Why do I get short of breath when climbing stairs?

Shortness of breath when climbing stairs is a normal phenomenon that anyone can experience because this is a heavy movement compared to the body.

Many people worry about feeling out of breath when climbing stairs, even though lifting weights or running long distances is easy. In fact, this is a very common normal phenomenon and does not mean you are sick.

Photo: Livestrong.

Share with Greatist,Nieca Goldberg, a cardiologist at NYU Langone Medical Center, says climbing stairs uses more muscles than walking and creates a quick burst of energy. The increased heart rate requires additional oxygen, which leads to shortness of breath. Essentially, when climbing stairs, the body is doing a lunge while fighting gravity. This level of exercise is relatively strenuous for most of us.

If you are training hard for an event like a marathon, climbing stairs adds to your training load. As a result, you become exhausted. Twenty steps of walking is easy, but 20 flights of stairs is different. It is similar to a high-intensity aerobic exercise, so even if you are in good shape, you will still be out of breath.

The best way to improve shortness of breath when climbing stairs is to practice. You should choose exercises that increase endurance for the lower body such as split squats, lunges or reverse lunges to mimic the movement of the body when climbing stairs. Gradually, you will get used to it and feel less short of breath.

According to VNE