How the Summer Heat Can Affect Your Emphysema

Every year, it seems to be getting hotter and hotter. Some days the air gets so hot it makes it hard to breathe and every activity in it seems to drain you of energy. This is bad enough even when you are not dealing with a serious medical condition such as emphysema, bronchitis, asthma or COPD. In normal temperatures, these conditions can be taxing on the body but there is no time of the year more dangerous to people with breathing issues than the summer.

Want to learn more about how the summer heat can affect your emphysema? Call us today and Nite Owl Urgent Care and we will advise you on how best to handle the dog days of summer.

What is Emphysema?

Emphysema is a medical condition in which the air sacs in the lungs have been damaged in some fashion, usually within the linings of those sacs. Anyone who has this lung disease has difficulty breathing under normal conditions, and extremely limited in the strength of their exhale and it will take longer than normal to empty their lungs. Usually caused by smoking, air quality can have a direct effect on the comfort level of anyone with this condition.

What is Summer’s Effect on This Condition?

If you have this lung disease, you are already struggling to get the air out of your lungs when you exhale. When you inhale heated air, like that experienced in a hot summer, you further irritate your already inflamed airways, and will often cause your condition to worsen. You may experience a heightened level of dyspnea or an increased shortness of breath or worse, a bronchospasm. A bronchospasm causes your airways to spasm and contract, making it even more difficult to get air in and out of your lungs.

Is There a Way to Avoid These Complications?

Thankfully, there are several ways to avoid complicating your lung disorder and these techniques can be used all year round not just summertime, if you find yourself in distress. Because extreme temperatures can stress out your body, making it work harder to maintain its normal body temperature and requiring more oxygen to do so, the first thing to do is to make sure that you stay as cool as possible, especially during the hottest days. Take cool baths, drink plenty of water and stay out of the heat as much as possible, preferably in air conditioning.

If you have to go outside, limit your activities out there as much as possible. Wear lots of sunscreen and appropriate, lightweight clothing to avoid raising your body temperature further. Be sure to take all of your required medications during this time, no matter how lousy you might feel and never go anywhere in the heat alone. This is too dangerous a time for anyone to be out and about, even more so when you have emphysema.

How the Summer Heat Can Affect Your Emphysema

Every year, it seems to be getting hotter and hotter. Some days the air gets so hot it makes it hard to breathe and every activity in it seems to drain you of energy. This is bad enough even when you are not dealing with a serious medical condition such as emphysema, bronchitis, asthma or COPD. In normal temperatures, these conditions can be taxing on the body but there is no time of the year more dangerous to people with breathing issues than the summer.

Want to learn more about how the summer heat can affect your emphysema? Call us today and Nite Owl Urgent Care and we will advise you on how best to handle the dog days of summer.

What is Emphysema?

Emphysema is a medical condition in which the air sacs in the lungs have been damaged in some fashion, usually within the linings of those sacs. Anyone who has this lung disease has difficulty breathing under normal conditions, and extremely limited in the strength of their exhale and it will take longer than normal to empty their lungs. Usually caused by smoking, air quality can have a direct effect on the comfort level of anyone with this condition.

What is Summer’s Effect on This Condition?

If you have this lung disease, you are already struggling to get the air out of your lungs when you exhale. When you inhale heated air, like that experienced in a hot summer, you further irritate your already inflamed airways, and will often cause your condition to worsen. You may experience a heightened level of dyspnea or an increased shortness of breath or worse, a bronchospasm. A bronchospasm causes your airways to spasm and contract, making it even more difficult to get air in and out of your lungs.

Is There a Way to Avoid These Complications?

Thankfully, there are several ways to avoid complicating your lung disorder and these techniques can be used all year round not just summertime, if you find yourself in distress. Because extreme temperatures can stress out your body, making it work harder to maintain its normal body temperature and requiring more oxygen to do so, the first thing to do is to make sure that you stay as cool as possible, especially during the hottest days. Take cool baths, drink plenty of water and stay out of the heat as much as possible, preferably in air conditioning.

If you have to go outside, limit your activities out there as much as possible. Wear lots of sunscreen and appropriate, lightweight clothing to avoid raising your body temperature further. Be sure to take all of your required medications during this time, no matter how lousy you might feel and never go anywhere in the heat alone. This is too dangerous a time for anyone to be out and about, even more so when you have emphysema.