Has your breathing felt different this summer? Here's why it might have done...

By the end of August/early September, many of us have spent much more time outdoors more than usual - festivals, holidays, dog walks, days out... especially with the weather as it has been in the UK this summer! And some may have noticed their breathing felt a little off: more breathless than expected, a sense of stuffiness, an irritable cough that comes and goes.

If that sounds familiar, there's a good chance the summer environment played a role. The question is whether the environment was the whole explanation - or whether something else is also at play.

What summer does to the air you breathe

The air in summer isn't the same as the air in spring or autumn. Several things change simultaneously, and for some people the combination is enough to noticeably affect their breathing.

• Heat - makes your body work harder to regulate its temperature. Your heart pumps faster, your breathing rate increases and you breathe more than you would at cooler temperatures. Even at rest, hot weather places an added load on the respiratory system. If you're moving around - walking, sightseeing, doing anything active - that effect compounds.

• Humidity - this adds another layer. Humid air holds more water vapour, making it feel heavier and harder to inhale. For people whose airways are already sensitive, this can tip the balance between comfortable and uncomfortable breathing.

• Ground-level ozone - this rises in summer. This is a pollutant formed when sunlight reacts with emissions from traffic and industry. Unlike the ozone layer high in the atmosphere, ground-level ozone irritates the airways directly - causing coughing, tightness and breathlessness in people who would otherwise have no symptoms.

• Pollen - peaks through June, July and into August, particularly grass pollen. High pollen days combined with heat and pollution can be a significant trigger, even for people who don't identify as hay fever sufferers.

Dust: a specific summer factor

Dry conditions in summer mean more dust in the air - particularly in open outdoor spaces. If you've been to a festival this summer or you've spent some time walking the dog in dry, open landscapes, you may have noticed your throat felt irritated, your chest felt a bit tight or you were coughing more than usual.

This isn't unusual. Dust particles irritate the airways and lungs regardless of your underlying respiratory health. For most people the effects are temporary and settle once they're back in a cleaner environment. But if you noticed symptoms that lingered or felt disproportionate to the exposure, that's worth paying attention to.

When it's environment - and when it's more

Here's the complication: the symptoms produced by summer environmental factors - breathlessness, chest tightness, coughing, a sense you can't quite fill your lungs - are often the same symptoms produced by a breathing pattern disorder.

For some people, summer environmental factors can just make pre-existing breathing inefficiency more obvious, i.e. they were already breathing in a slightly disordered way and the added load of heat, humidity or irritants pushed things to a point where they noticed it. For others, a period of illness, stress or reduced activity during the summer may have shifted their breathing pattern in a way that persists once the environmental triggers are gone.

The question is: now that summer is winding down, is your breathing back to how it was before? If the answer is no - if things still feel a bit uncomfortable, a bit restricted or harder work than they should be - the environment probably isn't the whole story.

What to look out for

It's worth considering a breathing assessment if, as summer ends, you're still noticing:

• Breathlessness during activity that feels out of proportion to the effort

• A persistent sense you can't get a full breath in

• Chest tightness or upper chest tension that doesn't settle

• A cough that started over the summer and hasn't resolved

• Breathing that feels fine at rest but becomes uncomfortable quickly when you move

These symptoms, particularly when they persist beyond a seasonal trigger, are often signs of a breathing pattern disorder - something that won't resolve on its own but responds well to the right assessment and support. Please note, if you have a persistent cough that has lasted longer than 3 weeks it is advisable to see a doctor, and certainly if you have persistent chest pain. 

How the Breathing MOT can help

Our specialist respiratory physiotherapists are experts in identifying breathing pattern disorders. A Breathing MOT is a detailed assessment of how you breathe - at rest and during activity. It looks at your breathing rate, the muscles you're using, the ratio of your in-breath to out-breath and whether your breathing pattern is efficient or whether it's placing unnecessary strain on your system.

If the summer has left you with questions about your breathing, it's a useful place to start. You'll leave with a clear picture of what's happening and what, if anything, needs to change.

Book at thebreathingmot.com, email info@thebreathingmot.com or call 020 7971 1464.