Asthma symptoms changing throughout the year

Hi everyone, I wanted to ask whether anyone else can relate to this, or if it’s normal for asthma symptoms and severity to feel different at different times of the year.

I’m a very active person and play sports competitively. I used to have much more severe asthma when I was younger, but these days I generally don’t have too many problems. I usually use an albuterol inhaler before sports and take Fostair 100/6 micrograms as my regular treatment, although I have to admit that I haven’t been very consistent with the Fostair lately.

I’m based in Germany, and I see a pulmonologist regularly. At my most recent lung function test, my results had gotten a little worse. I’m assuming this could be related to not taking my Fostair consistently + the change in temperature and humidity, although I obviously don’t know for sure. Lately, I’ve also been experiencing chest tightness more often throughout the day, and I notice that stress and anxiety can make the sensation even stronger.

My doctor is often very busy, so I don’t always get the chance to ask all the questions I have about managing these symptoms, which is why I wanted to hear from others who have asthma.

What do you usually do when you experience chest tightness during the day? I tend to become very conscious of it, and then I start trying to take deep breaths. With deep breathing, I can feel the chest tightness even more, which makes me stressed and worried about the sensation, and it sometimes feels like it creates a cycle.

I also try not to use my albuterol inhaler unless I’m exercising or having more significant symptoms, partly because I’ve heard that relying on it too much isn’t ideal. I’m wondering how other people manage this kind of situation and whether anyone else experiences their asthma symptoms changing throughout the year or getting worse during periods of stress.

I’d really appreciate hearing about other people’s experiences.

Some other smaller questions I had:
- Does bad posture significantly affect asthma? I have often been told I have a hunched back and rounded shoulders, which probably makes my lungs difficult to expand.
- Does anyone else also have a similar lifestyle as a sports-obsessed person with asthma? I play volleyball competitively and I also lift and go running, let me know how you guys manage sports with asthma as well!
- Has anyone ever used magnetic nasal strips, do they help? Sometimes when I try to breathe through my nose, one nostril closes, probably because of the shape.