Managing Exercise Induced Bronchoconstriction (EIB)
In addition to medicine, your allergist will give you simple tips to prevent symptoms. These include:
- Warm up at least 10 minutes before exercise
- Breathe through the nose, and not the mouth
- Use a face mask or scarf in cold weather
- Cool down after exercise
- Skip or limit exercise when the weather is really cold or dry, or, if you have allergies, when pollen counts are high
- Exercise less, or less vigorously, if you have a virus, such as a cold
Are there exercises or sports I should avoid if I have EIB?
With proper treatment, EIB shouldn't stop anyone from exercising or doing sports. Some activities are more likely to trigger EIB. Usually these are sports that require a high level of energy or are done in cold, dry weather such as:
- running
- soccer
- biking
- basketball
- cross-country skiing
- ice hockey
Sports less likely to cause problems:
- walking
- hiking
- golf
- baseball
- football
- gymnastics
- shorter track and field events
- swimming
No matter what sport you do, your allergist can work with you to make sure you keep your condition under control.