Stress and Asthma

Stress alone is hard on your body. When you have asthma, it’s even harder. Hormonal and chemical changes happen in the body, affecting blood pressure, diabetes, the immune system and more. Stress itself doesn’t cause asthma but the body’s response to it can be one of many triggers for asthma attacks…and it’s not just adult stress.

A lot of attention has been paid to the environmental triggers of asthma, but research indicates that stressful events can also be powerful triggers for asthma attacks in children, both shortly after the event and weeks later.

When stress levels start to creep upward -- whether it’s over bills, work, or your kids’ jam-packed calendar -- asthma symptoms can kick into overdrive. As the wheezing and coughing gets worse, your health becomes one more reason to worry. Asthma and anxiety make for a vicious circle, and one that can spiral downward quickly.

There are many stressors that worsen asthma control in patients with asthma. These include allergens (such as cat dander and pollen), irritants (e.g. smoke), and cold infections.

Uncontrolled emotions can work the nerves and cause constriction of muscles, like the smooth muscles of the airways in the lungs. They tighten up and constrict, which can worsen wheezing, coughing, and chest tightness in people with asthma.

Although stress and anxiety start in your mind, asthma is a physical disease of the lungs. Being aware of this direct connection and discussing it with your allergist can help you to better control your asthma, especially for triggers that are less typical and, like stress, poorly understood.

How can you begin to manage this stress?

Click here for more

Back to Asthma Contents

Back to Home Page