If you have COPD, then you know that all kinds of unexpected things can affect your symptoms and make them worse. Even minor respiratory irritants, like fragrances, air pollution, and dry air, can make it more difficult to breathe.
That's why, when the seasons shift, it's important to understand how the change might affect your COPD. This is particularly true when moving from the mild fall season into harsh winter conditions.
As the cold weather sets in, you should be aware of all the potential COPD hazards that winter weather brings. Then, you will be better prepared to manage your symptoms and deal with the challenges when they come.
In this guide, we're going to walk you through all of the most common challenges COPD patients face during the winter time. We'll warn you about winter respiratory irritants, weather hazards, and other seasonal conditions that could make your symptoms worse.
We'll also show you what you can do to prepare for these problems and minimize their impact on your lungs. That way, instead of spending the winter months struggling to manage your disease, you can use the tips and tricks in this guide to overcome winter challenges and breathe much better this season.
You might have noticed on your own that breathing cold, winter air can make it more difficult to breathe. This can happen to healthy adults but it is particularly problematic for people with COPD.
That's because winter air is usually far from the optimum temperature and humidity that your lungs and airways prefer. Cold, dry air is much harsher to breathe than warmer, humid air, and it can irritate your lungs and constrict your airways as you breathe.
When the humidity is very low, the dry air sucks the moisture out of your airways. This thickens your mucus and irritates the tissue that lines your nose and airways, triggering symptoms like coughing and shortness of breath.
The cold temperature of the air alone can also be a problem, especially when you first go outside after breathing warm indoor air. When you take a breath and suddenly bring frigid air into your lungs, it can trigger bronchospasms, which constrict your airways and make it harder to breathe.
The best way to avoid these problems is to avoid breathing the cold, dry winter air as much as you can. That means staying indoors when weather conditions are bad and using simple techniques to warm up the air that you breathe.
This is easier to do if you check your local weather forecast regularly and plan ahead for upcoming conditions. Pay special attention to the temperature and humidity, and be prepared to take extra measures to manage your symptoms on particularly harsh days.
When you do have to go out in the cold, you can make the air more breathable by covering your nose and mouth with a scarf or a special cold-weather mask (called a CT mask). This will trap heat and moisture from your breath, helping to warm and humidify the harsh outside air so it is more comfortable to breathe.
Here are some tips to help you breathe better in the frigid winter air:
Along with winter comes cold and flu season, that dreaded time of year when contagious respiratory illnesses reach an all time high. This time of year poses a special danger to people with COPD, who are more prone to getting sick.
While a common cold might not seem like a big threat, a minor illness like a cold can turn into something much more serious if you have COPD. Any kind of respiratory illness can trigger severe COPD symptoms and lead to more serious exacerbations.
COPD exacerbations are difficult to treat and, in the worst cases, can cause life-threatening complications. Even minor COPD exacerbations can make you feel very sick and take a major toll on your life, disrupting your ability to exercise, work, and do other normal activities.
COPD exacerbations can also take a very long time to recover from, and in some cases can result in permanent lung damage that makes your symptoms permanently worse. That's why it is so important to practice good hygiene, keep your immune system healthy, and avoid contagious illnesses if you have COPD.
Unfortunately, studies show that people with COPD are more than twice as likely to experience an exacerbation during the winter months. That means you need to take extra special precautions during this season to avoid getting sick.
That means doing what you can to bolster your immune system and keeping your COPD symptoms under control. It also means coming up with strategies to help you avoid germs and germ-heavy environments, especially during peak cold and flu season.
The best way to do this is to keep up-to-date with your vaccinations and be diligent about your personal hygiene. Especially when you're out in public, be cautious about what you touch and avoid transferring germs from your hands to your eyes, nose, and mouth.
Wash your hands often, avoid people who are sick, and be especially cautious in crowded places. If you use oxygen therapy, you should be extra diligent about keeping your medical equipment (like your nasal cannula) clean during the winter.
Here are some additional tips to help you prepare for cold and flu season:
Even if you protect your lungs from pollution and dry air this winter, the bitter cold can still bring you down. Cold temperatures alone can have a noticeable effect on COPD symptoms, and this effect can even last for several days.
Studies show that breathing cold air can hurt your lungs and reduce their ability to function by a measurable amount. It causes your airways to constrict and can even damage the tissue lining your airways, making it more difficult to breathe.
However, even just being in the cold air—not even breathing it—can reduce lung function and worsen COPD symptoms. Even short periods of exposure to cold weather can trigger breathlessness, fatigue, and a significant increase in the number of COPD patient hospitalizations.
