If you have asthma, you might be afraid that exercise is unsafe and could harm your wellness by triggering uncomfortable symptoms, but according to a new evidence review in The Cochrane Library, not only is it safe for you to exercise when you have asthma, but doing so could improve your wellbeing and actually reduce your risk of asthma symptoms or attacks.
According to review author Kristin V. Carson, many asthmatics worry that exercise could trigger shortness of breath, wheezing or a full-blown asthma attack, and so avoid activity altogether. However, these fears are unfounded, and may occur due to a misreading of symptoms, your family’s beliefs about exercise and asthma, or even advice from your physician.
However, Carson explained that if you follow this invalid advice, over time you can become out of shape, lose muscle mass and decrease in cardiovascular fitness. In turn, this makes any future attempts at physical activity significantly harder, meaning that you have a higher chance of becoming fatigued and breathless and not wanting to do physical activity even more. ‘This results in a spiralling cycle,’ Carson says.
For the study, the team of researchers examined previous studies that looked at the effects of physical training on people with asthma. These studies compared patients who received no or minimal physical activity to those who exercised for at least 20 minutes, twice a week, over the course of four weeks. The patients who exercised used physical training as varied as running outdoors or on a treadmill, cycling, swimming or circuit training
The results were that patients who had exercised were no more likely to have a serious asthma-related problem than those who weren’t exercising, or those who did light exercising such as yoga. Carson added that those who exercised improved their cardiovascular fitness, meaning that their asthma symptoms could possibly reduce in the future. There was also some limited evidence that indicated that exercise improved asthmatics’ quality of life, including health benefits in other areas and an improved psychological wellbeing.
‘We found no reason for people with stable asthma to refrain from regular exercise,’ Carson said. She concluded by urging that ‘Physicians should encourage their patents with stable asthma to engage in physical training programmes.’
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