Could cold weather be effecting my lungs?

January 23, 2018 10:34 PM

Hello, I'm currently posting from Canada where the temperature is currently -19c (-3f). On most days where I'm currently residing the temperature drops down to -35c (-31f) or more.

Hello, I'm currently posting from Canada where the temperature is currently -19c (-3f). On most days where I'm currently residing the temperature drops down to -35c (-31f) or more. I'm from a southern state in the USA so my body isn't quite used to anything below freezing. Maybe upon two weeks arriving here I started getting this weird cough that gave me chest discomfort and I was hacking up white bubbly phlegm. I went to the doctors and he said it didn't seem serious and prescribed me antibiotics. While on the antibiotics I got quite sick with a cold of some sort. Although I'm coughing less than before the antibiotics I am still coughing. I could still be in a recovering phase from the previous cough causing my lungs to feel tender ? Idk I was also curious if the cold weather might be effecting my lung activity as well since I'm not used to such cold temperatures and hardly any sunlight

posted by Crystied0 to Health & Fitness (15 answers total)

With a persistent cough, you may have a form of asthma, where the frigid air is irritating the airways of your lungs causing them to become inflamed and produce mucus. You could ask your doctor for an albuterol rescue inhaler to see if your symptoms improve. If there is improvement, it's likely you have asthma. If the cough occurs throughout the day requiring regular rescue inhaler use, then a long acting daily inhaler may help. The formal way to diagnose is to perform a breathing test (called spirometry or pulmonary function testing) in clinic.

In general, I'd talk to your doctor again and tell them that your cough is not going away.
posted by slomodinkens at 10:51 PM on January 23, 2018 [3 favorites]

Response by poster: @slomodinkens upon visiting the doctor I was also prescribed a salbutamol inhaler which I just started using usually before I go out into the cold air. I haven't really noticed a difference while using it opposed to not using it, ill keep trying it and hopefully it gets better. I'm not sure how long full recovery takes when it comes to lung or strep infections I'm not producing much phlegm when I do cough and it doesn't hurt. Just feels like there is gunk in my chest that won't come out
posted by Crystied0 at 11:37 PM on January 23, 2018

I'd recommend using a humidifier and drinking a lot of water and see if that hrlps. Complete lack of humidity in your heated air may be contributing. My Dad has a persistent cough and it was helped a lot by these two thinfs. Taking antibiotics can be hard on your body because it kills your normal good bacteria that keep you healthy. Maybe eat some yogurt/take some probiotics for the next few weeks.
posted by Kalmya at 4:01 AM on January 24, 2018 [6 favorites]

Cold air is also often very dry air. Even those without lung problems find it can hurt or cause coughing. I had a nasty upper respiratory situation a few years back, and ended up with a diagnosis of bronchitis and an inhaler. The inhaler helped a lot, but my lungs stayed sensitive for a few months after, and cold was definitely a trigger. I don't think the cold *caused* your problems; illness did. But it may be triggering your cough or making it more unpleasant while you recover, and recovering from a bad cough can take weeks or more -- 18 days is average.

I second the idea of a humidifier. Also, make sure you're wearing a muffler or balaclava over your nose and mouth, when you go out; that may help. Try to limit any prolonged exposure to severe cold while you're healing, and exercise indoors.
posted by halation at 4:40 AM on January 24, 2018 [3 favorites]

Ya, Nthing humidifier. If you're from a southern state you are used to much higher humidity. Going from FL to anywhere in winter makes me cough. I used to get a persistent cough after a cold/flu almost every winter. After we moved it's mostly gone away.
posted by chasles at 5:37 AM on January 24, 2018

Cold can most definitely irritate my lungs and trigger an asthma coughing fit. It seems to happen most for me below -30C or so, but it's definitely something I need to be careful of when exercising in the cold. As mentioned above a scarf over your mouth and nose helps a lot with this.

Indoor humidifiers are a great help, especially in the bedroom for sleeping. Do get one of the cold mist ones though (rather than steam ones), as they're much less likely to get colonized by bacteria.
posted by bonehead at 6:49 AM on January 24, 2018

I have cold-induced asthma. It's a persistent cough caused by inflammation of my lungs. It can flare up in warmer weather, but is generally aggravated by cold weather. It's almost always triggered by a cold or flu. When it flares up, I use a steroid inhaler, which has to be used daily as it works over time to reduce inflammation. Menthol is effective at opening airways, so I use Halls-type cough drops for quick relief.

