World Asthma Day 2025: Expert explains how stress and anxiety can worsen asthma symptoms

On World Asthma Day 2025, learn how stress and anxiety can impact respiratory health. Expert insights reveal the link between mental well-being and asthma symptoms. Know effective management strategies to breathe easier.

New Delhi:

Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease that influences the airways in the lungs, making them swell and constrict. This makes it difficult to breathe and can lead to symptoms like coughing, wheezing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath. Environmental causes such as dust, pollution, or allergens are triggers for asthma; mental conditions such as stress and anxiety may also contribute to exacerbating asthma symptoms.

The connection between mind and lungs

According to Dr Arun Chowdary Kotaru, Head and Senior Consultant, Pulmonology & Sleep Medicine, Artemis Hospitals, when we feel anxious or stressed, our body automatically goes into flight or fight mode. This is a natural response in which the body prepares itself to handle a perceived danger. In this process, the body releases stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol, which can cause us to breathe faster and feel muscles tighten up, including those around the airways. For individuals with asthma, this constriction can further constrict the airways, making breathing more difficult and even causing an asthma attack.

How does stress trigger asthma?

• Muscle Tightening: Stress tightens muscles that surround your airways, decreasing the airflow to your lungs.
• Increased Inflammation: Chronic stress can lead to increased inflammation in the body, including in the airways. This makes asthma symptoms appear and become more difficult to control.
• Changes in Breathing Patterns: Anxiety and stress can lead to shallow or fast breathing, which can cause hyperventilation. This abnormal breathing can provoke asthma symptoms or exacerbate them.
• Compromised Immune System: Long-term stress compromises the immune system, making the body more susceptible to infection, which is a prevalent asthma trigger.

Emotional triggers and panic

Individuals with asthma can also have anxiety associated with their condition, particularly if they have had serious attacks before. The fear of not being able to breathe can be a source of anxiety in itself. This anxiety has the unfortunate consequence of creating a cycle, as the fear of an asthma attack raises stress levels, which subsequently increase the likelihood of an attack.

Managing stress to control asthma

Emotional trigger management is the key to asthma control. Simple methods such as deep breathing, yoga, and mild exercise can calm the body. Meditation and mindfulness practices also bring mental relaxation. If intense emotions occur, it is helpful to talk to a counsellor. It is essential to follow your prescribed asthma medication regimen and have regular doctor visits to keep your condition under control and monitored.

However, stress and anxiety can worsen asthma symptoms. It is important to understand this relationship in order to have improved control of asthma. By being calm, handling emotions, and following your treatment regimen, you can reduce asthma attacks and feel better each day. A healthy mind makes it easier to breathe and live more comfortably.

Disclaimer: (Tips and suggestions mentioned in the article are for general information only and should not be construed as professional medical advice. Always consult your doctor or a dietician before starting any fitness programme or making any changes to your diet.)

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