Emotional Factors

Emotions can have a major effect on asthma. It was not by chance that asthma was originally thought to be a problem belonging to nervous or excitable people. Asthma is not a psychosomatic condition but emotions cause powerful reactions in the body as well as the mind.
Powerful emotions, such as anger and fear can lead to changes in breathing. Any shift away from the norm is called “stress”. Stress causes the body to increase heart rate and breathing patterns. Emotions such as fear, extreme joy, excitement, anticipation, anger and so on, are therefore all stresses on the body. Rapid, shallow breathing, or hyperventilation, can cause bronchial tubes to constrict, triggering the symptoms of asthma.

An asthmatic’s best solution when symptoms occur is to keep calm and manage them; if panic gets in the way a more severe bronchospasm may result.