Walking with bronchitis: benefit or harm?

Many believe that respiratory diseases, accompanied by cough and fever, are an occasion to imprison oneself for the period of illness in a warm, cozy place with a cup of warm tea and not leave it until the ailment recedes. How true this behavior is, let's try to understand this article. And at the same time, and discuss whether it is possible to walk with bronchitis, because with this pathology cough and temperature are the usual symptoms.

Bronchitis and its features

Bronchitis refers to the group of pathologies that equally affect both adults and toddlers. For him, there are no gender or national differences. So, any of us can get bronchitis.

The disease is the development of the inflammatory process in the bronchi, which is accompanied by the release of mucus and sputum accumulating in the airway lumen. Cough in this pathology is a physiologically conditioned reaction of the body to the interference to breathing. Thus, by the flow of air, he tries to push out the mucus that has accumulated in the airways to the outside to facilitate air circulation in the bronchi and lungs.

Fight with a cough with bronchitis can only be with expectorants that help the body perform work on cleaning the respiratory tract.

Bronchitis can occur in acute or chronic form. In the first case, the disease lasts about 3 weeks with the possibility of relapse several times a year. In the second - recovery can be delayed for up to 3 months. In this case, relapse of the disease happens much less often.

There is also a special form of the pathology of the respiratory system, called obstructive bronchitis. This name was received because due to the fact that during illness there is a significant blockage of the bronchi discharged from the respiratory tract by sputum due to the narrowing of the bronchial lumen, which prevents the process of ventilation of the lungs. This pathology is often characterized by a sluggish course both in acute (more common in children) and in chronic (characteristic for adults) stage of the disease.

The causes of bronchitis can be both respiratory infections and other factors that are non-infectious.

The disease is fairly widespread among children, especially in kindergartens and schools, where the infection spreads in a short time. But adults are not immune from it. The acute course of the disease is often accompanied by a severe cough and an increase in temperature, which forces people to stay in the hospital for a long time. It is clear that such a prolonged isolation can not but cause a fair question: is it possible to walk with bronchitis and how to do it without provoking dangerous complications?

[1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6]

Bronchitis in adults and walking in the fresh air

Adult working people do not like to sit on a sick-list, that they go to work, despite the malaise and cough. Here are just one such walks in the air bring relief, while in others - provoke complications of the disease. So what's the reason and can adults generally walk in bronchitis?

To begin with, the treatment of the acute stage of bronchitis and visits to public places, including the workplace at the enterprise or in the organization, are incompatible, until the attending physician allows you to do this by closing the sick leave sheet.

As for walks in the open air, they are considered useful for any disease, whatever it is connected with. Being in a room with insufficient ventilation, inhalation of dust and airborne isolated room infection (with infectious etiology of the disease) does not contribute to an early recovery. And with bronchitis, even on the contrary, can provoke attacks of severe cough.

Often in apartments there is also such a circumstance as low air humidity, which irritates the inflamed bronchi even more, causing more and more painful attacks. But even the moistened air inside the room can not so relieve the patient's condition as a fresh cool, moderately moist air outside.

Fresh air, at the same time, not only helps to cough up phlegm accumulating in the bronchi, stimulating active circulation in the lungs, but also strengthens the immune system, helping to quickly cope with the disease and prevent its recurrence in the future.

Is it possible for a child to walk with bronchitis?

Is not this question most of all worried by caring mothers, understanding how much children need fresh air for their normal development? Understanding the importance of walking on the street, however, does not prevent some caution, peculiar to mother, who has a sick baby. But a strong cough and temperature with bronchitis can confuse any, even the most advanced woman in medicine, when it comes to children.

And here it is necessary to understand that walks in the air with bronchitis are useful to children no less than adults. That's only in this case you need to be careful, relying on the condition of a large or small patient, the stage of the disease, weather conditions.

Careful during regular or recurring walks with children suffering from bronchitis, you can achieve significant improvement in the child's condition, stimulation with fresh air of the lungs and bronchial tubes of which will lead to an easier disposal of sputum without the use of medications. And is not that what mothers want, trying to protect the baby from the harmful effects of certain synthetic drugs prescribed by doctors. And the action of herbal medicines, diluting sputum, will only be stronger if the child's organism will help them with all the forces.

If the child is very small, walk in the fresh air can be afforded only when the district pediatrician gives it a go-ahead. Walking with children under 2 years, and even in the acute stage of pathology, can only delay the process of recovery because of insufficient formation of the body's immune system. In this case, it is better to trust a specialist who will assess the state of the child and the degree of safety of his stay in the open air.

When and how can I walk in bronchitis?

To walk in the fresh air did not provoke the emergence of other unpleasant symptoms or enhance the already existing manifestations of bronchitis, you need to consider some points.

So, contra-indications to walks in the street at a bronchitis can serve:

• The first 2 or 3 days of the disease, when the symptoms are particularly pronounced (the onset of an acute period)
• Severe weakness and malaise,
• The raised temperature of a body (from 37 degrees and above) which just also provokes various complications at illness.
• If the bronchitis is allergic, from walks on the street should be abandoned in the period of active flowering of trees (April-May) and flowers that can cause attacks of allergy in the summer-autumn period.
• Bad weather conditions (very cold air, causing coughing, windy or rainy weather). It is undesirable to walk and with the active shedding of the fluff of the curly poplar, which complicates the process of breathing.

