Why Am I Wheezing After a Workout?

Many people say that regular workouts revitalize their energy and provide a sense of clarity. But if you find that high-impact activity is causing shortness of breath or wheezing, you may have exercise-induced asthma.

At Primary Care Walk-In Medical Clinic, our team offers diagnostic testing services to evaluate your lung function. We used advanced technologies to determine if your symptoms relate to asthma or other respiratory issues.

What to know about exercise-induced asthma

Exercise-induced asthma is a condition that causes shortness of breath, coughing, and wheezing during exercise or sports.

Even mild physical activity can trigger inflammation in your airways. When you exercise, you may breathe more often through your mouth than your nose. This can cause constriction in the muscles around your airways, which narrows the pathway air moves from your mouth to your lungs.

Your symptoms may seem worse if you’re exercising in cold weather or dry climates. Exercise-induced asthma can also be triggered during times when the pollen count in the air is high or if you’re in an outdoor space affected by pollution. If you’re recovering from a cold, your symptoms may seem more severe.

This type of asthma can affect people who already experience asthma symptoms. However, you can also develop exercise-induced asthma even without a history of asthma or other respiratory conditions.

Warning signs of exercise-induced asthma

Symptoms of exercise-induced asthma typically appear within a few minutes of starting physical activity. Your symptoms may also start just after you finish a workout.

In addition to wheezing, exercise-induced asthma can also cause:

• Coughing
• Severe fatigue
• Shortness of breath
• Chest tightness

If you have any of these symptoms after physical activity or while playing sports, visit the Primary Care Walk-In Clinic for a respiratory health evaluation. 

We use spirometry testing in-office to measure how much air you can move in and out of your lungs and how fast you can move it. You may also benefit from allergy testing to identify allergens in the environment that contribute to asthma.

Based on your symptom severity and your test results, our experienced physicians create a treatment plan to help you stay physically active without asthma-related complications.

Managing exercise-induced asthma

While there is currently no cure for any type of asthma, there are ways we can help you improve your respiratory health.

You should prioritize warmup activities before sports or exercise. We can recommend an exercise routine that you do for at least six minutes ahead of physical activity. If you plan to exercise outdoors, try to do so when the pollen counts are low and wear a scarf or mask if it’s cold out.

Many people also need inhaled medications to quickly reduce airway inflammation and ease exercise-induced asthma symptoms. There are other asthma medications available that can help prevent your risk for having an exercise-induced asthma attack.

If you already know you have exercise-induced asthma, be sure to meet with our physicians before you start a new workout routine or a new sport. We can ensure your symptoms are well-controlled and that your asthma won’t interfere with your safe participation in a new activity.

Schedule a diagnostic evaluation for wheezing or other symptoms of a respiratory illness online or call the Primary Care Walk-In Clinic nearest to you today. You can also visit the clinic as a walk-in without an appointment for your urgent care needs.