Asthma can be scary for the reason that it prevents you from breathing normally. An asthma attack can happen suddenly, asthma can limit your daily activities, and in some cases asthma has been fatal. To figure out where asthma attacks come from and what you can do to reduce your risk and manage your asthma condition, take a look at the helpful advice below.
If you are an asthmatic, it is vital that you never smoke, and if you already do, you should quit as soon as possible. Smoking is terrible for everyone, but it lowers the oxygen supply in asthma patients who need as much oxygen as possible.
If you are suffering from asthma, it is essential that you quit smoking cigarettes. Smoking is detrimental to anyone’s health, but those with asthma suffer especially because cigarettes lessen the oxygen supply that is crucial for the lungs to function properly and prevent an asthma attack.
Always be very mindful of the type of medications you’re taking. Some meds out there might just trigger an asthma attack. Some NSAIDs and aspirin might do this. Common medications used for controlling high blood pressure often times contain beta blockers, which asthmatics may be more sensitive to. Make sure you consult with your doctor concerning your asthma and possible drug reactions.
Cleaning Products
If you’re having an asthma attack, a great way to handle this is to immediately evacuate the air from your lungs. Exhale as fast and hard as you can. It can’t be said too strongly: you must force the air out! Take three short breaths, and then take a fourth, deeper breath to fill your lungs comfortably; then, breathe out with force again. Pay attention to what you are doing and follow a regular rhythm. It also expels air from your lungs so more can enter. Regardless of whether spetum is generated, it will aid in returning breathing back to a normal state.
If you’re suffering from asthma, it helps if you can avoid any harsh cleaning products out there. Cleaning products contain a plethora of chemicals that are triggers to exacerbating symptoms related to asthma, as well as the attacks themselves. If you are responsible for cleaning your residence, think about purchasing natural products, which are less likely to set off your asthma.
Should you wind up inside a really dusty room, don’t activate any fans. When you turn on the fans they will move the dust in the room around and this can trigger your asthma very easily. Instead, you should consider opening a window to get some fresh clean air going through your lungs.
Stay away from anything that you are aware of that may trigger your asthma. For many people, allergens such as dust and pollen can induce an attack. For others, physical activities can cause them. Try to determine your asthma triggers, so you can avoid them and prevent attacks.
Leukotriene inhibitors may be helpful to you if you suffer from asthma. Leukotriene inhibitors block the effects of leukotrienes. Leukotrienes has a hand in causing swelling and inflammation in your lungs, and may trigger a asthma attack. The inhibitor prevents leukotrienes, and that can decrease the number of asthma attacks you deal with.
Asthmatics should have a flu shot every year to prevent contracting a serious respiratory infection. Asthma patients should try their best to avoid getting respiratory infections. Common method of avoiding illnesses can be very effective. Keep your vaccinations up to date and wash your hands frequently.
Proper knowledge of how to use your inhaler is necessary if you have asthma. An inhaler is most effective if used in a relaxed location and according to the maker’s instructions. The inhaler will only reduce symptoms if the medication can get to your lungs. Inhale the air and spray the right amount down your throat. Continue holding your breath for approximately 10 seconds. This way, the medication will soak into the cells of your lungs.
If you suffer from asthma, make sure that you consume enough Vitamin C and Vitamin E. These particular vitamins are believed to better your lung function and help manage your symptoms of asthma. Either find a good vitamin supplement to take, or change your diet to include more foods rich in Vitamins E and C. The vitamins can help to boost the immune system, which will help you to stay healthy and less ill, which means you will have less asthma attacks.
Ask everyone in your family to get a flu shot every year. If you have asthma, it’s important to prevent all respiratory infections, if at all possible. Take standard precautions against any kind of illness, and start washing those hands and getting vaccinations that will protect you from getting very sick.
If you have asthma, a dehumidifier is something you should consider purchasing for you home. With less humidity, there will be fewer dust mites, and that means that there is less of a chance that your asthma will flare up. Try running a dehumidifier to dry up the air in your home.
Keep dust and dirt to a minimum in any bedroom where an asthma sufferer sleeps. Avoid smoking inside, and only let people eat in the kitchen. If you clean with any harsh chemicals or bleach, make sure to ventilate thoroughly afterwards.
If you use any more than four kinds of cleaning product around your home, then the risk of an asthma attack is increased. Choose organic products, and stick to as few products as possible.
Make sure to examine what it is that causes your asthma attacks in order to best avoid having to deal with them. Asthma sufferers generally have different triggers in common like pollen, pet dander and smoke. Avoid your asthma triggers as much as you can to prevent attacks.
Tobacco Smoke
Even if you seem to be fine, see your doctor regularly for your asthma checkups. A flare up can come at any time and your doctor can always look into safer medications for your particular symptoms.
Stay away from any tobacco smoke, even people that are smoking tobacco. When tobacco smoke is inhaled, especially in closed-in areas, your lung function can be drastically decreased, which can increase your chances of suffering from an attack.
