Asthma is a very dangerous condition that can really inhibit your lifestyle. With medication and coping strategies, however, you can live a full, healthy life, despite your asthma. Read this article for some great tips to help you cope with asthma.
If you are an asthma patient, do not expose yourself to vapors, fumes and cigarette smoke. Decrease the effects of asthma by wearing a protective mask when pollution levels are especially high.
Don’t smoke around your child if they have asthma; this could worsen their situation. Secondhand smoke is a leading cause of asthma, and it can also trigger an asthma attack. Never allow anyone to smoke around your child, and teach them not to smoke as an adult themselves.
If you have any children who suffer from asthma, avoid smoking around them at all costs. As far as triggers that cause asthma attacks or causes of the condition in general, secondhand cigarette smoke ranks right up there. It’s best to also keep your child away from places in which others will be smoking.
Asthmatics should not smoke. If you smoke – quit immediately. Smoking is unhealthy for everyone, however it is especially bad for asthmatics. Your lungs are already compromised from the asthma and adding smoke to that will cut off the vital oxygen supply your lungs need to breathe.
It is very important that an asthma sufferer refrain from smoking, if you do then it is advisable you quit now. Smoking is horrible for people, it is really bad if asthma becomes worse and blocks oxygen to your body, you need oxygen to work and stave off asthma.
Cleaning Products
You should stay away from anything you might believe which can trigger an asthma attack. This can vary from person to person, as small particles like dust can cause asthma attacks. It could also be some type of strenuous exercise. Figure out what sets off your asthma so you can avoid it.
If you suffer with asthma, avoid cleaning products. Cleaning products are often full of chemicals, and breathing those chemicals in can irritate your lungs. Instead of relying on harsh cleaners, check out some organic solutions. They might cost a few dollars more, but the difference is well worth it.
Don’t turn on the fan if the dust in a room is aggravating your asthma. This will move all the dust around, and can easily trigger an asthma attack. If you feel you need airflow, open a window instead.
Asthma is a chronic disease that requires ongoing, consistent management and care. 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. See your doctor or allergist to find out which treatment plan is best for your situation.
Know how to use your inhaler correctly. Find a quiet spot and follow the instructions the manufacturer has given. The only way the inhaler will work is if your lungs get the proper amount of medication. Inhale the air and spray the right amount down your throat. Hold your breath still for ten seconds at least in order to let the mist with medicine fill your lungs.
When you suffer a medium-intensity attack, try and forcefully exhale all air from your lungs. Exhale in a hard and fast manner. Get the air all out of the lungs. After that, take in three shallow breaths and one deep breath. Once your lungs are full again, do another forceful exhale. Using this strategy provides your breathing with a rhythm that forces you to focus on it. This technique also forces the air from your lungs to enable more air to come in. You may cough or generate sputum, this is okay, your main goal is to get your breathing back on track again.
Always choose unscented products for your home if you have asthma. Indoor air pollution rises with the constant use of anything scented, ranging from air fresheners to incense, and all this can trigger asthma attacks. Fresh pain and new carpet also let off odors that are irritable to the airways. Try to see that the air inside your home remains as fresh as possible.
Avoid using a fan in any room that has excessive dust. Turning on a fan is going to cause the dust to leave its surface and begin filling the air of your environment. Instead, you should consider opening a window to get some fresh clean air going through your lungs.
To lower the chances of an asthma attack, keep your house as clean as can be, especially the bedroom. Food should not be eaten outside of the kitchen, and there should be no indoor smoking. If you clean with any harsh chemicals or bleach, make sure to ventilate thoroughly afterwards.
Consider getting injections of medications to treat your asthma if you are prone to attacks induced by allergy symptoms. Your allergist might recommend Omalizumab, which is an antibody type medicine that can regulate your symptoms of allergic reactions.
Stand ready for a boost to your asthma treatment should you suffer from illnesses like colds or hay fever. These illnesses have side effects that can cause asthma to flare up and make an increase in medication necessary. Your physician might also work an additional treatment into your therapy until such time as you are healthier.
Try to keep your home as clean as possible, especially the bedroom of the asthma sufferer, to reduce the risk of an asthma attack. Avoid smoking inside, and only let people eat in the kitchen. Once you have cleaned your house, air it out; you should also eliminate utilizing any toxic chemicals inside.
Receiving a flu shot annually is very important if you or a loved one are asthmatic. This annual flu shot will prevent infectious damage to your lungs.
Asthma Treatment
Make sure to examine what it is that causes your asthma attacks in order to best avoid having to deal with them. If you have asthma, it’s most likely triggered by things such as being around animals or pollen. Most asthmatics also can’t tolerate smoke. Whenever possible, avoid those substances that trigger either symptoms or full-blown attacks.
