Asthma and the Effects of Dehydration

When spring arrives it brings with it gobs of pollen. In March and April, everything gets this fine yellow dust cover of pollen, especially from the trees. For some people, this triggers allergy and asthma attacks. Asthma is much more alarming than the stuffy, runny nose and the swollen, weepy eyes of an allergy attack. Of course, asthma is triggered by more than allergies. Stress can be a strong contributor to this breathing problem. One relatively new theory also claims dehydration can cause asthma attacks.

Asthma is usually defined as a shortness of breath that can come on without any warning. The breath become shallow, more rapid and can be accompanied by a notable wheeze or whistling in the out-breath. Sufferers can sometimes feel that they are almost suffocating as breathing becomes more labored. New theories out there, determine that asthma may be no more than a dehydration response because of known lung mechanics. It can be illustrated this way. Breathe through your mouth for a few minutes.

Notice how dry your mouth gets, so much so that you have to stimulate saliva to move around your mouth with your tongue.

In a dehydration response in the body, histamine is activated. Histamine has two functions, one of which is not generally known. Histamine is in charge of the immune activation system, mobilizing the defenses against incoming invaders. Histamine is also in charge of water management in the body. It is the foreman, deciding where available water goes and how much goes where.

When dehydration becomes apparent, histamine activity greatly increases and the body is alerted that the emergency response team is at the ready. When the moisture level in the lungs decreases to the point where dehydration is becoming apparent, an increase in histamine levels in the lungs causes the bronchioles to spasm, which makes them contract. This spasming action caused by histamine in the bronchial tubes is part of the body's way to conserve water that would normally just get breathed out to evaporate during the out breath, that normally occurs when we breathe out naturally. Now the body cannot afford to give up that water, so it tries to save it.

In dehydration, the lung tissue can become very susceptible to drying out. The little air sacs in the lungs have very thin layers of tissue to easily and quickly pass gases and toxins through the thin walls as we breathe in and out. This tissue must be kept moist all the time or the tissue can become damaged, creating permanent breathing problems. Moisture in the lungs naturally evaporates when we breathe, so to prevent lung damage, the tissue constricts in response to histamine, to conserve water, preventing it from evaporating. As histamine constricts the tissues, the amount of air passing through and around the lung tissues is lessened, giving us the impression it is harder to breathe and we labor to get more air into our lungs.

Histamine also triggers mucous production to coat the tissues and protect them from drying out. This can stimulate the asthmatic cough as one tries to clear the passages enough to get the next breath. It can be scary as the breathing becomes more restricted if the body becomes even more dehydrated.

If this theory hold true, researchers say that by drinking two large glasses of water, the breathing will ease. In addition health professionals advise sufferers to make a cup of hot tea, particularly green tea. Take minute sips of the tea, as hot as you can stand it without burning yourself, swallowing them and breathing in the steam from the hot tea. This will moisten the lungs and the hot tea will relieve the spasming and coughing. Within minutes, the attack should subside and you will begin to feel much better.

By rehydrating your body with lots of clean spring water, you should feel better in no time. To prevent further attacks, sufferers are advised to continue to drink as much water as they can each day, half their body weight in ounces.

Asthma suffers should be constantly monitored by their health care professional as an attack can be very serious. Suffers may find that drinking more water may reduce the severity of an attack and may also reduce the number of attacks. By being vigilant, reducing exposure to asthmatic triggers and taking their medication as prescribed, asthma sufferers may find themselves more comfortable and requiring less medication. After all, we can't stop breathing.