Exhaustion - A Complication of Asthma

Asthma is a disease that makes it much harder for you to breath. It does so by narrowing the passages your lungs use to inhale and exhale, thus reducing air flow and oxygen levels entering the body. Oxygen is a major component of your body's overall ability to function and as a result of asthma a wide range of different health conditions may very well occur. It is important to understand these issues so that you can not only realize when you need to see a doctor for a diagnosis but also so that you will be able to understand exactly what you may experience if you are an asthma sufferer. Exhaustion is among the most common but overlooked symptoms of asthma.

Exhaustion occurs in asthmatics for a couple of key reasons. The main one is the previously mentioned oxygen levels. When oxygen levels are reduced, your body simply isn't receiving everything it needs to operate properly. Your muscles need the oxygen to work, as does the rest of your body. Everything from your brain to your heart function will be influenced by the oxygen you are taking into your body and as a result lower levels of oxygen will mean lower levels of energy. In serious cases this can go far beyond normal fatigue and into the realms of major exhaustion.

You'll also notice that you don't sleep as well as you should when you have asthma, especially if you suffer from nocturnal asthma. The symptoms can flare up and become far worse at night, which means that you'll not be able to get the right amount of sleep or rest. In other words, you'll end up experiencing even more exhaustion since you'll not only be failing to get the right levels of oxygen into your bloodstream but also won't be able to rest up enough to properly recharge your body.

Exhaustion can be a serious issue and have a serious impact on your life. Your social life will suffer, it can plummet you into unhappiness or even depression, and a lack of physical activity will actually cause you to become less healthy. Exercise is needed to keep in shape, and when you're exhausted constantly you'll find that it's much harder to get active than it would be otherwise. In short, all aspects of your health and well-being can be impacted indirectly through exhaustion caused by your asthma. Getting control of your asthma is the best way to ensure you have the energy to live your life the way you want to.