Asthma is a very serious medical condition, and your life could have serious affects from it. Take the necessary steps in order to keep your asthma under control. It is much easier to prevent an attack that it is to cure one. This article gives you insightful tips on ways to control your symptoms of asthma.
Are you informed about what type of asthma you suffer from? Understanding the specifics of your asthma will help you to avoid attack triggers in your day-to-day life. 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. You will be able to prevent asthma attacks if you can recognize symptoms.
If you are someone who suffers from asthma, stay away from all types of cigarette smoke. Smoking is especially dangerous for asthmatics. Avoid fumes and vapors of any kind. Chemical fumes will trigger asthma attacks that you won’t be able to put an end to. Avoid secondhand smoke by leaving physical distance between yourself and the smoker.
An important tip to help protect your asthma-afflicted children is to always refrain from smoking around them. Secondhand smoke is something that can lead to serious asthma. Any place where smoking is allowed should be avoided if you have a child with asthma.
Dust will make you have an attack, so keep the air calm in dirty rooms. All this does is circulate the dust, which is an invitation to triggering an otherwise avoidable asthma attack. Open a window instead to get the air flowing.
As a chronic disease, asthma must be managed continuously. It is crucial that you have the proper medications for controlling asthma, as well as medication, such as a rescue inhaler to treat sudden attacks. Speak to your physician and allergist to find out what medications are right for you.
Everyone in your family, including you, should get the flu vaccination every year. Try to avoid getting any respiratory infections if you have asthma. Take the right steps to stop yourself from getting sick, wash your hands and get the right vaccines.
Don’t turn on any fans if you see that your room is dusty. Otherwise, the dust will fly into the air and could give you an attack. Open some windows if you want fresh air.
Try to keep your home as clean as possible, especially the bedroom of the asthma sufferer, to reduce the risk of an asthma attack. Keep food consumption to the kitchen and the dining room, and never allow anyone to smoke in the house. Let in plenty of fresh air if the weather permits, and avoid using harsh chemicals to bleach.
If you are an asthmatic who also has allergies, injected allergy medication may be just the thing you need to get relief. An antibody medicine known as omalizumab is very effective at countering asthma attacks related to allergies. Ask your allergist about it.
Make sure you get a flu shot once a year if you suffer from asthma. Make sure your child’s vaccinations are up-to-date to avoid as many infections as possible.
If your health insurance situation cannot help you with your asthma, talk to a social worker. Asthma medications are a necessity, and a social worker can help you find an affordable way to keep your prescriptions current.
If you are an asthma patient, you may want to sleep with a pillow that does not contain feathers. Feathers can aggravate symptoms of asthma and lower lung function. Also, make sure your other bedding is made with hypoallergenic materials.
When suffering from asthma, there are vitamins that can help, including E and C. It is widely believed that these vitamins can help control asthma symptoms by improving lung function. You can gain vitamins from supplements or the old fashioned way, from food! Loading up on these vitamins will energize your immune system, aiding your body in preventing the illnesses that worsen or trigger asthma.
Mold and mildew grow in a home due to the humidity that creates a friendly environment for them. These can very easily cause an attack. It is best if you keep the air in your home as dry as possible. Using a dehumidifier during cold weather and turning on your air conditioner when the weather gets hot again can help keep humidity out of your home to ensure your asthma is under control.
A dehumidifier can significantly reduce the asthma attacks experienced by you or other afflicted members of your household. Cutting down the humidity in the house will lower the amount dust mites in the air, and that will mean fewer asthma flare-ups. Dehumidifiers keep your home dry by keeping the humidity out.
Rescue Medication
Your asthma treatments will likely increase when you suffer from hay fever or a cold. Many illnesses have side effects which can cause your asthma to get much worse, leading your doctor to increase treatment. You might even get a new treatment added onto our existing program until the illness subsides.
Be sure you understand how to use the medication you’re given for asthma properly, especially your rescue medication. Typically, asthma is treated using normal medications along with rescue medication, like an inhaler, for emergency situations. It’s important to use both forms of medication properly to treat your chronic condition.
Make sure you get a flu shot each year if you have asthma or if your child does. Get yearly vaccinations to keep these potential infections at bay.
Asthma is a disease that can develop slowly over time, making it sometimes difficult to spot the symptoms. Sometimes, a person can die from their first asthma attack without actually knowing they had the disease to begin with! Because of this, if you notice that you have trouble breathing or are constantly coughing, you may want to visit your doctor. They can tell you if you have asthma and if there is a medication that you should be taking. Your doctor can also tell you if there is something you can do to prevent asthma from developing.
