December breathing: What to watch out for this month

After a very mild start this year, the weather has finally turned colder, the winter nights are drawing in and with the Christmas break coming up, our habits shift for the holidays.

You may notice your breathing feels heavier, tighter, or just… wrong. December can be a tricky month for breathing, even if you don’t have a diagnosed lung condition.

Here are some common culprits behind seasonal breathing irritations.

Cold air and winter weather

Cold, dry air constricts airways, irritates the lining of your lungs and can trigger coughs, wheezing or tightness. If you have even mild sensitivity or a tendency to breathe through your mouth, cold air can quickly knock your breathing pattern off track.

For people with asthma, COPD or other respiratory conditions, symptoms often flare up in winter.

Changes in lifestyle: food, drink, sleep, stress

December brings with it a glut of social events, comfort food, late nights and often less sleep. Poor sleep affects breathing regulation and ventilation and can aggravate underlying breathing‑pattern issues.

Overeating, alcohol and rich meals can bring added stress to your body, potentially affecting breathing comfort or triggering reflux‑linked coughing or breathlessness. Even if not obvious, your body may respond to these triggers.

And you may also find that holiday stress, disrupted routines, increased indoor time and reduced physical activity also contribute - breathing patterns may become erratic, shallow or tense.

More infections around

Winter is also the season for colds, flu and other respiratory bugs. Viruses spread more easily in cold, dry air and indoor crowding increases exposure. For many, a simple infection can destabilise breathing, even in people who usually feel fine.

Less daylight, more time indoors

Shorter days and colder weather may limit time outside. Windows stay shut, ventilation drops, indoor air may feel stale. Combined with heating dryness, dryness in the airways and behavioural changes (more sitting, less walking), this all adds up to impacting on your breathing.

What this means

If you notice your breathing seems off in December with maybe more frequent coughs, tighter chest, tiredness on small tasks or just a sense that breathing “feels wrong”, it's important to remember that it might not be just you. These seasonal factors can push even well‑trained lungs into discomfort.

At The Breathing MOT, we see many clients in early winter who ask: “Is this just winter being hard on lungs or is it my breathing pattern?”

If you're concerned, you notice persistent breathlessness or you sense your breathing is taking more effort than usual, why not book a Breathing MOT where our trained respiratory physiotherapists can help you work out whether the cause is temporary (seasonal) or deeper (pattern or airway).

Book here now or email us at enquiries@airphysiotherapy.co.uk or call 020 7971 1464 if you'd like to know more.