Lindsay:

I work every day with cross country ski racers in cold and sometime very cold temps (-20C) and have done so for many years. I confess that I have never seen any noticeable HR effect from the cold. I would suggest that you dress warmer while warming up so that your core temp stays higher perhaps. If you are shivering then I think yes it is possible to see a higher HR. Normally in cold conditions the capillaries in your extremities shut down which restricts blood flow and will actually lower your HR.

Sorry I can’t shed more light on this. You stumped me 😉
Scott

One issue I had for years was I would get a wheez and a dry cough when it was cold. I started to first notice it after a day of skiing. Then, I noticed it during the summers when I would go up to altitude and it was cooler out. A year ago, after watching Brett Maune have another unsuccessful CO 14ers speed record attempt due to exercise induced asthma, I went into the DR. I also had just spent a day skiing about 45,000′ of vert and I was having a very difficult time breathing while laying on my living room floor. I was diagnosed with “bronchospasms” and given a script for albuterol. I’ve taken about 50 “hits” off the inhaler in about a year, so I use it very little. But, it makes a world of difference when I need it. I’ve found that I don’t really need it regardless of temp on my aerobic workouts. But, I only train at about 6000 ft. I hiked Pikes Peak last week, and started with some albuterol. Now it was cold at the top, and my HR was up, but I was also getting blown around.

That’s the long winded way of saying, if your lungs hurt when it is cold out and you’re exercising, a trip to see your physician is probably wise.

It should be noted, when it is very cold and you take your first few breathes, it is quite common to choke or cough on that breath. Growing up in Minnesota, I would also feel the hairs in my nose “freeze.” But if it persists, that is something of concern. My symptoms were never being able to feel like I could take a deep breath (which I often attributed to being at altitude, or at least a bit higher than what I normally live at), a dry cough which I felt I needed to clear junk from lungs, but never could and in extreme cases, a wheeze even in a completely relaxed state.

I’m not a doctor nor do I pretend to be one, but as Scott pointed out above and after talking to many of my outdoor buddies, prolonged discomfort in the lungs (especially when trying to keep your HR down) is not typical and probably something worth having a conversation with a physician about.

Lindsay:

I have seen skiers how race in very cold conditions get very bad chest/lung pain. In XC races they do not allow races below -4C due to the potential of lung damage. But these folks that get serious chest pain (like a knife sticking into them) will develop a stress reaction that causes HR to jump up. It makes sense too. You sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) sense that pain as survival threat and want so to prepare you for action so get you ready for action by jacking HR. Our CNS is such an amazing thing. But this may explain what you are seeing. Sorry I didn’t think of this before.
Scott

Hi Lindsay,

You may want to try wearing something over your nose and mouth when you’re exercising outside. A Buff works great for this, and you can double it up if it’s really cold out.

Although it’s a thin filter, the air gets slightly warmed as it’s passing through the Buff, which eases the cold effect on your lungs.

Scott S.

Lindsay:

Scott’s comment triggered my old feeble brain to remember that xc skiers deal with this a lot and use this:

These don’t freeze up like a Buff will and give less restriction to breathing when you are huffing and puffing hard.

Scott

I think Scott was probably talking about an AirTrim: https://www.bouldernordicsport.com/shop/p-518-airtrim-cold-air-mask.aspx