has a copy of your
Asthma Action Plan.
·
Be extra careful when:
With
these added problems, even gentle exercise could an asthma
attack.
·
If you have symptoms,
use a quick-relief medicine right away. Don’t push yourself,
stop and rest if you need to.
Remember,
long-term controller medicines like cromolyn (such as Intal) and
corticosteriods (such as Azmacort) should not be taken during an
asthma attack because they do not open the airways quickly. If you
don’t know which inhaler is the right one to take for quick
relief, ask your parents, doctor, asthma counselor or pharmacist
to tell you before you need it in a hurry.
Who says you can’t be great?
- At
the 1996 Olympic Games, at least one in six athletes from the
U.S. had a history of asthma, had taken asthma medications or
had symptoms that suggested asthma.
In fact, the athletes with asthma won just as many team
or individual medals as the athletes without asthma.
- Did
you know that some famous athletes have asthma? These athletes have learned to control their asthma
symptoms, and become some of the best in their sport.
- Jerome Bettis -
professional football player
- Bruce Davidson - Olympic
equestrian
- Tom Dolan, Olympic
medalist - swimming
- Kurt Grote, Olympic
medalist - swimming
- Nancy Hogshead, Olympic
medalist - swimming
- Jim "Catfish"
Hunter - professional baseball player
- Jackie Joyner-Kersee,
Olympic medalist - track
- Bill Koch, Olympic
medalist - cross-country skiing
- Greg Louganis, Olympic
medalist - diving
- Tom Malchow, Olympic
medalist - swimming
- Debbie Meyer, Olympic
medalist - swimming
- Art Monk - professional
football player
- George Murray -
wheelchair athlete & Boston Marathon winner
- Robert Muzzio -
decathlete
- Dennis Rodman -
professional basketball player
- Jim Ryun, Olympic
medalist - track
- Alberto Salazar -
marathon runner
- Isaiah Thomas -
professional basketball player
- Amy VanDyken, Olympic
medalist - swimming
- Dominique Wilkins -
professional basketball player
Visit the FAQs page to learn the answers
to many kids’ questions about asthma. Click
here to
see a list of other famous people with asthma.
Adapted from "Asthma & Physical Activity in
the School," National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, NIH
Publication No. 01-3651, 1995 and Xhale, GlaxoSmithKline's
magazine for teens, with permission, 2001 |
