For decades, doctors have assumed that exercise induced asthma was a completely different condition with a different cause than allergy induced asthma – but recent asthma research has made them reconsider.

Exercise induced asthma is shortness of breath, wheezing or coughing that makes its appearance during or after physical exertion. The shortness of breath is caused by inflammation of lung and bronchial tissues, which may be in turn caused by an allergic reaction, or by irritation of those tissues. That inflammation may in turn trigger spasms of the muscles around the bronchial tubes which make it even more difficult to breathe.

Exercise may be an asthma trigger even for people who don’t show asthma symptoms at any other time. This may be because exercise causes a change in the breathing pattern, or because people with exercise induced asthma are more sensitive to changes in the temperature and the air. It may be because the more rapid, more shallow breathing that tends to accompany exercise brings more allergens into contact with the lungs and bronchial tissue, or because the air drawn into your lungs doesn’t warm up. In addition, when we are at rest, we breathe through our noses, which warms the air before it reaches the lungs. During exercise, the increased requirement for oxygen means we breathe through our mouths. That doesn’t allow the air to warm before it reaches the lungs, triggering asthmatic reactions. Cool, dry air irritates the lining of the trachea, the bronchial tubes and the lungs, causing irritation – and the irritation causes a release of histamines that cause inflammation and more irritation.

Luckily, there are several things you can do to reduce the risk of a severe asthma attack, or any asthma attack at all if you have exercise induced asthma.

First, if your doctor has prescribed a bronchodilator inhaler for you, using it about 15 minutes before exercising can substantially reduce the risk of an asthma attack. The medicine will relax the muscles around your bronchial tubes so that they aren’t triggered by the change in breathing patterns.

Take more time to warm up before exercising. Preparing your body for the change in breathing can help stave off an asthma attack. Likewise, take time to cool down after exercise.

If the weather is cold, either don’t exercise outdoors – or use a face mask or scarf over your mouth and nose. Cold air is one of the major triggers of asthma attacks. By covering your mouth and nose, you trap warm, moist air near your mouth so that you’re not inhaling icy air that can cause your bronchial muscles to start spasming.

If the air quality is low, or if it’s during pollen season, don’t exercise outdoors. Rapid breathing, shallow breathing can overload your lungs with allergens and pollen, making it far more likely to trigger an asthma attack

If you have allergy induced asthma, you should be extra careful in exercising during high pollen periods of the year. Exercise induced asthma doesn’t have to spell the end of your activities. With some planning and prevention, you can still enjoy exercise and sports, even if you do have asthma.