Among respiratory diseases, bronchial asthma occupies a special place. The disease proceeds in a chronic form and is periodically accompanied by coughing fits, which can be triggered by various factors. Asthmatics are forced to take medications all their lives, adhere to a special diet and lead a certain lifestyle.

Dry or humid hot air has a different effect on the condition of the bronchi, while the immune system gets a strong shake up and activates hidden reserves. Experts agree that it is safe to go to the bathhouse for asthma during remission, observing the sequence of passing all stages of the thermal procedure and gradually accustoming the body to stress.  
 

Is it allowed to go to the bathhouse for asthma?

From the point of view of medicine, baths and saunas refer to physiotherapy procedures, which means that the basic principles of treatment are applicable to them – consistency, a gradual increase in the visit time, control and adherence to the regime. In terms of the level of useful load on the cardiovascular, respiratory and immune systems, bath procedures are comparable to physical training. An increase in heart rate and respiration, along with the activation of metabolic processes, triggers a response from the body. For a healthy person, these phenomena are beneficial and contribute to the elimination of toxins, they help to reduce weight well, and increase resistance to infections. The effect is enhanced with the use of essential oils and useful herbal infusions.    

Patients diagnosed with bronchial asthma, who want to visit the steam room, need to understand that excessive stress on the cardiovascular and respiratory systems can provoke an asthma attack, and additional aromatic substances are often the cause of an allergic response. Asthmatic bronchi are characterized by the presence of a narrower lumen, therefore, excessive stimulation of sputum production or bronchospasm under the influence of an allergen can lead to sad consequences.   

Disputes among specialists are ongoing about visiting a bathhouse for bronchial asthma. Opinions differ, since the disease is characterized by various forms and depends on various factors. The main condition for a safe visit to the bath is a preliminary consultation with a doctor who will conduct a full examination of the body, identify possible contraindications and recommend the optimal regimen and frequency of procedures. Since the disease is characterized by an undulating course, when periods of exacerbations with frequent attacks are replaced by episodes of calm, then when choosing a time for a sauna, this should be taken into account. It is allowed to go to the bathhouse during stable remission, when the likelihood of an attack is minimized. Usually asthmatics keep a special diary by which it will be easy to determine the cyclical nature of the disease.  

Precautionary measures

Patients with controlled bronchial asthma should adhere to certain rules when visiting baths and saunas. A gradual increase in the duration and frequency of heat exposure, along with regular intake of medications recommended by your doctor, will help you to get rid of frequent attacks and relieve the condition. Memo for those wishing to take a steam bath or sauna with bronchial asthma:   

• The first step is to make sure that the disease is in a stable remission stage and the risk of an attack is reduced to zero. Keeping a diary and paying attention to your own health helps to fulfill this point .  
• It is important to train the body to visit the bath gradually, controlling the level of humidity, temperature and time spent in the steam room. It is better to start with simple steam inhalations, which will well prepare the bronchi of an asthma patient and help to choose the optimal regimen.  
• You need to prepare for entering the steam room in a room with an average temperature. In order for the body to adapt, you need to immerse your feet in a bowl of hot water and sit for 10-15 minutes, controlling your health, breathing rate and pulse.

In the steam room, the temperature should not exceed 90 degrees

• For adults, when visiting a bath or sauna, it is important to remember that the temperature in the steam room should not exceed 90 degrees. At the same time, the time spent in the steam room starts from 5 minutes and can be gradually increased up to 15 minutes. 
• In the steam room, you must be in a headdress, which will prevent excessive overheating and protect you from increased stress.
• You can wash after visiting the steam room after 10-15 minutes using water at a comfortable temperature. 
• The use of essential oils and herbal infusions is allowed, but when choosing them, you should take into account the individual characteristics of the body and do not take obviously allergenic substances with you.

The main condition for a safe visit to the steam room for a person with bronchial asthma is the mandatory presence of a drug that will help to cope with the onset of an attack of suffocation.

When it is forbidden to go to the bathhouse

There is a standard list of contraindications for visiting a bath or sauna: the presence of an acute infectious and inflammatory process in the body, malignant tumors, high or low blood pressure, the recovery period after surgery and illness. Being in a bath in the presence of these contraindications will not be beneficial and may aggravate the course of the underlying pathology. For patients with bronchial asthma, the list of prohibitions is supplemented by the fact that bathing procedures during an exacerbation of the disease can cause a severe attack of suffocation, which proceeds more acutely in conditions of high temperature or humidity.

Possible consequences

Feeling unwell, shortness of breath, the appearance of a wheezing wheeze in the bath is easy to overlook or try to explain by the influence of unusual conditions, therefore it is important to make sure that there are no precursor symptoms before starting the course of thermal effects. Bronchial asthma and bath are compatible concepts with a reasonable approach. Asthmatics can lead a normal lifestyle and practically do not differ from healthy people only with timely medical supervision and control.