Exercise

Asthma is not a contraindication to physical exercise, and all patients with asthma should be encouraged to exercise regularly. Exercise improves asthma symptoms, quality of life, exercise capacity, bronchial hyperreactivity and exercise-induced bronchospasm, and can achieve small improvements in forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV₁).

Breathlessness triggered by exercise may be due to lack of fitness rather than exercise-induced bronchoconstriction. Breathlessness that worsens in the minutes after stopping exercise is likely to be due to asthma. Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction can be managed and is not a reason to avoid exercise.