Think about signing up for a support group locally or online. Asthma, especially the more severe forms, cause many problems that interfere with the quality of life and present many challenges. On top of that, an asthma support group will keep you apprised of the latest developments in asthma medication and other significant medical breakthroughs.
Keep your home free of dust and other triggers, especially where the person who suffers from asthma sleeps. Food should only be eaten in the kitchen area, and whatever you do, please don’t smoke. Make sure that the home is properly ventilated and aired out, especially after cleaning with harsh products, like bleach or ammonia.
Know exactly how any asthma medication you take or may take works. When you have asthma, you should be on a maintenance medication and have an emergency medicine for asthma attacks. Usually this is in the form of an inhaler. Asthma is a lifelong condition; you should correctly take your regular medication and use your rescue medication only as needed.
Your asthma treatments will likely increase when you suffer from hay fever or a cold. Side effects that are associated with most illnesses can serve as triggers for asthma and may cause an increase in your asthma treatment. Your doctor could add another treatment into your regimen until the illness is better.
It is important to use your maintenance inhaler daily as prescribed. However, understand that most types of inhalers contain ingredients which may make your mouth more susceptible to infections. To prevent complications from using a preventative inhaler, brush your teeth immediately after using it and use mouthwash as well.
A humid home environment is a healthy environment for mildew and mold to develop. This stuff can easily set off an asthma attack. You will benefit greatly from keeping the moisture out of your home’s air. A dehumidifier can be used in the winter, and in the summer, many air conditioner models also help strip moisture from the air.
Use a mop that’s wet to clean your floors instead of a broom. Sweeping stirs up irritants that can trigger an asthma attack. Also, use damp rags instead of feather dusters to dust your furniture.
Asthma Attacks
Anyone with asthma needs to avoid all types of smoke when trying to decrease asthma attacks. The inhalation of smoke can easily trigger an asthma attack. Do what you can to avoid chemical fumes, cigarette smoke and other vapors. All of these air-borne pollutants can greatly increase your asthma symptoms. If there are smokers around you, you may want to ask them if they will smoke in another area.
Avoid cold-induced asthma attacks by protecting your mouth and nose with a scarf. This will warm the air that you breathe before it enters your lungs. Studies have consistently shown that cold air can cause your throat and lungs to constrict, triggering asthma attacks. Children are especially susceptible to cold-induced asthma.
Bed linens can collect dust, pollen and other allergens, all of which can further aggravate asthma. You can avoid this by making sure to wash your bed linens in hot water at least once a week. Clean bed linens will help you breathe better while you sleep.
It is important to know the proper way to use asthma medication, especially the medication that is used in an emergency. A treatment made up of a daily medication plus a rescue inhaler can help to keep asthma under control. Because you will have asthma for the rest of your life, it is important that you take your maintenance medication properly, and that you use your emergency medication correctly.
If you do have an asthma attack, make sure to stay calm. Use the inhaler, wait thirty seconds, and use once more. Don’t suffer in silence or wait it out if your breathing gets worse instead of better after using your inhaler. You need immediate medical attention if this happens. Have someone phone an ambulance or drive you to a hospital. Try putting a paper bag up to your mouth and breathing into it to help slow your breaths.
Asthma develops gradually, and its symptoms may not be very noticeable. There are lots of cases where people die of an asthma attack without knowing they had asthma. Because of this, persistent respiratory problems need to be checked out by a doctor, who may prescribe medication to treat existing symptoms or prevent new ones from appearing.
If you have asthma, schedule checkups ever few months with your doctor to stay on top of your condition. This will allow your doctor to stay updated on your condition as it improves or weakens, and make the necessary changes to your treatments. Your doctor is busy, so it’s on you to set and keep your appointments.
Avoid smoke to prevent asthma and asthma attacks. Smoke can seriously affect the lungs and is a common asthma trigger. Stay away from cigarettes, chemicals, and anything else that may emit smoke. All of these air-borne pollutants can greatly increase your asthma symptoms. Ask people around you not to smoke in your presence. Don’t be rude about it, but don’t be afraid to ask for what you need.
A key way to manage your asthma is working to identify all of the things that trigger your attacks. Think about maintaining a journal or diary that you can review for recurring situations that led to an attack. These situations can help you detect your triggers. You can then pass this information on to your doctor. Once you realize what these triggers are, take measures to eliminate these things from your environment.
If not properly treated and managed, asthma may be a death sentence. If you use this information you can help manage asthma and breathe more effectively.
Try to maintain a clean home and well-swept floors. Additionally, you will want to wash your blankets, pillows and sheets often. When you keep everything clean, you are preventing dust and mites from building up, which will help stop asthma attacks. When dust builds up, the air becomes more and more irritating to asthma sufferers and increases the likelihood of an attack.