COPD and Winter Weather: How to Breathe Easy During Cold Months

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can make you feel shortness of breath or cough, wheeze, and spit out excess phlegm and sputum. These symptoms may get worse during extreme temperatures and make COPD harder to manage. To learn more about COPD and winter weather, keep reading.

Does COPD Get Worse in Winter?

The short answer is yes. COPD symptoms can become worse during winter and harsh weather conditions.

One study by Meredith McCormick and her colleagues found that COPD patients experienced higher hospitalization rates and worse quality of life during cold & dry conditions.

Cold weather can make you feel tired and out of breath. It is because frigid temperatures contract the blood vessels, restricting blood flow.

As a result, the heart must pump more forcefully to provide the body with oxygen. As the cold weather increases your blood pressure, your lungs will also work harder to provide oxygen in the bloodstream.

These physical changes can cause fatigue and difficulty breathing.. Additional symptoms that may present or worsen in cold weather include fever, swollen ankles, confusion, excess coughing, and oddly-colored mucus.

For the treatment of COPD, the most important one is low-flow oxygen inhalation. How to inhale oxygen for COPD patients can be divided into hospitalization and home oxygen therapy. Flow oxygen inhalation, if there are no special circumstances, it is recommended to inhale oxygen around the clock to improve the patient's condition. For the patient's home oxygen therapy, the same low flow oxygen inhalation, 2-3L per minute, for more than 15 hours.

Doctors recommend using an oxygen concentrator to relieve COPD symptoms. Inhaling enough oxygen in a timely manner can open and relax the airways, making it easier for people to breathe. Oxygen production mechanism Oxygen is a physical process, and the process of oxygen production is environmentally friendly and pollution-free. Oxygen therapy can be easily performed at home by using an oxygen generator, reducing the number of times to go to the hospital for oxygen therapy.

In the season of high incidence of respiratory diseases in winter, oxygen therapy is not only suitable for chronic pulmonary obstruction, but also for acute bronchitis, acute pneumonia, bronchiectasis, coronary heart disease and other diseases. In winter, breathing is easy and requires an oxygen concentrator.