Asthma and Hot Showers – The Danger

By AWorkman

2 min read

I never really considered that my love for hot showers to soothe my fibromyalgia aches could turn into a problem for my asthma. But the tables ended up turning on me; I learned that a hot shower in a closed bathroom was not good for those of us who do not have good lungs. Unfortunately, it took a bad health situation for my husband and I to learn the risk that the hot showers presented to my health, specifically my lungs ability to get enough oxygen.

Experiencing asthma complications

At the beginning, it was not an issue for me because my lungs were not as bad as they ended up getting in 2016. Unfortunately, I ended up getting an extremely bad case of pneumonia, which we were unaware of until it took over my lungs. I was intubated for 15 days and stayed another two weeks in the hospital after the intubation.

During the last two-week period I obviously had physical therapy and much of it was focused on my breathing and lung capacity. A lot of deep breathing exercises were given to me because of the effects of being intubated for so long and then being in a hospital bed (which causes you to not breathe very deeply). I was still on a nasal cannula with oxygen while in the hospital.

We were truly at a kind of loss and definitely unsure what to think of everything. The pneumonia took us by surprise, along with the hospital stay, and I had plenty of frustrations with my weakened state and need for physical therapy. My husband was already helping me take basic sitting showers in the hospital because I had no strength to do things on my own. Throwing a ball back and forth and blowing into different contraptions for my lungs was getting annoying.

Asthma and hot showers

Briefly, before leaving the hospital, I had a new physical therapist, who told us a very important piece of advice that still holds true today: Be careful of hot showers, especially if the bathroom door is closed. Why? The heat and steam will reduce the amount of oxygen in the bathroom, making it harder to breathe. It made sense once somebody said it to us, but it is not something we had considered on our own. Unfortunately, this was very credible information.

Even though I was on oxygen when we first came home, we still had some issues trying to shower. I struggled to breathe in the shower despite us trying to leave the door cracked and an inhaler close by in the bathroom. Even now that the kids are out of the house, that time has passed, and we shower with the door completely open, there are still times that I have to open the shower curtain and attempt to catch my breath again. I am far healthier now than I was when I first got home from the hospital in 2016, but the challenge with losing my breath is still there.

Considerations for showering with asthma

If you have struggled to breathe while taking a hot shower and a bath, hopefully, this has helped you see why that is occurring. The best advice I was given was to leave the bathroom door open and if your bathroom has a vent fan, turn it on. As always, keep your inhaler close by. And don\'t forget to discuss this with your doctor.

Do you ever lose your breath in a hot shower or bath?

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tracylee Member
Aworkman, good advice in your conclusion. Although I only have moderate-to-mild persistent asthma, too much steam will trigger a messy, goopy coughing "fit". One of the reasons I asked my spouse to move to the basement spare bedroom is because the bathroom has a door on either end that I can open wide. I realize it is psychological, but is sooo hard to take a cooler shower when there is snow on the ground outside. When I am extra sensitive after a flareup, even a quick check to see if a pot of water is boiling for pasta in the kitchen will set me off. I thought this was crazy -- how can someone with mild asthma be so sensitive when I know three asthmatics who use humidifiers when their asthma flares? But then I bought a particulate counter that measures to 0.3 microns. I was so ignorant, at first I thought it was defective. Why did it jump up so high from plain clean steam? I called the company and they explained that, of course, steam is liquid airborne particulates.
jilljackson Member
I struggled with this all summer. I couldn't find anything online to verify I wasn't the only one. I did find that having a shower handle that was removable helped so that I could use colder water on certain parts of my body. As of right now, I will draw a bath, open the window so that the humidity decreases, close the window, then crank the heat so that the room gets warmer (if it's cold outside), then sit in the bath. That is the current operation, and it isn't perfect and will set me off if I'm more sensitive. At that point, hopefully, the water hasn't cooled too much (about 15-20 minutes later). It would be useful to include advice in articles like this. What is one to do? What worked for others? When I lived in a place with only a shower, I would keep the door or curtain open as much as possible for a quick full body "step in / step out". I would use a wet towel and the sink as much as possible, and wash my hair in the sink. Was very frustrating. The "step in step out" element made it so that showers were very quick and I never felt fully clean. Being able to sit in a bath for a long period of time helped, in terms of feeling cleaner. Most days I will put an ice cube in my mouth, to cool the air I breath in before it reaches the esophagus. I also keep a glass with more ice cubes and water close to the shower in addition to my puffers. That way I will have a replacement ice cube if I want a longer bath. Also, sometimes swallowing the cold water is soothing after inhaling the hot steam.
vicky62 Member
This must explain why I have never been someone who enjoys a long hot shower. Heat/humidity are big triggers for me, which is hard living in the south. 
1. Rebecca C Moderator & Contributor
 <inline-mention username="vicky62" user-id="4197274"/> Sorry to hear this. I was reading an article where a community member stated she had so many problems in visiting and living in Florida - the heat/humidity was such a trigger. Makes sense being in a closed bathroom with high humidity and heat can trigger you as much as living in the south. Hoping you are doing better and avoiding triggers. Wishing you an easy breathing day! Rebecca (comm advc)
2. Leon Lebowitz, RRT Moderator & Contributor
 <inline-mention username="vicky62" user-id="4197274"/> Hi Vicky - I just had to join in the conversation here. For me, I truly enjoy a long, hot shower - the heat and humidity of the water and steam do not pose an issue for my asthma. This has always been the case for me. I have always enjoyed steam rooms (for brief periods - there are always safety precautions posted outside the steam room(s) about watching the length of time one stays inside one), and even the saunas. They are both very relaxing for me. I do understand that for some folks who have been diagnosed with asthma, these can be significant triggers! It helps to underscore how this disease (and its triggers), effects everyone differently. Wishing you well, Leon (site moderator <a href='https://asthma.net' target='_blank'>asthma.net</a>)
luvpups Member
Why do I vomit after taking a hot shower and having trouble breathing?
1. Leon Lebowitz, RRT Moderator & Contributor
 Hi <inline-mention username="luvpups" user-id="8802128"/> - Thanks for posing the question - it's a good one! There may be different 'forces' at work here! Generally speaking, from what I've read, a hot shower can be very soothing. However, alternatively, I did find this explanation from CBS News: "A hot, steamy shower can feel great, but you may be getting covered in a daily dose of bacteria that could make you sick. Take off any showerhead and you can see the bacteria. It's called nontuberculous mycobacteria, or NTM." Here is the reference should you want to read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/is-your-shower-making-you-sick/#:~:text=DALLAS%20(CBSDFW.COM)%20%2D,called%20nontuberculous%20mycobacteria%2C%20or%20NTM. As for the difficulty breathing, we have heard from other community members, that they do experience difficulty breathing during a hot shower. They feel it's the heat and the steam/increased humidity that causes it. The solution has been to take a warm shower, or open the window, open the door, and even using a fan in the bathroom. What do you think? Leon L (author/moderator <a href='https://asthma.net' target='_blank'>asthma.net</a>)