How Summer Can Affect Your Asthma

Campfires, fireworks, pollen and humidity are just a few common things that trigger your asthma during the summer. Weather can also have a big impact on asthma. Understanding how different seasonal activities and conditions affect your asthma can help you manage your symptoms better. Here are some common summer triggers and tips on how to deal with them.

Common Summer Asthma Triggers

• Camping trips and campfires
• Fireworks
• Hot & humid weather
• Pollen
• Sports and physical activity

How Summer Weather Can Affect Your Asthma

Understanding how different weather conditions affect your asthma can help you manage your symptoms better. Heat can cause your airways to tighten, making it harder to breathe and humidity can make the air feel heavy. Both can lead to asthma symptoms like coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath. Humidity can also spike levels of mold and dust mites which are common asthma triggers for those with Allergic Asthma.

Sudden changes in weather, like quick temperature drops or a storm, can cause asthma symptoms to flare up. These changes can increase the levels of allergens and irritants in the air. Heavy rain from thunderstorms can stir up pollen and break up pollen grains, making them smaller and easier to inhale impacting those with Thunderstorm Asthma.

Tips to Manage

• Drink water to stay hydrated.
• Use a dehumidifier to reduce indoor humidity.
• Close windows and use AC prior to a storm.
• Check air quality and be aware of pollen counts.
• Review the HeatRisk forecast
• Create an asthma action plan.

For more information on asthma, visit our downloadable materials.