These effects are likely caused, at least in part, by how your body reacts to getting cold. In an effort keep your core temperature from falling, your body has to work harder and burn extra energy to stay warm.
When you're exposed to very cold temperatures, this can drain your energy levels and cause you to feel fatigued. It also requires your lungs to work harder to keep pace, which puts extra strain on your respiratory symptom and makes it more difficult to breathe.
Many studies have linked worsened COPD symptoms with cold outdoor temperatures and even cold temperatures indoors. Some studies show that cold temperatures can double COPD patients' risk for exacerbations and even increase their risk of death.
That's why you should be prepared to experience worsened COPD symptoms when the temperature drops this winter. That means keeping your rescue inhaler handy and making sure you have a warm place to go when extremely cold weather hits.
During the coldest months of the year, keep a diligent eye on your local weather forecast so a cold snap doesn't take you by surprise. When you're expecting extra chilly weather, make preparations to stay warm and avoid spending time outdoors.
When you do go out, don't take any chances and always dress appropriately warm. Even if it adds a few minutes to your usual routine, bundling up is your best defense against the harsh winter temperatures that could worsen your COPD.
Most importantly, make sure you have a reliable heating system that can keep your home at a comfortable temperature all winter. You should also make sure you have somewhere to go if your heater breaks down or your house loses power during a storm.
Here are some tips for combating cold temperatures this winter:
If you have COPD, you shouldn't exercise outdoors when the weather is bad or the air is cold and dry. This means you will need to do the majority of your physical activity indoors during the winter months.
Exercise is one of the best ways to keep your heart and lungs healthy, which is why it's vital to keep it up all throughout the year. Even though you might be tempted to hide away and hibernate this winter, you shouldn't let the cold weather get in the way of your exercise goals.
Without outdoor sports and activities to keep you active, you might need to be more creative and deliberate with your workouts. Be prepared to rework your exercise routine and find new ways to get physical activity indoors.
For example, if you are used to walking outdoors for exercise, you could walk on a treadmill or indoor track at the gym instead. You could also take walks in a large public building in your area, such as an indoor mall.
You might also consider joining an exercise class at a local gym or fitness center. Many people find that participating in this kind of scheduled group activity makes it easier to stay motivated and stick with an exercise routine.
If you'd like, you can even work out in your own home without needing any expensive equipment. All you have to do is find a home exercise routine you like, whether it's online, on DVD, or a routine you devise yourself.
Don't ever think that staying inside means that you can't also stay active. Winter exercise opportunities are essentially endless, even though they might be tricky to find.
Here are some tips to help you get more exercise this winter:
Many places in the US experience an increase in outdoor air pollution during the winter. This happens for several reasons, including winter weather patterns and an increase in fossil fuels used during the colder months.
In general, the air in the winter tends to be more stagnant, which means the are fewer winds and storms to blow away the pollution that builds up in the air near cities. Winter temperature patterns also tend to push and trap polluted air closer to the ground, increasing the amount of harmful pollutants in the air you breathe.
That's why you should be ready and on the look out for poor air quality this winter. That means checking your local pollution forecast and being ready to take special measures to keep your lungs safe.
In general, you should plan to stay indoors as much as possible when air pollution is high. You should also keep your house closed up to keep outdoor pollution and other respiratory hazards from getting inside your home.
Be particularly diligent about checking the air pollution forecast before exercising or doing any kind of extended activity outdoors. You should always be ready to reschedule any plans or workouts, or move them inside, if the air quality turns out to be poor.
It's also important to note that a significant proportion of air pollution in residential areas during the winter comes from people who burn wood in in their homes. Because of this, burning less wood in your fireplace (or avoiding wood-burning altogether) is a wonderful way to protect yourself and your neighbors from unnecessary pollution this winter.
Here are some practical tips to help you avoid outdoor air pollution this winter:
It's important to be aware that the winter season often leads to poor air quality indoors. This is partially because of outdoor air pollution, but it is also caused by winter habits that allow fumes and fine particles to build up inside your home.
Common cold-weather activities like running a space heater or burning wood in the fireplace can introduce extra pollution into the air. What's worse, since it's too cold to open your windows and air out your house, that pollution tends to build up inside throughout the season.
Since most people spend at least 10 hours every day in their home—and potentially even more during the winter season—indoor air pollution is a serious hazard for people with COPD. It irritates and damages your lungs, causes your symptoms to flare up, and makes it harder to breathe when you're at home.
That's why you need to prepare to take extra steps this winter to keep the air inside your home clean. Doing so could make your symptoms much easier to manage, improve your quality of life, and make the winter months much easier to bear.
The first step is controlling sources of indoor pollution, including fireplaces, fragrances, gas-powered appliances, and fumes from cooking and cleaning. You should also be cautious about bringing sources of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into your home.
