Cold weather, dry indoor air, allergens, and poor air quality can all make breathing more difficult during fall and winter. Simple steps such as using a vaporizer, improving ventilation, staying hydrated, covering your nose and mouth outside, and watching air quality can help protect lung health. These habits can help people in Canada and other cold regions breathe easy.
Improve Indoor Air Comfort
- Use a Vaporizer
Dry indoor air, especially from heating systems, can irritate your airways. A vaporizer helps keep indoor humidity between 30-50%, which can ease breathing.
- Improve Ventilation
Make sure your home has proper airflow by opening windows now and then or using an air purifier to reduce indoor air pollutants like dust, pet dander, and mold.
- Layer Your Clothing
Bundling up is important, but overheating indoors can create dry air and aggravate your airways. Try to stay warm without making the room too dry.
Protect Your Airways in Cold Weather
- Breathe Through Your Nose
Cold, dry air can cause your airways to constrict, making breathing harder. Your nose helps warm and moisten the air before it reaches your lungs, which can reduce discomfort. - Use a Scarf
If you’re going outside in cold weather, covering your nose and mouth with a scarf can help warm the air before it reaches your lungs.
Stay Hydrated
- Drink Plenty of Water
Staying hydrated helps keep the mucous membranes in your airways moist, which supports easier breathing.
Manage Air Quality and Allergens
- Be Aware of Air Quality
Even during colder months, outdoor pollutants like pollen or smog can trigger breathing difficulties, especially in cities. Use air quality apps to check conditions before heading outside. - Keep Windows Closed During Allergy Season
Fall can still bring pollen, and keeping windows closed helps prevent allergens from entering your home. - Shower at Night
If you’re prone to fall allergies, showering before bed can remove pollen from your body and keep it off your bedding.
Adjust Outdoor Activity
- Limit Outdoor Workouts in Extreme Cold
Cold, dry air can make it harder to breathe, especially during vigorous exercise. If conditions are harsh, consider shortening your workout or moving it indoors.
Support Lung Function
- Practice Deep Breathing
Controlled breathing exercises can help improve lung function and increase oxygen intake, which is beneficial for overall lung health.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cold, dry air can irritate and tighten the airways, making it harder to breathe. Breathing through your nose or using a scarf can warm and moisten the air before it reaches your lungs.
Keep indoor humidity between 30 and 50 per cent. This range can help prevent dry indoor air from irritating the airways while supporting easier breathing.
You can improve ventilation, use an air purifier, keep windows closed during allergy season, and shower at night to remove pollen from your body before it settles on bedding.
Not always, but vigorous exercise in extreme cold may make breathing harder. If conditions are harsh, shorten your workout or move it indoors.
Drinking enough water helps keep the mucous membranes in your airways moist. That supports easier breathing and may reduce irritation from dry air.
Your Donation Can Save Lives!
Empower Canadians to breathe better by supporting the Lung Health Foundation
