Symptoms of Asthma

Asthma is a condition in which inflamed airways make breathing difficult. Wheezing—a whistling or squeaky sound made when you breathe—is a key asthma symptom. Here are other, more subtle signs of asthma.

You’re in your forties

The peak years for the beginning of asthma in adulthood are between 45 and 50. Most at risk of developing symptoms of asthma are those who have allergies or those who suffered from the disorder as kids but thought they “expanded” it. Many asthma symptoms start after an infection, e.g. cold.

You have a cough for a very long period

Most of us link a cough with a cold or bronchitis, but it can also sign asthma. Your cough becomes worse after you laugh or lie down—and it comes from the chest, not the throat. In one type of asthma, known as cough-variant asthma, the only symptom is a chronic cough. The best treatment for people with cough-variant asthma tends to be treatment medication, as over-the-counter varieties aren’t strong enough to offer aid.

You exhale, yawn, or take deep breaths a lot

These behaviours don’t necessarily mean you’re suffering from world-tiredness—they may, in fact, be symptoms of asthma. All three ways of breathing involve getting more oxygen into your body and more carbon dioxide out—an unconscious effort to remedy the imbalances caused by limited airways. Keep in mind that exhaling, yawning and taking deep breaths can also be signs of anxiety.

You’re often tired      

If wheezing and coughing through the night interrupts your sleep, it can cause serious issues. After a bad night’s sleep, you’re not only low on physical energy, you’re also less mentally sharp. Prolonged sleeplessness has been linked to increased risk of heart disease and diabetes. It may also make a case of asthma become more severe. Luckily, when asthma symptoms are controlled, sleep problems tend to go away.

Your chest feels tight

It is one of the symptoms of asthma attack. When this happens you may experience chest tightness, shortness of breath and a cough. People often mistake this tightness for heart attacks. Your physician or an ER can discover what’s going on and provide right treatment.

You’re taking in rapid, shallow breaths

For some people, slow and rapid breathing can be one of the symptoms of asthma. At rest, the normal breathing rate for adults is 12 to 20 breaths per minute, according to Cleveland Clinic. If you’re breathing faster than this, at about 30 times per minute (every two seconds), you may be experiencing hyperventilation.

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