Six Tips to Protect Your Lungs During Extreme Heat

As extreme heat settles over Missouri, the American Lung Association has tips to help residents safeguard their health. Extreme weather conditions, like the current heat wave, can be especially challenging for the 1,047,000 residents living with lung disease in Missouri.  Inhaling hot, humid air can cause airway inflammation and exacerbate respiratory disorders like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It can also be a trigger for people with asthma because breathing in hot, humid air induces airway constriction.

The American Lung Association offers these six tips to protect your lung health in extreme heat:
 

1. Monitor air quality. Air pollution can be very high in the summer and those with asthma and other lung diseases are at higher risk of being negatively impacted by air pollution.
2. Don’t try to exercise outside in extreme heat. It’s not just uncomfortable, it can be deadly.
3. Ensure you are taking steps to keep your body cool, such as:
   • Drink plenty of fluids, even if you don’t feel thirsty, to stay hydrated. When you are dehydrated, your nasal passages dry out and that can affect your breathing.
   • Wear lightweight, loose-fitting clothing.
   • Locate an air-conditioned space such as a shopping mall or public library and try to stay there during late afternoon when it is hottest outside. Even a few hours spent in air conditioning can help your body stay colder when you return home.
   • Stop using an electric fan when temperatures reach 95 degrees or higher. These lend a false sense of comfort due to creating air flow but do not reduce your body’s temperature and could increase your risk of heat-related illness. Instead, take a cool shower or bath to cool your body temperature down.
4. Keep all medications with you. It is important for people with chronic lung diseases such as COPD and asthma to always keep quick-relief medications with them and follow their Asthma Action Plan or COPD Action Plan. Contact your healthcare provider if symptoms do not improve or become worrisome.
5. Ask for help. The American Lung Association’s Lung HelpLine at 1-800-LUNGUSA is staffed by nurses and respiratory therapists and is a free resource to answer any questions about the lungs, lung disease and lung health, including how to protect yourself during extreme heat.
6. Help others. Check on elderly and vulnerable neighbors frequently to ensure their homes are safely cooled and vented.

For more information and to get involved, visit Lung.org/extreme-heat.