Respiration is one of the most important of the body’s functions. If you have a condition that affects your breathing and lungs, such as asthma, the complications to your life and health can be extreme. You can still live a normal and manageable life in a safe way, so do not believe your asthma is the end of the world when it comes to having fun and being in good health. Read the helpful advice from this article for a better understanding of how to live your life with asthma in the best way possible.
What type of asthma do you suffer from? Before you can develop a self-care plan for your asthma symptoms, you need to know the specific cause of your symptoms. If people who have asthma suffer attacks triggered by exercise, they should bring an inhaler with them when they work out. If you are familiar with your symptoms and their patterns, you will be better able to avoid emergencies.
Asthma is ongoing. Therefore, it also requires continual management of your health. Make sure to take the right medication for controlling everyday asthma symptoms, but also have quick relief medication with you in case of an attack. Speak to your allergist and doctor to see what they recommend for you.
Asthma is a continuous disease that needs ongoing management. You need to keep taking your medications to control the asthma symptoms every day, and if an attack should occur, you should have quick relief medication at your disposal. Discuss your best options with your allergist and doctor.
When you are suffering from an asthma attack, exhale all of the oxygen from your lungs. Exhale as fast and hard as you can. Try to force the air out of your lungs! Inhale in a series of three, or three shallow breaths and one deep breath. After your lungs are filled with air, forcefully exhale again. This establishes a regular pattern to your breathing routine, which means you have to pay attention to how you are breathing. It will also empty your lungs of air, so that they’re ready to take in new, fresh air. If you cough or produce sputum, don’t worry. Just remain focused on your objective, which is to regain a normal rate of breathing.
If you’re having an asthma attack, a great way to handle this is to immediately evacuate the air from your lungs. Force air out of your lungs with quick, powerful exhalations. You want to force all of the air from your lungs. Inhale three times with short breaths, and then on the fourth one take a deeper breath so your lungs are full of air but still comfortable. Then breath out as hard as you can again. Using this strategy provides your breathing with a rhythm that forces you to focus on it. It also voids your lungs of old air so that new air can enter. This may cause you to cough or it may cause phlegm, but your breathing will be back to normal again.
Cleaning Products
Anyone suffering from asthma or asthma-like symptoms needs to stay clear of cigarette smoke, whether you smoke yourself, or even if you’re breathing secondhand smoke. This cannot be emphasized enough: Stay away from cigarette smoke! Do not breathe in the vapors or any other chemical fumes. These irritants can be a trigger for a severe asthma attack. If you find yourself in a situation where you are around smokers, remove yourself as quickly as possible.
If you use more than four cleaning products, you are increasing the risks of an asthma attack. Try using organic cleaning products that are not comprised of irritating chemicals.
Ask everyone in your family to get a flu shot every year. If you have asthma, you can protect your health by taking all steps possible to avoid any type of cold, flu or other upper respiratory infection. This means taking every precaution possible, do things like getting vaccinated to prevent sickness to hand washing on a regular basis.
If you are an asthma patient, be sure to stay away from people who smoke, even if you are not a smoker yourself. When you inhale smoke, especially in close quarters, lung functioning is decreased, and it can trigger an attack.
If you have asthma, you may wish to consider installing a dehumidifier in your home. A reduction in humidity will also lessen the amount of dust mites in your home. This lessens the chance of an asthma flare up. Dehumidifiers reduce humidity and keep the air in your home dry.
Be certain you are aware of all your asthma attack triggers so you know both how to steer clear of them and also be ready to take care of your symptoms. Smoke, pollen, or pet dander are common triggers. Do your best to avoid coming into contact with substances that you know will trigger your symptoms.
Studies show that using a variety of cleaning products in the home can actually increase the odds of triggering an asthma attack. Try organic cleaners that are free of irritating chemicals.
Avoid pillows stuffed with goosedown or other feathers if you have an asthma problem. The pillow feathers can cause asthma to flare up and minimize your lung function. The same goes for bedding – try to buy a comforter and sheets that are made from hypoallergenic materials.
If you’re suffering from a cold or allergies, you should talk to your doctor about taking additional asthma medication. Make sure your doctor prescribes a fast acting inhaler for emergency situations. Your doctor may prescribe a new medicine or change the dose of your existing medication until the hay fever or cold passes.
Whenever you travel, always keep your rescue inhaler or other fast-acting medication by your side at all times. Traveling adds strain on the body and increases your susceptibility to asthma triggers. Controlling your environment is harder when traveling, so this makes it much more probable that you experience worsening symptoms or an attack.
Make regular asthma checkups with your doctor, even if you are not having any issues come up. Asthma can flare-up at any time, and you never know, perhaps your doctor has safer or better medications which can help your symptoms.
Mold and mildew thrive in homes with high humidity levels. You can get asthma attacks because of these substances. Therefore, try and keep the home dry. One way to control the humidity in the house is to employ a dehumidifier to pull out the excess moisture.
