# Take my breath away \[inhaling cold air\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 15, 2025, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-my-breath-away-inhaling-cold-air/1014338 "2025-02-15T04:45:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ric62](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@ric62](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ric62)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2025, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-my-breath-away-inhaling-cold-air/1014338/1 "2025-02-15T04:45:21Z")
Recently my part of the country had a sharp cold spell and with a very windy night. At one point a gust of wind occurred at the same time I was inhaling. It seemed for a few seconds that I could not breathe in. Was this because it was cold and I just paused in my breathing or did the cold air and gusty condition create a low pressure zone where I could not inhale with a ‘normal’ amount of inhalation? Or am I really overthinking this? ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2025, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-my-breath-away-inhaling-cold-air/1014338/2 "2025-02-15T05:22:44Z")
Cold air can certainly make it more difficult to breathe. How much more difficult can depend on many things and it might be worth mentioning to your doctor next time you see them (but, unless it was extreme distress, I think you can wait till your next check-up…IANADoctor so do not rely on me for medical advice). I live in a city that regularly gets cold weather and I have experienced this a little bit. I think it is mostly normal within some arbitrary definition of “normal.” Usually it is the initial shock of the cold and I’m fine within 30 seconds. YMMV > **[Cold Takes Your Breath Away: How to Breathe Easier in Winter](https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20221111/how-to-breathe-easier-in-winter)** > > People with respiratory disorders (like asthma, COPD, sinusitis, or allergies) or who may be dealing with long-term effects of COVID-19 often find breathing difficult in colder temperatures. - [https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/is-the-extreme-cold-bad-for-your-lungs](https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/is-the-extreme-cold-bad-for-your-lungs) ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2025, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-my-breath-away-inhaling-cold-air/1014338/3 "2025-02-15T06:28:51Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > Usually it is the initial shock of the cold I agree. It’s likely more due to the shock of cold air hitting your lungs, then a momentary “low pressure zone.” ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2025, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-my-breath-away-inhaling-cold-air/1014338/4 "2025-02-15T06:47:59Z")
**Moderator Note** Title edited to more clearly indicate the topic. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2025, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-my-breath-away-inhaling-cold-air/1014338/5 "2025-02-15T14:20:42Z")
It appears to be a bronchoconstriction effect (constriction of air passages in the lungs) caused by sudden cold exposure. > **[Bronchoconstriction due to cold weather in COPD. The roles of direct airway...](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8797403/)** > > To clarify how cold weather may induce bronchoconstriction in patients with COPD, a series of challenges were performed in 20 patients with COPD in stable condition as well as in 13 healthy subjects. A whole-body exposure to -17 degrees C during... > [@](#): > > A whole-body exposure to -17 degrees C during resting nasal breathing was performed to **study the reflex effects of facial cooling** on lung function. In addition, a near-maximal hyperventilation of cold air was performed in a warm room to study the direct airway effects of cold air. The whole-body exposure to cold air induced **statistically significant bronchoconstriction** Bronchconstriction means you can’t easily draw a breath, and if you’ve already gasped (because the air triggered a partial [cold shock response](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_shock_response)), that means you have a lungful of air that your bronchi have clamped down on.