Swimming With Asthma

Many parents are concerned about their child swimming with asthma as they are worried about the effects of asthma medicines and the risk of an asthma attack. By following these simple steps you will enable your child to participate as much as they are able and give them the confidence to achieve their full potential.

Swimming is usually an excellent form of exercise for children and young people with asthma. The warm humid air in the pool is less likely to trigger symptoms of asthma. However, this is not the case for everyone and chlorine and swimming in cold water can trigger some people’s asthma.

If swimming makes a child’s asthma worse always ensure that they use their blue inhaler immediately before they warm up. Try to avoid the things that trigger their asthma before swimming. Ensure your child always has their reliever (blue) inhaler with them by the side of the pool. If your child has asthma symptoms when they are swimming, ensure they stop, take their reliever inhaler and wait five minutes or until their feel better before starting again.