Some common catalysts of asthma attacks regularly occur in the home. These triggers include dust, spores and mold. If you want to prevent and manage these sources of asthma attacks, have regular home inspections by a professional, and get identified harming agents cleaned out. Conscientious house-cleaning can help prevent buildup of substances in your home that might trigger an asthma attack.
Keep track of the number of times per week you use your rescue inhaler. If you use it very often, you may not have it under control. The amount you utilize your inhaler can remind you to always monitor your environment as a means of effectively managing your asthma.
Someone suffering from asthma should avoid animals. While allergies from animals can complicate asthma, those without allergies can get asthma attacks from dust or pollen that the animals carry.
For people with serious asthma, exposure to household pets should be limited. Even sufferers not allergic to a certain animal need to remember that dust and pollen on the animals can still trigger an attack.
If you are having an asthma attack, it is crucial that you remain calm. Immediately use your inhaler, then wait a half a minute and do so again. If this doesn’t start to control your attack, get assistance right away. Ask a family member or friend to call for ambulatory help or to drive you to the emergency room. Slow your breathing by inhaling and exhaling into a paper bag while you are waiting for help.
Bed Linens
Take in every piece of asthma information available to you. The more you know about the condition, the better you can help yourself. Keep up on what the most effective treatments are and ensure you are receiving the best treatments possible. The only way you can do this is by arming yourself with condition and treatment knowledge.
Bed linens attract things that cause asthma attacks. To reduce the chance that your bed linens will induce an asthma attack, wash your sheets every week in hot water. These fresh, regularly washed linens can help you breathe easier when sleeping.
Knowing your catalysts for asthma attacks is the first step to preventing them. 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 they are known, do whatever it takes to prevent triggers from going off, and if possible, just wipe them out of your life and environment completely.
People with asthma should not smoke. Pretty much everyone is aware that smoking is dangerous, but for people suffering with asthma, it can have devastating effects. A person with asthma has sensitive lungs that can react adversely to smoke, causing an asthmatic attack. So an asthmatic should not even be in a room where other people are smoking.
Closely monitor the frequency of your asthma attacks. If you have more than two asthma attacks in a week, it may be time to change medications. Doctors and nurses agree that two attacks per week or more can be dangerous, not to mention avoidable.
You should not use a vaporizer or humidifier if you have asthma or allergies unless you are sure that it is clean. Permitting bacteria to grow inside the appliance will result in irritants being dispersed into the air you breathe.
Know what asthma symptoms are an indicator of a life threatening attack that requires a trip to the hospital emergency room for your child. Such symptoms include lips and fingernails that are turning blue and no reaction to the asthma medication. Additionally, your child may have trouble speaking.
If you are an asthma sufferer, it is crucial that you are using your inhaler the proper way. It’s not enough to spray a little into your mouth and breathe softly. Once you spray the inhaler you must take deep breaths for a couple of seconds. Failure to properly use your inhaler can lead to deadly effect.
A yearly vaccination for the flu virus is a wise idea. Even if the flu or cold seasons do not affect you, it is still better to get vaccinated against them. Upper-respiratory infections or sinus infections can cause a significant increase in symptoms if you are at risk of asthma attacks.
Support groups or talking with others who have asthma, can help you learn to live with your asthma. These people can supply you with advice on how to control your asthma and its symptoms. Support from those you are around is crucial.
To reduce the number of asthma attacks that you suffer within your own home, maintain an environment that is clean and dry. A dehumidifier can come in handy to keep moisture levels stable. Keeping the humidity in your home under control, you can help reduce the occurrence of attacks at any season of the year.
Eat more foods that are rich in B6 vitamins. Research has shown that by increasing the amount of vitamin B6, sometimes referred to as pyridoxine, individuals can reduce how often they suffer asthma attacks. At minimum, it can help lower the intensity of attacks. This substance helps your body produce the molecules needed to relax the tissues of the bronchial tubes. One excellent source of vitamin B6 is bananas.
When you have asthma, it is especially important to warm up before exercising and to cool down when you are finished. Doing both can prevent serious attacks during or after exercising.
Let your asthma specialist know if treatments are not effective. You should use these tips whenever you can to reduce symptoms, and improve your life.
Waking up with an asthma attack at night more than 3 times a week, or using your inhaler 3 or more times a week is a sign that your asthma medication needs to be evaluated. Ask your doctor.