The second step is taking measures to get rid of irritating particles and airborne contaminates in your house. Effective measures include using high-quality air filters and air purifiers and regularly cleaning your home to get rid of dust, mold, allergens, and other respiratory irritants.
Lungs affected by COPD need fresh air in order to function properly and prevent quicker decline. While you can't always control the quality of the air around you, your home is one of the few areas in which you can make a difference in how healthy the air is to breathe.
Here are some more tips for keeping the air in your home clean this winter:
Storms and major weather events can pose a special risk for people with severe COPD, especially during the winter. They can not only cause dangerous power outages and transportation problems, but major weather changes can also make it more difficult to breathe.
When major storm fronts go by, they often cause a drop in barometric pressure, which causes oxygen levels in the air to fall as well. While this change is small, it can still affect people with COPD since their limited lung function cannot compensate for the reduced oxygen.
This barometric pressure change can make shortness of breath worse, as can the cold winds and extreme temperatures brought by winter storms. However, power outages are probably the biggest threat that severe storms pose to people with COPD.
Patients who use supplemental oxygen are particularly at risk (especially those who use a home oxygen concentrator) because a blackout could cut off power to their oxygen source. This could be life-threatening if you need supplemental oxygen 24/7 or to manage very severe respiratory symptoms.
That's why, if you live in an area prone to inclement weather, you should be prepared for power outages this winter. Make sure you have the supplies you need to weather short-term blackouts and to treat your symptoms more aggressively if the weather makes them worse.
If you use oxygen, the most important thing to do is always make sure you have a backup oxygen source that doesn't rely on electricity, such as extra compressed air oxygen tanks. You will need to work this out with your oxygen supplier ahead of time to make sure you have enough extra oxygen to last you through an emergency.
If you have a portable oxygen concentrator device, you should also keep a couple of extra charged batteries ready in your house. Then you will have the extra security of always having a light, portable oxygen source in the case of an emergency.
If you plan ahead, you can also call your power company to tell them that you are medically dependent on oxygen and use a powered oxygen device as your primary oxygen source. This will allow the power company to prioritize your area when restoring power; in some cases, they may even provide a generator or special assistance to your home.
You should also keep a written list with addresses and contact information for your primary doctor, specialists, and the closest emergency room. That way, even if you don't have power or internet, you can still get medical help.
If you run out of oxygen, your local police or fire department may also be able to help by providing you with medical oxygen or an alternative power source. In the case of an immediate medical emergency, don't hesitate to call 911 or have someone drive you to the hospital immediately.
Here are some tips to help you prepare for a potential power outage:
A common problem during the winter for COPD patients who use oxygen is a dry mouth, nose, and throat. This is a common symptom of oxygen therapy, but it's made worse by the harsh, dry winter air.
One way to combat the dryness is to ask your doctor for a humidifier bottle to use with your oxygen device. It humidifies the air from the oxygen source by bubbling it through distilled water, reducing how much it dries out your mouth and airways when you breathe.
Another problem many oxygen patients face is that their plastic tubing gets cold and stiff in chilly air. As the oxygen flows through the cold tubing, it gets chilled as well; by the time the air makes it to your nose, it can be harsh and uncomfortable to breathe.
That's why you should prepare to use special techniques to keep your oxygen tubing warm this winter. For example, you can get a soft cover for your tubing, which can be an effective insulator against the cold for short periods of time.
You should also look for ways to keep your oxygen tubing closer to your body so your own body's heat can keep it warm. You can do this simply by running the tubing under your coat, or by using clips and other methods to secure the tubing under your clothes.
The most important thing is to insulate your tubing enough that it doesn't cool down significantly during short jaunts in the cold. You may need to experiment with a few different techniques until you find a method that works and is comfortable for you.
Here are some tips for more comfortable oxygen therapy this winter:
The winter months can be tough to get through when you live with a chronic respiratory disease like COPD. However, with the right knowledge and preparation, you can keep yourself comfortable and healthy this winter.
By planning ahead for winter hazards, you can better protect your lungs and keep your symptoms under control. You can also develop strategies to avoid getting sick and reduce your chances of experiencing a COPD exacerbation.
It's much easier to plan ahead if you know what kinds of problems and hazards to expect. Instead of letting winter difficulties get you down, you can be proactive and do what you can to minimize those challenges instead.
If you do this, you will set yourself up for a much healthier, happier and safer winter season. When the snow melts away and the spring finally comes, you'll thank yourself for the efforts you made to keep your lungs safe and prevent your COPD from getting worse.
For more information about managing your COPD during the winter, see our complete Winter COPD Guide here.