For those who are worried about the question, is it possible to walk in bronchitis in winter, autumn, or early spring, when the air around is much lower than room temperature, which seems like the most comfortable one, you can answer one thing: it is possible and even necessary. The only condition in this case is relatively calm weather without precipitation at ambient temperature not lower than -10 ^of S. Frost to 10 degrees and humid air are unlikely to harm bronchitis, but the inability to breathe fresh air with a high probability can adversely affect the well-being patient.

Autumn, as it is commonly believed, is rainy, and this is caused by the fears of many parents whose children fell ill during this period. Is it possible for a child to walk in autumn with bronchitis? Does the inhalation of cool, damp air cause a worsening of the baby's condition? But what about if it rains outside?

All these questions are understandable, because autumn has always frightened us with rampant respiratory diseases. And the complications to pick up when the weather is wet is simple.

Nevertheless, doctors consider autumn walks even useful for children. However, this applies to adults. Moisture in the air contributes to easier sputum discharge, and cool air, as we recall, stimulates blood circulation in the lungs and bronchi, reducing the viscosity of the mucus that accumulates in them. Such walks are even more useful than summer ones, when due to the heat it is necessary to be constantly in the shade, trying not to overheat, which is no less dangerous than hypothermia.

By the way, walks at any time of the year should be made unhurried step. Active games for children with bronchitis, during the acute period of the disease are contraindicated. And adults during this period not to get involved in physical activities and sports activities. It is necessary to give the body the opportunity to relax in the open air.

Rainy and windy weather is not suitable for walking in bronchitis. In this case, it is better to restrict airing and humidifying the air in the room with a spray gun.

In good weather, especially at the beginning of the disease, you also need to be cautious, starting with short walks and gradually increasing the duration of the symptoms as the symptoms subside.

Is it possible to walk with acute bronchitis? In good windless weather it is possible at normal state of health and absence of temperature. It is impossible to sit in a closed room for 3 weeks (and even more). What will be the immunity? Yes, and the mood after a long stay inside the enclosed space is markedly reduced, and with it the hope of recovery is dying out.

To refrain from walking is only in the first days of illness, when in most cases you do not want to walk because of ill health.

Obstructive bronchitis and the possibility of walking in the air

Obstructive bronchitis is a special, rather severe form of the pathology of the broncho-pulmonary system, in which there are structural changes in the bronchi that make it difficult to move away from the sputum. In this case, patients of different ages are observed:

• a strong cough with an abundance of difficult-to-detach mucus, accompanied by wheezing,
• shortness of breath, which first appears as a consequence of physical exertion, and gradually turning into a constant, haunting patient even in a state of rest,
• a slight increase in body temperature (usually up to 37 and a half degrees) against a background of weakened immunity,
• weakness, unreasonable bouts of fatigue, which are felt even from the morning, when the patient is trying to get out of bed.
• attacks of suffocation in severe disease.

The causes of such a state of the respiratory system can be infectious diseases in the absence or absence of therapeutic measures, tobacco smoking, poor ecology. Risk factors in this case are: increased sensitivity of the pulmonary system and a tendency to allergic reactions, heredity.

Diseases are more susceptible to children and elderly people, whose immunity is weaker than that of young people.

The study of the symptoms and features of the development of the disease makes one wonder whether it is possible to walk at all with obstructive bronchitis, or if the outbreak of an already severe disease provokes an outbreak of fresh air.

Doctors, as with normal and with obstructive bronchitis, bed rest is prescribed only during the first 2-3 days. All the rest of the time, in the absence of temperature, the patient must move (of course, without much activity, accompanied by intense perspiration and cooling of the body due to this) and receive a therapeutic portion of fresh air. Attend training and educational institutions and go to work in the acute period of the disease can not, because it can worsen the patient's condition or promote the spread of infection by airborne droplets in acute bronchitis.

To start walking better from 10-15 minutes, gradually increasing their duration to 1 hour. In good weather, you can take a walk longer, about an hour and a half. Walking is recommended to perform daily one, and preferably twice a day (in summer it is better to do it in the morning and in the evening, when the sun is least active).

Rest on the water and sunbathing for the time of illness will have to be postponed (at least until complete recovery), as well as various hardening procedures, useful only for a healthy organism. In the meantime, it is better to limit yourself to quiet walks, gaining a charge of vivacity from oxygenation of the body and contemplation of the lovely landscapes of native nature.

Walking is best in park areas, away from roads, industrial plants and public institutions. If you really breathe, so clean air, and not smog and dust.

During walks with the child it is necessary to protect him from communicating with other children because of the possibility of transmission of infection. To do this, it is better to stay away from playgrounds where kids love to play. This is also useful in the sense that children play active games in the company (children have children, they can not resist the temptation to run, jump, puff up), which are contraindicated to babies with bronchitis.

On the question whether it is possible to walk with bronchitis, taking place without a rise in temperature, there is no definite answer. If the patient feels well enough, then walks in the fresh air will only benefit him. If the patient's state of health leaves much to be desired, there may be a lack of temperature associated with severely weakened immunity. In this case, the walk should be postponed until you feel better.

But the most important thing with obstructive bronchitis is not to ignore the appointment of a doctor. If medications are prescribed that promote liquefaction and excretion of sputum from the bronchi, it is not worth replacing them with outdoor walks. Fresh air only helps the body to fight the disease, but it is not a therapeutic agent.