{"id":401190,"date":"2026-03-24T10:33:13","date_gmt":"2026-03-24T10:33:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/401190\/"},"modified":"2026-03-24T10:33:13","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T10:33:13","slug":"how-to-look-after-your-lungs-this-spring-the-irish-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/401190\/","title":{"rendered":"How to look after your lungs this spring \u2013 The Irish News"},"content":{"rendered":"

As the seasons begin to change, many people have welcomed the clear blue skies and blooming flowers. However, others might be focusing more on the impact spring has started to have on their lungs.<\/p>\n

We spoke to Karen Spillett, deputy head of health advice at the charity Asthma + Lung UK<\/a>, who explained how this time of year can affect lung health, especially for those with existing conditions such as asthma, and shared some useful practical tips for managing these symptoms.<\/p>\n

\"HandsHands holding an illustration of lungs (Alamy Stock Photo) <\/p>\n

What can trigger your lungs in spring?<\/b><\/p>\n

Pollen<\/b><\/p>\n

\"Dame<\/a>\"Culloden<\/a>\"\"(Alamy Stock Photo) <\/p>\n

\u201cHay fever is an allergic reaction to pollen and if you have a lung condition your airways tend to be quite sensitive anyway and something like pollen can make them more sensitive,\u201d says Spillett. \u201cThis can lead to symptoms such as wheezing a little bit more, feeling more breathless and more tight across your chest because your body is reacting to that trigger of pollen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Changes in weather<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cVery cold weather or hot weather can be a trigger for lots of people with lung conditions,\u201d says Spillett. \u201cRising temperatures can also worsen air pollution which is bad for your lungs, so it\u2019s important to check the daily forecast and pollution levels.\u201d<\/p>\n

Damp and mould<\/b><\/p>\n

Very damp conditions can also cause issues.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen it\u2019s damp, that build-up of moisture can cause mould to grow which is bad for your lungs,\u201d says Spillett. \u201cMould exposure can cause coughing, wheezing, breathlessness and other respiratory issues. It can also make any pre-existing symptoms worse.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dust<\/b><\/p>\n

\"\"(Alamy Stock Photo) <\/p>\n

It\u2019s important to be careful when clearing out junk and spreading dust during the much-needed spring cleans.<\/p>\n

\u201cDust gets into the air and can go into your mouth and nose and irritate your airways,\u201d says Spillett. <\/p>\n

Here are some tips on how to look after your lungs this spring\u2026<\/p>\n

Dust with a damp cloth<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cOne tip is to use a damp cloth when you\u2019re wiping dust so that it sticks to the wetness of the cloth and doesn\u2019t irritate your airways,\u201d recommends Spillett.<\/p>\n

Open the windows<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s good to lower any humidity or dampness in your house by opening your windows regularly and using an extractor fan in your bathroom or your kitchen,\u201d says Spillett.<\/p>\n

Dry clothes outside<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cDrying clothes inside leads to a build-up in moisture which can result in mould, so I would recommend putting your damp washing on a line outside if you can,\u201d suggests Spillett.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Check for pollen levels<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you suffer with hay fever or know that pollen impacts your symptoms, I would recommend checking the pollen forecast on the Met Office website<\/a>,\u201d advises Spillett.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t ignore leaks or water damage<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you do see any leaks or water damage in your home, you need to get that fixed,\u201d says Spillett. \u201cIf you rent, you need to tell your landlord as soon as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ask pharmacist for antihistamines<\/b><\/p>\n

\"\"(Alamy Stock Photo) <\/p>\n

\u201cIf you are really struggling with hay fever, you can get antihistamines from a pharmacist and they can advise you when to take them and for how long,\u201d says Spillett.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you know when your symptoms are likely to start, I would recommend that you start taking antihistamines two to four weeks before that point to give you the best protection.\u201d<\/p>\n

Try a nasal spray<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cNasal spray has small amounts of steroids in it that can help reduce the swelling in your nose to help you breathe more easily,\u201d says Spillett.\u00a0 \u201cYou can buy some of these from a pharmacist, but others are prescription only.\u201d<\/p>\n

Go outdoors earlier in the day<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cConsider doing most of your outdoor activities and exercise earlier in the day when air quality tends to be better,\u201d suggests Spillett. \u201cWalking along quieter back streets away from the traffic, rather than a main road, is also a good idea when possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Take medication<\/b><\/p>\n

\"\"(Alamy Stock Photo) <\/p>\n

\u201cFor anyone with a lung condition, it\u2019s important to carry on taking your medications as described, even when you feel well, to manage that sensitivity in the airways,\u201d says Spillett. \u201cMake sure you have a reliever inhaler with you at all times, so if you do start to feel those symptoms, you can use it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Seek professional help<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you have been using your reliever inhaler and it\u2019s not working how you would expect it to, seek help,\u201d advises Spillett. \u201cSimilarly, if you\u2019re feeling like your symptoms are getting worse and are interfering with your daily activities or are waking you up at night, seek support.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As the seasons begin to change, many people have welcomed the clear blue skies and blooming flowers. However,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":401191,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[78],"tags":[13529,182042,18,135,7114,19,17,86588,13253,59686,6345,1294],"class_list":["post-401190","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-asthma","tag-asthma-and-lung","tag-eire","tag-health","tag-health-lifestyle","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-lung-health","tag-lungs","tag-spring","tag-tips","tag-uk"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116283704060851221","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/401190","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=401190"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/401190\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/401191"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=401190"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=401190"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=401190"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}