Home Health Fitness: Is it Normal To Wheeze During Exercise?

Fitness: Is it Normal To Wheeze During Exercise?


Physical exercise on a regular basis is very important for health and wellbeing of every individual. You exercise to stay in shape, to lose weight, and to live a happy and satisfied life.

When you exercise, your adrenalin and dopamine levels go up, and your stress levels go down. To put it frankly, you feel like you are at the top of the world, at the end of every workout routine.

But, if you always experience wheeziness, cough or breathlessness throughout your exercise, it is probably time to address that issue, and pay a visit to your doctor.

Wheezing can be caused by many factors. If it happens during and after exercise usually, happens because of airways shrinking. This is why you wheeze, cough or have shortness of breath. Wheezing induced by physical activity is called bronchoconstriction. During any exercise you breathe faster, and your airways become dry. Breathing is, basically, exchange of carbon dioxide for oxygen. The more you move your body, the more oxygen you need.

Sometimes wheezing or coughing is just a normal . of your body because of the physical strain you put your body through and dryness of your throat, but if your symptoms are more severe, that could mean that you probably have some health condition and that you need medical guidance. In some cases wheezing completely disappears as the levels of exercises progress.

You may have asthma or allergies

Don’t be alarmed if you do. Both are treatable and manageable. Asthma makes your airway inflamed, which means that your air paths become narrower, and therefore, it becomes harder for you to breathe, to swallow and to talk. You feel shortness of breath and pain in your chest.

Very similar things happen with allergies. Your airways and your lungs can become irritated because of the hypersensitivity of your immune system, making it harder for you to breathe.

People with asthma and allergies struggle with their symptoms every time they try to run or dance, or exercise in any other way, especially if they try to do their workout outside. That doesn’t mean they should stop. On the contrary. Some studies even show that asthma can be induced by a decrease in physical activity. So, every excuse to move your body is welcomed.

Your respiration rate is high

This is a normal occurrence. During any exercise, you will experience an increase of your respiration rate. In simple terms, a respiration rate is some breaths per minute. When you run or ride your bicycle, for example, your heart works twice as harder for your muscles to receive much-needed oxygen and blood. Your breathing rises from normal 15 breaths per minute to staggering 40 to 50 breaths per minute. The harder you exercise, more breaths per minute you need to take in.

If you are a novice to training, it is important not to panic if you start to wheeze, or feel harsh and tingling sensations in your throat and lungs. Perhaps you just exaggerated with your training and burned your body limits to the maximum. Your high respiration during exercise is normal, and if you start wheezing it will eventually sort itself out. If it doesn’t, go to your doctor immediately, and do some tests. Maybe you have asthma or some other chronic condition that can point to a more serious medical condition.

Your breathing rate will usually go back to normal within 10 minutes after you are done with your workout.

You may have cold

Cold is a very common infectious disease. Symptoms can include wheezing, runny nose, coughing and sneezing. Those symptoms can interfere with your workout routine, and sometimes even occur in the middle of your exercise, especially if you exercise in cold weather too much. If you have a cold, it’s best for you to stop temporarily with your exercise until you feel better.


Wheeziness during exercise can be a serious symptom. If your wheezing is caused by asthma, allergies or a common cold, it can be managed with medication, and other kinds of care, like avoiding areas with allergenic pollen and foods that can cause allergies or areas that are not ventilated properly.

Whether it is a sign of asthma, infection or plain cold, wheeziness and symptoms similar to wheeziness can be reduced by proper breathing techniques everyone should learn. Those techniques are comparable to meditation, and can also be used during exercise or yoga:

· Long breathing, in and out, through both nostrils

· Practicing exhalation, and taking long (not deep) breaths

· Making sure that exhale is complete, and that all of the bad air is out of your   lungs

· Breathe with your stomach, not your chest


  1. Glozine Health
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Kathy Mitchell was born in the USA. She has done MA in English Literature. She loves to publish her article on different health and beauty websites. Follow her on Google+, . and Twitter.


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