# How does cold air affect lungs.



## GIOS (18 Feb 2013)

When riding at higher altitudes (not living in UK, obviously ) my breathing accelerates and my throat starts to feel terrible. This only occurs in springtime when the temperature is below zero so thin air is probably ruled out. The cough goes on for weeks and ruins my pre-season. So is there anything I could do to avoid these nasty effects and why do they occur.


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## stumpy66 (18 Feb 2013)

Read up on exercise induced asthma, wear a buff, a couple puffs of a salbutamol inhaler helps me


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## GIOS (18 Feb 2013)

stumpy66 said:


> Read up on exercise induced asthma, wear a buff, a couple puffs of a salbutamol inhaler helps me


I could give the buff a go. But what comes to salbutamol (Ventolin?) isn't it considered as a doping substance?


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## GIOS (18 Feb 2013)

User13710 said:


> 'Do you like climbing?' Yes, No, Legs.
> 
> Is this a trick question?


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## stumpy66 (18 Feb 2013)

Giovanni said:


> I could give the buff a go. But what comes to salbutamol (Ventolin?) isn't it considered as a doping substance?


Not sure, but it works for me


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## GIOS (18 Feb 2013)

stumpy66 said:


> Not sure, but it works for me


That's what Armstrong must have thought.


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## stumpy66 (18 Feb 2013)

He was out to cheat and deceive everyone, im just out to enjoy the ride. try the buff it'll help


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## Rob3rt (18 Feb 2013)

Are you racing at a level where you are adequately concerned about a legitimately prescribed medical substance being on a banned substance list? Who gives a hoot is if it a banned substance, if you have asthma, take the inhaler. Further, you can apply for a therapeutic use exemption to rules on such things if you are racing at a level where it is a real concern.


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## LarryDuff (18 Feb 2013)

Cold air constricts the bronchioles.


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## GIOS (19 Feb 2013)

Rob3rt said:


> Are you racing at a level where you are adequately concerned about a legitimately prescribed medical substance being on a banned substance list? Who gives a hoot is if it a banned substance, if you have asthma, take the inhaler. Further, you can apply for a therapeutic use exemption to rules on such things if you are racing at a level where it is a real concern.


No, nothing like that. Just curious


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (20 Feb 2013)

I'm a moderately severe asthmatic and just get on with it. (think 8 sets of med daily + diet to control the asthma). I suffer from exercise induced asthma, allergy induced asthma & cough variant asthma. the later 2 are the worst by a long shot. I find that cold air does not affect me now anywhere near as much as it used to. I sleep with the bedroom window open permanately. It has not been closed since we moved into thos house in July last year. We were previously cycled around the world and did not avoid cold climates - prior to that we had lived for 12 years in the same house and the only time the bedroom windows got closed was when we were away from home for more than a couple of days. We also don't have the heating on in the bedroom. the result has been that I have far less issues with my asthma when out in the cold than I used to have. I tend now only to have issues when it is below -10C or thereabouts and my inhalers do help to an extent. but lungs are like the rest of the body - they need time to warm up and this needs to be done gently when they are complaining of cold air. A buff helps but for me what helps more is keeping my neck warm, not covering my mouth - though in very cold conditions I will cover my mouth and try to force myself to breath through my nose. easy said than done when cycling uphill in mountains in very cold conditions with asthma but it does work and works better with my winter mountaineering that my winter cycling!
I dont' really know the effect of it at altitude yet - a certain member of the canine population put pay to that last year, but know I can handle -20C with my asthma without too many issues, if I am careful in the mornings and that for me has always been the key issue. Mornings are harder on my asthma, hence the taking it easy and making sure the lungs have warmed up before I try killing myself again!


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## Garz (20 Feb 2013)

Rob3rt said:


> Are you racing at a level where you are adequately concerned about a legitimately prescribed medical substance being on a banned substance list? Who gives a hoot is if it a banned substance, if you have asthma, take the inhaler.


 
Inhalers aren't banned - at least to my knowledge anyway. The last screening I went to, the doctor was laying it thick about using it more often.


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## Garz (20 Feb 2013)

SatNavSaysStraightOn said:


> I suffer from exercise induced asthma, allergy induced asthma & cough variant asthma. the later 2 are the worst by a long shot. I find that cold air does not affect me now anywhere near as much as it used to. I sleep with the bedroom window open permanately.


 
The cold does not seem to affect me either. If I ever need to use my inhaler it's in the summer months due to high pollen count and generally at night time as it irritates me (can hear breathing).


