Breathing Easy This Summer
Protect Your Lungs in Warmer Weather As the days grow longer and temperatures rise, the warmer weather also brings a set of challenges for your lungs. Heat, increased humidity, rising pollen, and increased air pollution can all worsen respiratory systems, especially for those with chronic conditions like asthma and COPD.
Why Summer can be Tough on Lungs
Several factors contribute to increased respiratory stress during the summer:
• Heat and Humidity: high temperatures and humid air can increase airway inflammation and cause airways to narrow.
• Air Quality Changes: increased exposure to allergens, wildfires and pollution would increase ground-level ozone which is a powerful irritant that can inflame and tighten airways.
• Changes in Routine: travelling more and getting exposure to new environments can introduce unfamiliar triggers.
All these factors can create challenging conditions for individuals with chronic respiratory diseases. These effects include irritation of the lungs, increased symptoms, risk of flareups and hospitalization. Staying on top of your management plan is especially crucial during this time.