Asthma treatment dosages will need to be increased if you are sick with a cold or are dealing with hay fever. A lot of illnesses can cause your asthma to flare up very badly, resulting in the necessity to increase asthma treatment. Your doctor may choose to also add an additional treatment until the illness gets better.
Keep your medication with you, especially when you are traveling. Traveling to places can strain your body, and it is more vulnerable to asthma triggers when it is under strain. You can’t exert as much control over your environment when you travel, so you may have an asthma attack or exacerbation of symptoms under unfamiliar conditions.
You can join an online or offline support group. Asthma can be severe enough to keep you away from social activiites. Also, other asthma sufferers can alert you to scientific breakthroughs and changes, such as new medications.
A humid home environment is a healthy environment for mildew and mold to develop. Both mold and mildew are associated with asthma attacks. Therefore, you should always strive to maintain a dry home. During the cold, winter months, a dehumidifier can help. In the summer, an air conditioner naturally takes out a lot of the humidity in the air.
If you have asthma, clean your floors with a wet mop, instead of sweeping with a traditional broom. When you are sweeping with a broom, you stir up triggers like dirt and dust mites that can cause you to go into an asthma attack. When you need to dust, do so with a damp rag instead of a feather duster so that you reduce spreading around anything that will trigger your asthma.
If you have asthma consider staying away from pets or animals. An allergy to an animal will worsen asthma symptoms, and an animal can carry enough dust or pollen to trigger an attack.
Contact with pets and other animals should be minimized for the asthma sufferer. Even people that do not have allergies are prone to suffer an asthma attack from the pollen and dust on animals.
Allergens, pollen and other irritants can collect in your linens and aggravate your asthma. The easiest way to get rid of these triggering agents is by washing all of your bedding using your washer’s hot setting every Sunday. If there are always fresh linens on your bed, you are much more likely to sleep restfully without unexpected asthma attacks.
Bed Linens
When planning on painting an interior area of your home, make sure that you purchase a mask to protect your respiratory tract from the paint’s fumes. Paint can aggravate asthma, but a mask can combat the irritation because it forms a shield between your nose and the environment. Stay away from any chemicals or substance that could worsen your condition.
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 bed linens will let you breathe easier when sleeping.
Knowing what triggers your asthma is an extremely important thing to know in order to prevent your attacks. You may even want to keep an asthma trigger journal so you can discuss this with your doctor. When you know what they are, do everything possible to keep away from these triggers, and get rid of them from your surroundings whenever you can.
See more than one doctor. It’s true your primary doctor should be your main source for all your asthma help, but it may be wise to see one or two asthma specialists. There are a number of different approaches used to treat asthma. See what a pulmonololist, an allergist or a nutritionist has to say about your asthma problems.
Hurry to the hospital if you see any symptoms of a dangerous asthma attack. Two common symptoms of an unusually serious asthma attack are asthma medication having no effect and lips and extremities that are blue or gray in color. Speech may also become difficult.
Avoid smoking and people who are smokers. A lot of people know that smoking is bad for you, but if you have asthma it is far worse. Smoke greatly irritates the sensitive lungs of the person with asthma, so in addition to not smoking, someone with asthma should avoid people that are smoking.
Watch your children closely for allergic reactions when they are eating new foods. You should test your children for a food allergy if they experience any strange symptoms such as hives when they eat something in particular. These allergic reactions could be a precursor of asthma.
You need to know how to properly use your inhaler if you have been diagnosed with asthma. Don’t just breathe normally or shallowly after spraying inhaled medication into your mouth. Every time you use your inhaler, be sure to breathe deeply and slowly. Failure to properly use your inhaler can lead to deadly effect.
A dry, clean environment can help you reduce asthma attacks that happen at home. A dehumidifier will control your home’s moisture. Keeping the humidity in your home under control, you can help reduce the occurrence of attacks at any season of the year.
Learn as much as you can about asthma. The more you understand about the condition, the more effective you’ll be in taking steps to manage your asthma. Stay current with treatment technology and get yourself the best care that you can. There is no other way to get the best care possible than educating yourself on asthma, and staying informed about your treatment options.
Don’t do lots of exercise outside if the air is dry and cold if you are an asthma sufferer. This is due to the cold weather making your airway cool and dry also, which could trigger an asthma attack. Before participating in any forms of vigorous exercise, makes sure that is humid and a bit warm outside.
As previously stated, asthma is serious and can even threaten your life if it is ignored. You should protect yourself by always carrying an emergency inhaler, and watching out for excessive air pollution or allergens. Use these tips to overcome asthma so it won’t restrict your freedom.
If you are going to exercise with asthma, it is essential that you perform the proper warm-ups and cool-downs before and after your routine. Doing both can prevent serious attacks during or after exercising.