Recently, most of the northern regions have opened the snow mode, and many people feel that the snow will make the already difficult respiratory infections even worse, and patients with chronic respiratory diseases are also even more uncomfortable. Is snow good or bad?How can patients with chronic respiratory diseases cope with this snow season?Dr. Wang Shiyao from the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine of China-Japan Hospital gave us a detailed explanation.
Dr. Wang first told us that the humidity increases after snowfall, which reduces the transmissibility of the virus. In fact, a cold and dry environment is more conducive to the spread of the virus. For example, if someone spits out a mouthful of sputum, it may normally die in 1-2 days if there is the virus in the sputum, but if it is in a colder and drier environment, it may survive longer. At this time, if you accidentally get close to this phlegm, the virus may be sucked in.
When we are infected with the virus, it is not necessarily transmitted from person to person, when there is a virus in the environment, it may linger around us at any time, which is why some people say that they get sick when they come back from going out for a walk, which may be caused by the virus in the environment. For example, if there is a virus on the doorknob, touch the doorknob and then touch the mouth, this becomes a hand-to-mouth transmission. If it is very dry and cold at this time, the virus will stay on the doorknob for more time, and the chance of infection will be greater. But if it is in a moderate temperature and humidity environment, the virus may die quickly, and even if it has the same action, it will not be infected. Therefore, if the humidity increases, the transmission ability of the virus is relatively weakened.
Dr. Wang also told us that the humid air in the snow will enhance the protection of the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract to a certain extent. And when our airways are drier, respiratory symptoms can be more severe.
The important role of our nasal cavity is to humidify the incoming air, which warms and humidifies it, so that the air entering our lungs is not so irritating, but moist and warm. In fact, cold air itself is a stimulus, and thus entering the lungs also forms a stimulus. There are even some patients with chronic lung disease who cough when they encounter cold air. Therefore, maintaining a humid environment, including using humidifiers and going to places with high humidity in the south for the winter, is not only helpful for friends with respiratory diseases, but also reduces the occurrence of infectious diseases.
Therefore, Dr. Wang reminds friends with chronic respiratory diseases to try to live in a relatively warm and humid environment, which can reduce inhalation irritation, coupled with the decrease in the transmissibility of the virus from the outside world, which is conducive to their better winter. This is also why when the new crown was opened last year, it was generally believed that the symptoms of northerners were more severe than those of southerners, and the main factor may be that the humidity in the south was greater. In contrast, even if it snows in the north, the humidity increase is limited, and the wet time may not be long, so it may not be particularly friendly to respiratory diseases, especially for patients with chronic respiratory diseases.
For the north, the weather is cold, and it is snowing heavily, and people are even more reluctant to move. But Dr. Wang reminds us to get moving!Especially for those with chronic respiratory diseases, moderate exercise can enhance lung activity. Through exercise, these people can increase lung capacity, improve the strength and endurance of respiratory muscles, and reduce episodes of dyspnea. Secondly, many patients are often at risk of other cardiovascular diseases, and exercise helps to enhance the function of the cardiovascular system and promote blood circulation. Therefore, if the patient's respiratory status is stable, that is, not in the acute phase of a cold, nor in the recovery period of an upper respiratory tract infection, everyone is encouraged to do more exercise in winter, but be sure to keep warm.