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## david k (5 Apr 2013)

the cold affects me, always has, sometimes its worse than other times. When i played rugby it would happen, throat would be really sore at times, tried inhalers but didnt help, a warm drink sometimes does, often ill take a warm juice on a ride with me


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## Richard A Thackeray (5 Apr 2013)

Cool damp air can be benificial...... think 'Intercooler' on a turbo-diesel.

Cool air is denser than hot/warm air = more oxygen


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## DCLane (5 Apr 2013)

Garz said:


> Inhalers aren't banned - at least to my knowledge anyway.


 
It depends which one. The 'green' one (Salmeterol) I think is; I've got to apply to a TUE when I get round to racing.

The blue (Salbuterol) and the brown I think are OK.


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## kerndog (5 Apr 2013)

i like legs


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## Lard Armstrong (5 Apr 2013)

david k said:


> the cold affects me, always has, sometimes its worse than other times. When i played rugby it would happen, throat would be really sore at times, tried inhalers but didnt help, a warm drink sometimes does, often ill take a warm juice on a ride with me


Same here. I commute 9 miles each way and the last few weeks have been purgatory. The impact is that I cough, am short of breath and consequently get hotter and find it really hard to hold even an easy pace.
But...
I still DO IT, so don't give ups because it's hard........


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (6 Apr 2013)

DCLane said:


> It depends which one. The 'green' one (Salmeterol) I think is; I've got to apply to a TUE when I get round to racing.
> 
> The blue (Salbuterol) and the brown I think are OK.


 
I'm surprised they accept the 'brown' one given it is a steroid inhaler. (I take the dark red one, which is basically a stronger version of the brown one and that is what has caused my Addison's disease, but then I take the equivalent of the dark brown one twenty times a day.)
I had to stop taking the green one (salmeterol) due to it causing heart flutters & palpitations on a very regularly basis (2 or 3 times a day towards the end).


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## david k (6 Apr 2013)

Lard Armstrong said:


> Same here. I commute 9 miles each way and the last few weeks have been purgatory. The impact is that I cough, am short of breath and consequently get hotter and find it really hard to hold even an easy pace.
> But...
> I still DO IT, so don't give ups because it's hard........


yeh i find the trick is to ride at a pace that doesnt mean im breathing too heavy as thi sis what causes it, on a warmer day its no issue and i can push it then

something warm round your throat or even your mouth can help


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## Garz (6 Apr 2013)

SatNavSaysStraightOn said:


> I'm surprised they accept the 'brown' one given it is a steroid inhaler. (I take the dark red one, which is basically a stronger version of the brown one and that is what has caused my Addison's disease, but then I take the equivalent of the dark brown one twenty times a day.)
> I had to stop taking the green one (salmeterol) due to it causing heart flutters & palpitations on a very regularly basis (2 or 3 times a day towards the end).


 
I have only known of the brown and blue ones. If there are more hardcore varieties then I guess the realm of becoming an enhancer rather than an enabler require some debating.


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (6 Apr 2013)

Garz said:


> I have only known of the brown and blue ones. If there are more hardcore varieties then I guess the realm of becoming an enhancer rather than an enabler require some debating.


if you follow my link on Addison's it actually works in reverse. my body no longer produces enough natural steroids and therefore now needs additional steroid use just to bring my levels back to normal, so for a while it works as an enhancer, but in the long run it actually is a disadvantage (other than the fact it keeps me alive which I suppose could be seen as a disadvantage by some  !)


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## Garz (6 Apr 2013)

SatNavSaysStraightOn said:


> if you follow my link on Addison's it actually works in reverse. my body no longer produces enough natural steroids and therefore now needs additional steroid use just to bring my levels back to normal, so for a while it works as an enhancer, but in the long run it actually is a disadvantage (other than the fact it keeps me alive which I suppose could be seen as a disadvantage by some  !)


 
Totally understand SNSSO, however it seems some others get the green eyes if they see it as I suppose it could be abused for marginal gains. The majority of folk need these products to function as a normal person, not to get ahead of the sprint pack!


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## Lard Armstrong (7 Apr 2013)

Corticosteroids (e.g Asthma sprays, hydrocortisone ointment, etc) are not the same thing as Anabolic steroids. It's easy to confuse the two, but they do very different things.


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## mrandmrspoves (7 Apr 2013)

Lard Armstrong said:


> Corticosteroids (e.g Asthma sprays, hydrocortisone ointment, etc) are not the same thing as Anabolic steroids. It's easy to confuse the two, but they do very different things.



Indeed easy to get them confused......always be careful that you are not talking a load of anabolics!


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