If you or a loved one suffers from asthma, a support group may help. You can find support groups online or in your community. Suffering from asthma can mean many days are spent at home with your condition stopping you from participating in a full and fulfilling lifestyle. Being a part of a support group can help provide you with honest information about products and helpful hints, as well as medical news.
You can wear warm things like a shawl, muffler or scarf, which can help cover your nose and mouth in the colder months. This warms the air before you bring it into your lungs. Inhalation of cold air is proven to initiate asthma attacks, and younger kids afflicted with asthma of moderate or severe proportions are especially at risk.
Humidity is a problem in the home, because it creates conditions that are perfect for mildew and mold growth. Mold and mildew can have a hand in making you suffer a asthma attack! You will benefit greatly from keeping the moisture out of your home’s air. During winter time, use a dehumidifier if necessary to control humidity while running your heater, and use your air conditioner during summer months to keep air dry.
Daily Medication
In the winter, cover your mouth and nose with a scarf or shawl to prevent asthma attacks. That way the air is warmed before it enters your lungs. Breathing cold air triggers your asthma attacks, particularly in young kids with bad asthma.
Know exactly how any asthma medication you take or may take works. Most people treat their asthma with regular daily medication, and carry supplemental emergency medication in the form of a rescue inhaler. Asthma doesn’t go away, so it’s important to be vigilant about taking your daily medication and using your rescue inhaler when an attack occurs.
Allergens, dust, pollen and other things that can aggravate your asthma tend to collect inside bed linens. You may cut down on these potential inducers of an asthma attack by cleaning your sheets and pillows in hot water each week. These fresh, regularly washed linens can help you breathe easier when sleeping.
Asthma is a disease that effects the respiratory system, and can take many years to develop, often times going undetected. In a lot of cases, people die from an asthma attack because they didn’t know they had the condition. It is advised that you seek out a medical professional if you ever have shortness of breath or experience constant coughing; this may be a sign that you suffer from asthma and need proper medication to prevent an asthma attack and keep your condition under control.
Refrain from smoking. Most people know that smoking is dangerous, but if you have asthma there are more serious consequences. Asthmatic lungs are extremely sensitive, and should not be exposed to smoke. Someone who has asthma should not only avoid smoking, but should also try to avoid being exposed to people smoking in their vicinity.
When housecleaning, it is better to clean your floors with a damp mop than sweeping them with a broom. Sweeping sends dust and dander back into the air and could trigger an asthma attack. When dusting, try to use a damp rag rather than a feather duster to cut down on the spread of the triggers.
Asthma sufferers should definitely stay indoors more when pollen increases. While asthma isn’t an allergy, many allergy irritants can affect it. Information about local air quality is available in many areas so that those with asthma can reduce their outdoor exposure if irritants are within the air.
For those struggling with their asthma, avoiding regular contact with pets is important to control symptoms. Though dander allergies are often seen in conjunction with asthma, even asthmatics who are not allergic may have attacks that are triggered by the ancillary irritants transported by animals, including pollen and dust.
Asthmatics should always wear a mask when dealing with the harsh chemicals in fresh paint. Paint can trigger asthma-related issues, but wearing a mask will provide a protective barrier to circumvent these issues. Refrain from using any substance or chemical that aggravate your asthma.
Avoid aggravating your asthma condition while sleeping by covering your mattress and pillows with plastic before putting clean linens on. To reduce the chance that your bed linens will induce an asthma attack, wash your sheets every week in hot water. If you are sleeping on freshly laundered linens, you will sleep much easier.
Asthma support groups can also provide moral support to help you deal with difficult times and the frustration of asthma. They are there to help you win this battle with asthma through great tips and well planned ideas. Keeping supportive people in your daily life is very important.
Vitamin B6
Asthma has numerous potential causes, including both genetic and environmental factors. If anyone in your family history had asthma, pay attention to signs of it in you or your children. Protect your children and yourself from the many common pollutants in the air, such as mold, dust and pollen to prevent or reduce asthma symptoms.
Include more vitamin B6 foods in your diet. Vitamin B6 — also called pyridoxine– can reduce the intensity and frequency of asthma attacks. Through this research, it has been proven that pyridoxine helps produce molecules that aid in relaxing the bronchial tissue. Foods that are rich in B6 include the easy-to-find banana.
If you do not have your inhaler with you and you are experiencing an asthma attack, take a quick caffeine shot! Coffee, chocolate, or strong black tea can reduce some of the asthma attacks symptoms. Caffeine constricts your blood vessels, which causes your airways to open.
Following good advice can help you feel less anxious about your lifelong battle with asthma. There are new developments in treatment and medications every year that make asthma easier to manage.
Look for signs of an allergic reaction to food in your children. If they develop hives or have difficulty breathing after consuming a specific food, have their pediatrician test them for that allergy. These allergic reactions could be a precursor of asthma.