Winter Lungs and Asthma

 Is cold weather bad for my lungs?

In a recent Asthma + Lung UK  survey, 7 in 10 people told us that cold air made their lung condition symptoms worse.  

This is because:

• Cold air can cause your airways to narrow. This can increase the amount of mucus you produce and make it harder to breathe. 
• Cold, dry air can also irritate your airways and make symptoms like wheezing, coughing and breathlessness worse.    
• Cold temperatures can weaken your immune system too, making it harder for you to fight respiratory infections like colds and flu.  
• When the weather is cold, we often spend more time indoors, including socialising with others. This helps spread respiratory infections. 

How can I look after my lungs in the cold?

Staying well in the cold could mean fewer asthma attacks, flare ups of your lung condition, or trips to the GP or hospital.

One of the best ways to help your lungs cope with cold air is to take your medicines as prescribed. You should also:

Look after your lungs outdoors

Spending time outside is important for your mental and physical health. There are ways to help your lungs cope better when you go outside in colder weather.

How to stay safe outdoors

Protect your airways from cold air by making sure the air you’re breathing in is warmed up. You can do this by: 

• breathing in through your nose rather than your mouth
• loosely wrapping a scarf around your nose and mouth when outside, or 
• wearing a mask, if you feel comfortable to do so. 

It's a good idea to:

• Keep your reliever inhaler with you at all times.
• Check the weather before you go out. If you think it might be too cold or windy for you, shorten your time outside or consider staying at home.
• Ask someone to go with you or check in on you if you’re worried about going out in cold weather.
• Keep your head, hands and feet warm by wearing a hat, gloves, or an extra pair of socks.
• Wear layers of thinner clothing, because a lot of thin layers can keep you warmer than one thick layer. Thermal underwear can be helpful too.

Look after your lungs indoors

Cold air can still affect your lungs when you’re inside. To protect your lungs, try to heat the rooms you spend a lot of time in to at least 18°C. For example, your living room or bedroom.

Find out why some types of heating are better for your lungs than others and how you can get help with your heating costs. 

Alongside heating your home, there are also some free and low-cost things you can do to keep warm, such as: 

• having hot drinks regularly  
• using blankets or hot water bottles 
• closing your bedroom windows at night  
• using draft excluders or blockers to reduce the amount of cold air in a room 
• trying not to sit still for more than an hour. You could stretch your arms and legs to keep you warm, or use our Keep Active programme designed for people with lung conditions.  
• eating at least one hot meal a day. Eating regularly helps to keep you warm. Find out if you could get help with food costs.