Asthma may be a frightening experience, especially when it limits your ability to freely breathe. You could get an asthma attack at any time and must always be prepared. The following article will give you some helpful tips on why asthma attacks occur, and it will put you on a path toward proper care. It will also ease the restrictions asthma puts on your life.
If you have an asthmatic child, do not allow anyone to smoke around him. One of the biggest reasons people have asthma is secondhand smoke. You should take care to also make sure your child does not get exposed to other environments where people might be smoking.
What triggers your asthma? If you know as much as you can about the kind of asthma that you have, you can find out how to battle it day-by-day. If you have exercised-induced asthma, for example, you’ll want to bring your inhaler with you to the gym or other locations where you might be involved in physical activity. If you are familiar with your symptoms and their patterns, you will be better able to avoid emergencies.
If you have asthma, it is crucial that you do not smoke, or quit if you do. Although smoking causes health problems for everyone, it is even more dangerous to asthma sufferers because the smoke causes airway swelling that cuts off oxygen to your lungs, and can trigger an attack.
Smoking should never be done around children, especially a child who suffers from asthma. Secondhand smoke is one of the leading culprits that causes asthma. If your child is in an area where people are smoking, remove him quickly to avoid an asthma attack.
When you have asthma, it is vital that you avoid cleaning products. Cleaning products are often full of chemicals, and breathing those chemicals in can irritate your lungs. If you’re the one that cleans your home, try organic or natural cleaning solutions that are much less risky to your health.
Smoking is a horrible habit, even deadly, for an asthma sufferer. Smoking is bad in general for everyone, but it is particularly worse for asthma suffers because it decreases the amount of oxygen in the lungs, putting you at higher risk for asthma attacks.
Avoid anything that is known to trigger your asthma. This is different for everyone, but some people, things like dust or pollen can trigger an attack. Or, you may need to avoid certain activities that overexert your body. Try and figure out what gets your asthma started so you know what to avoid.
Cleaning Products
If you are a person with asthma and have persistent attacks related to allergy symptoms, a medication that can be used for a long term effect is one that can be injected. Your allergist may recommend a variety of medications to control your reactions and the onset of asthma.
Cleaning products should be avoided when you have asthma. Many of the harsh chemicals inside cleaning products might trigger symptoms or even a full blown asthma attack. When you are tidying your home consider using natural products that are effective for cleaning rather than traditional cleansers.
If you are someone who suffers from asthma, you should consider buying a dehumidifier for your home. Dust mites are a major source of asthma attacks, and dehumidifiers are great at getting rid of the little buggers. Dehumidifiers reduce attacks in your home by making the air cleaner and drier.
Learn what triggers your asthma so that you can avoid it. For some, allergens such as dust and pollen can trigger an attack. For others, it may be linked to physical exertion. Try to see what cause your asthma so that you can avoid it.
If you have asthma or you live with an asthma sufferer, you should ensure you receive an annual flu shot. Getting vaccinated yearly can help keep many of these illnesses at bay.
If you’re having an asthma attack, a great way to handle this is to immediately evacuate the air from your lungs. Exhale quickly and hard. You have to force the air out. Then take three small breaths in, followed by a deeper breath to fill your lungs comfortably. Next, exhale forcefully again. This creates a rhythm to your breathing, making you pay attention to the breaths you take. It also keeps air flowing out of the lung,s so that you can refill them. You may cough or generate sputum, this is okay, your main goal is to get your breathing back on track again.
The more humid your home is, the easier it is for mildew and mold to grow. Both mold and mildew are associated with asthma attacks. 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’re a sufferer of asthma, stay away from cigarette smoke. Don’t smoke! Do not breathe in the vapors or any other chemical fumes. This can aggravate your asthma and it might not stop. You should give up on the smokes if you have asthma and also make sure to avoid other people who are smoking.
During colder months, wear a shawl, scarf or muffler to avoid asthma. This warms the air before you bring it into your lungs. Breathing in air that’s cold can trigger an attack, particularly in younger children that have moderate or severe asthma.
Never turn on a fan when the room you are in is very dusty. A fan will spread dust and debris all over. This can very easily aggravate your asthma, and cause serious symptoms. It is much better to open a window when you are in need of some air flow.
A lot of times asthma will develop over time, and has symptoms that aren’t always obvious. Sometimes, a person can die from their first asthma attack without actually knowing they had the disease to begin with! If you often have difficulty breathing or a persistent cough, it would be wise to make an appointment with your physician, so he or she can confirm whether you have asthma. If you do, your doctor can then prescribe medications to manage or treat it.
If you suffer from asthma, be sure your diet includes lots of Vitamins C and E. These vitamins are thought to help improve lung function and control asthma symptoms. It doesn’t matter if you get the vitamins for food or a supplement; just get them. These vitamins can improve your immune system to prevent asthma triggers.
Allergens, dust, pollen and other things that can aggravate your asthma tend to collect inside bed linens. You can get rid of these by washing your sheets and other linens in very hot water each week. The freshly laundered linens will make it easier for you to breath when you are sleeping.
You may want to consider purchasing a dehumidifier for your home if you suffer from asthma. A reduction in humidity will also lessen the amount of dust mites in your home. This lessens the chance of an asthma flare up. Air is kept dry by dehumidifiers by sucking the humidity out of it.
Sufferers from asthma should stay indoors when the pollen count rises. Even though asthma isn’t an allergy, they share many things in common. The air quality information should be used to find out when it is better to stay indoors to avoid irritants present in the air.
If you use more than four cleaning products, you are increasing the risks of an asthma attack. Consider purchasing and using organic cleaning products since they are void of irritating chemicals.
Keep yourself as calm as possible when having an asthma attack. Take your first dose of your inhaler and then wait thirty seconds. You can use your inhaler again after that. 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 take you to a hospital, or if necessary call an ambulance. On your way to the hospital, breath in and out in a paper bag in order to help calm yourself and get your breathing down to a normal pace.
You should know what triggers your asthma attacks; this will allow you to either avoid them or be ready to manage the symptoms. The majority of asthma sufferers suffer attacks when exposed to some common trigger, including allergens or cigarette smoke. If at all possible, strive to avoid substances and locations that trigger your asthma symptoms or attacks.
If you suffer from asthma and have to use your inhaler in excess of two or three times per week, you should see a doctor and ask about changing your medication. This might mean that your inhaler isn’t working enough for you. Similarly, if you need to purchase refill inhalers more than twice a year, your medication is ineffective.
It can also be fatal if not treated and controlled. By following the advice in this article, you can help to manage your asthma and bring better breathing and more activity to your life.
Schedule regular visits with your doctor to check up on your asthma. Ideally these should occur every few months. At your doctor’s visit, the doctor will evaluate your asthma and make any changes to your treatment plan if they are required. You are in charge of scheduling your visits with your physician in order for him or her to properly take care of you.