Breathing in cold air

popette

I'm finding that hills are really difficult at the moment - my breathing gets really laboured, really quickly and I have to back off completely and twiddle away in a really low gear until I recover. I've been to the doctor and they said they didn't think there was anything wrong - although they did give me some antibiotics, just in case there was something lurking. It feels as though I can't get a complete lung full of air and I'm starting to wonder if it's the cold. Today's ride was in temps of about 3 degrees.
Anyone else experiencing the same? It's my first winter on a bike and I haven't had this burning sensation in my chest and throat since I used to run home from sunday school :shock: at full pelt.

ras_undy

Did they check its not asthma, cold air can be one of the triggers for this. I suffer with astma and in the really cold weather need to take an extra puff on my inhaler before excercise.

woody-som

welcome to the cold weather rides. It's one of those things that effect some more than another, also why most club riders take it easy during the winter.

I wouldn't worry, it happens to us all, along with runny nose, cold fingers and toes. Just wrap up warm, and keep the effort a little lower than the warmer weather, but do enjoy the crisp, weather for riding, especially as it's dry.

popette

ras_undy wrote:

Did they check its not asthma, cold air can be one of the triggers for this. I suffer with astma and in the really cold weather need to take an extra puff on my inhaler before excercise.

Yes, they did a check for exercise induced asthma - blowing into a tube thing. No problems at all on that front. Although, how can they check for exercise induced asthma when I'm sitting down on a chair?? Shouldn't I be exercising for them to check that?

bazza59

popette

monitoring breathing whilst exercising would be a much better check but your GP's surgery usually isn't set up to do this. I developed exercise induced asthma when I turned 40 - apparently very common for blokes to do this. Cold air is a bugger because it tends to trigger it off more quickly.

If you become wheezy during a low temp ride than its possible that you could be suffering from exercise induced breathing difficulties. If so a blast or two of salbutamol will work wonders.

baz

slunker

breathing in very cold air causes the blood vessels in your lungs and air ways to contract. Usually the air is heated on the way in by the body but if the air is cold it cannot be done quick enough. This is why you can get an asmatic feeling.

ut_och_cykla

Even if you haven't strictly speaking got astma large quantities of very cold air will make your breathing feel even harder. Endurance skiers tend to have a higher prevalence of exercise/cold induced asthma.
It's especially important to warm up thoroughly and take hills steadily. Keep your neck/throat/head as toasty as possible so the air has a chance to warm up a bit on its way in! MAke sure you haven't got clothing around your torso that restricts breathing.
perhasp like me you'll have to give the hardest coldest rides a miss