Wear a muffler to cover your mouth outdoors. Increase indoor humidity. Don't smoke. I've had this for years, and it was not correctly diagnosed until I saw a pulmonologist. I live in Maine where we have plenty of cold weather, so I can relate to your misery; feel better soon.
posted by theora55 at 6:52 AM on January 24, 2018 [1 favorite]

Agree with humidity and bundling.
Also, when I have a lingering cough, it often benefits from my putting a sore-muscle heating pad on my chest for a bit each evening while I'm winding down -- don't know if it Kills Bugs or just Loosens Congestion, but it tends to help things clear up much faster than they used to. And it feels fantastic too!
posted by acm at 8:10 AM on January 24, 2018

I've found I can cut down on my own and other's coughing by relying on inhaling through my nose and slowing my breath.

This is similar to the Buteyko method, though the reasoning behind Buteyko method are disputed/wrong.

Inhaling through the nose does a couple of things. One, it humidifies the air you breath. Two, it warms the air you breath. Three, it supplies your body with some nitrous oxide which enhances pulmonary oxygen uptake.

My cousin's six year old was recently coughing every breath or so. I spent five minutes with him, having him inhale through his nose, exhale through his mouth, and wait a number of seconds before inhaling again (optimally you wait until you have an urge to inhale, though I didn't want to explain this to a six year old). His cough was gone for the rest of the evening.
posted by GregorWill at 8:20 AM on January 24, 2018

If you're having trouble with really bad chest congestion, some Mucinex might help. Take with lots and lots of water. When I moved up north (although not as far north as you!) the first few winters were a bitch. Lots of good suggestions here, but basically just spoil yourself with warmth and humidity as much as you can. Warm showers, humidifiers, menthol on the chest and in breathing treatments, heating pads and warm drinks, just throw the whole kitchen sink at it. But it will take a while for your body to acclimate, and it may never fully, but you'll get a bit better after you've been there for a couple years.
posted by backwards compatible at 8:24 AM on January 24, 2018

Yes. See a Doctor, you may have a slight case of bronchitis or pneumonia. This happened to me last year when dry weather exacerbated a cold into something worse. Antibiotics and a humidifier fixed it almost instantly and I'm grateful I went back to the doctor when I did.

This year I've been better about the air quality in my home. So far so good. See your doctor!
posted by jbenben at 8:38 AM on January 24, 2018

Cold (and dry) air definitely can irritate your lungs, but keep in mind that it's also cold/flu season here and coughs from those can linger for a week or two after getting better otherwise. Coughing up mucus sounds more like an infection (usually viral ones which aren't helped by antibodies) than simple irritation, which would normally be more of a dry cough. It should pass soon with rest and drinking lots of fluids (helps to thin the mucus and help you cough it up). Cough suppressants are helpful when needed to sleep but otherwise for a wet cough it's best to cough that garbage out.

To reduce irritation from the air, breathe only through your nose when outside, and also through a scarf if it's very cold. Your nose adds a lot of warmth and moisture to the air before it hits your lungs.
posted by randomnity at 9:13 AM on January 24, 2018

Response by poster: Thanks everyone for the helpful replies!! I'll definitely look into getting a humidifier today.

Friday I am going to see a doctor (same doctor who prescribed me antibiotics), however, its to get prescriptions for birth control but I guess it might be worth bringing up and have a second look see. Unfortunately, my travels insurance probably won't cover the cost if he recommends X-ray testing and such.
posted by Crystied0 at 12:21 PM on January 24, 2018

I used to come down with a two-day cold-like (responded to OTC meds and all) sinus infection after below-freezing winter camping. It took a few times before I realized it wasn't viral, but temperature-induced, and started sleeping in my balaclava.

So +1 anecdata that cold temperatures can mess with your respiratory system. If humidity is the factor as other posters say, that would explain why the balaclava helped (by keeping the moisture in the exhale from icing out and dissipating).
posted by Rube R. Nekker at 10:27 PM on January 24, 2018

I was diagnosed with adult-onset asthma about 20 years ago. I mentioned to the doctor that when I was a child, I had trouble breathing after being exposed to cold air, and the ENT Mom took me to called it "cold air in the lungs." The asthma-diagnosing doctor said, "Yes, that's what they called it then."

If what you have is asthma, a humidifier is not recommended. Humidity exacerbates the condition.
posted by caryatid at 10:37 AM on January 25, 2018