thinner air in the winter

[tylerp]

would anyone happen to know if the air is thinner in the fall/winter compared to the summer? When I have been running this past week I have felt like my lungs and legs could not get oxygen they needed. And I had been running all summer and there were no problems. Any ideas would be great. Thanks in advance.

 

[stephen]

tylerp,

At a fixed altitude, air becomes thinner as the temperature increases.

 

[tylerp]

After reading that I went and did a little research and found that it should be easier for me to breathing the fall/winter, so then I am left trying to understand why that is not the case for me right now. has anyone else had this problem?

 

[jamest]

The air gets drier as it gets colder. That is the big issue I have in the winter. Try wearing a scarf or mask so that your lungs don't get so dried out.

Also, I've had times when I thought I was having trouble breathing, then took a PFT and had better than average scores. So it could be in your head.

 

[BreathinSteven]

I agree with Stephen - my understanding is that the air is more dense when the weather is cooler... I think it's one of those physics things... And like Jamest said - there can be dryness issues... I also believe that a decent number of us can have an asthma-like reaction to temperature changes, especially warm to cold... I personally found it MUCH easier to breath in colder weather - even bitter cold... I agree with Jamest too, that a mask, running mask or scarf might help you tolerate it better... Love, Steve