Health Tip: Can't Catch Your Breath During a Workout?

(HealthDay News) -- If you're typically coughing, wheezing or feeling short of breath during exercise, experts say you could have a condition called exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB).

The condition causes the tubes inside your lungs to narrow during exercise, triggering symptoms of asthma.

What's behind EIB? The American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology says people with the condition are sensitive to cold and dry air. While the typical pattern of breathing through the nose will warm and moisten the air, during exercise, people tend to breathe more through the mouth. This allows cooler, drier air to reach the lungs.

What else can trigger EIB? Air pollution, allergens, respiratory infections and being out of shape are at the top of the list, the academy says.