Asthma can be a challenging condition. It prevents you from doing simple tasks, such as walking outside. To make matters worse, there is no cure for asthma, and it is hard to manage the symptoms. The following article offers some great advice on how you can prevent your asthma symptoms from becoming out of control.
If you suffer from asthma, don’t smoke, and avoid exposure to secondhand smoke. This does mean avoiding all tobacco products as well as being mindful of sources of employment, with special attention to factories that might provide exposure to smoke and vapors.
You want to make sure you can avoid situations that could trigger your asthma. Perhaps you have allergies or are sensitive to dust and pollen. Or, you may need to avoid certain activities that overexert your body. Know your asthma causes so you can avoid putting yourself in a situation where you may suffer from an attack.
What type of asthma are you having to deal with? 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 your asthma is triggered by exercise, throw an inhaler into your gym bag. You can avoid any future crisis by knowing and figuring out patterns of the symptoms you have.
When suffering from asthma, make sure to choose products that are unscented. Products with a fragrance raise the air pollution indoors, and increase the risk of an attack being triggered. Some of these products include incense, scented body sprays and air fresheners. Certain things in the home, such as newly installed carpet or fresh paint, can also release chemical irritants. Keep the air inside your home clean and fresh, and free of any asthma triggers.
When you have asthma, you need to be careful around chemical cleaning products. The complex list of ingredients on many cleaning products makes it difficult know which ones have the chemical compounds that might aggravate asthma symptoms or even initiate an attack. There are many all-natural organic cleaning products available that may help eliminate asthmatic problems.
While traveling, always keep emergency asthma medication on hand and close by. It’s easy to get thrown off your regular eating and sleeping routine while traveling, which strains your body and increases your vulnerability to asthma attack triggers. Traveling can make asthma symptoms worse, and it is difficult, nearly impossible to control environmental triggers during travel.
If your health insurance situation cannot help you with your asthma, talk to a social worker. Social workers are often able to locate a hospital or clinic that can offer free or low cost options to make sure you can fill your medication prescriptions.
Humidity in your home causes an environment where mildew and mold are more likely to grow. You can get asthma attacks because of these substances. To halt the growth of mold and mildew keep your home’s humidity low. During winter, use a device to dehumidify in the winter, and air condition in the summer.
Make certain that you and your loved ones receive annual flu shots. Make sure you do your best in avoiding respiratory infections at all costs if you have asthma. This includes preventive measures against sickness, such as practicing good hygiene and getting all recommended vaccinations.
When the weather starts to turn colder, wear a scarf or shawl that covers your mouth and nose to help prevent asthma attacks. This warms the air before you bring it into your lungs. Cool air has been known to trigger an asthma attack, particularly in very young children who have severe or moderate asthma.
It has been shown that use of four or more different kinds of cleaning products can raise the risk of asthma attacks. Use organic products as often as possible, as these contain fewer harsh chemicals.
It is essential that you learn the proper ways to use all of your asthma medications, especially those used in rescue situations. Asthma is a condition traditionally treated with a combination of a regular medicine and an emergency medicinal inhaler. Asthma is a lifelong condition; you should correctly take your regular medication and use your rescue medication only as needed.
Stay away from any tobacco smoke, even people that are smoking tobacco. Inhaled smoke from tobacco can drastically reduce lung function, increasing your chances of an asthma attack. This is especially true in closed-in areas.
Asthma is a health condition that usually develops over a period of time, and has symptoms that may not be obvious. People can even die from their very first asthma attack as they’re not prepared for it! Therefore, if you have trouble breathing or a constant cough, you may want to seek a medical professional to determine if you have asthma. Your physician can also determine whether you need medication for either asthma prevention or asthma treatment.
It is best to use products that are unscented in the home with someone who is asthmatic. Products with a strong smell such as air fresheners, incense or perfume can trigger asthma attacks. New carpeting and even a fresh coat of paint can aggravate the airway and lungs as well. Keep your indoor air as clean as you can.
When you are cleaning your home, it is always better to use a wet mop rather than sweeping your floors. Sweeping can stir up some asthmatic triggers that will exacerbate your symptoms. Dusting with a damp cloth rather than a feather duster can be a considerable help in reducing the amount of dust and other things that might start an attack.
Even if you are feeling great, never skip your regular asthma checkup. Your health care provider may have new prescriptions that could benefit you in case the need arises.
Bed Linens
A humid home will cause mold or mildew to appear. These things can trigger asthma attacks very easily. A dry home will help you out a lot more. One way to control the humidity in the house is to employ a dehumidifier to pull out the excess moisture.
Dust, pollen, allergens and other asthma aggravators tend to collect in 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. Fresh bed linens, laundered on a regular basis, will keep you breathing clearly and easily at night while you slumber.
Asthma usually takes an extended interval of time to fully develop, and the warning signs are rarely obvious. In fact, some people who didn’t even realize they had asthma died as a result of their initial attack. Therefore, if you have trouble breathing or a constant cough, you may want to seek a medical professional to determine if you have asthma. Your physician can also determine whether you need medication for either asthma prevention or asthma treatment.
Do not smoke cigarettes. Pretty much everyone is aware that smoking is dangerous, but for people suffering with asthma, it can have devastating effects. An asthmatic’s lungs are more vulnerable than those of a healthy individual, which makes it especially important to abstain from smoking and avoid secondhand smoke.
Stay away from smoke if you have asthma. Smoke can induce an asthma attack. You should stay far away from smoke of any kind, chemicals and vapors. The more you are exposed to fumes, vapors and smoke, the more likely you are to have an asthma attack. When anyone lights up a cigarette or cigar in your presence, politely inform them that you have asthma and ask them not to smoke beside you.
If you find you need your inhaler too often, more than two times a week, talk to your doctor about changing your prescription. Frequent asthma attacks indicate that your inhaled medication isn’t keeping your asthma under control. In addition, if you must change the cartridge in the inhaler more than two times in a year, you may need to see your doctor regarding a medication switch.
Asthmatics should avoid smoking tobacco products whenever possible. The dangers surrounding smoking are well documented, but for asthma sufferers the issues can be much more serious. Sensitive asthmatic lungs are easily irritated by smoke, so they need to avoid smoking and to avoid situations where there are people who smoke.
Do all you can to educate yourself about asthma. If you educate yourself properly, you will be able to find a good treatment. Keep up with trends and new treatment methods, and ensure that the medical professionals on your team are working hard to help you. Make sure to explore new and different options to keep the symptoms of your condition under control.
If you are having an asthma attack, it is crucial that you remain calm. Grab your inhaler and use it, then wait to see if it helps. If not, then use it again in thirty seconds. If the inhaler does not provide immediate help, get medical help right away. Ask someone to drive you to the closest hospital or call an ambulance. Try putting a paper bag up to your mouth and breathing into it to help slow your breaths.
Buy a mask to keep yourself from breathing in harmful fumes if you plan on painting in your home. Paint could irritate asthma greatly, but using a mask will act as a protective shield needed to fight this issue. Don’t use certain chemicals and substances that could aggravate your asthma.
If you need to use your inhaler more often than twice each week, this means your asthma isn’t adequately controlled and a medication change is required. If that’s the case, the medication in the inhaler isn’t working right. This also applies to anyone who needs to refill their inhaler more than two times in a single year.
Knowing what triggers your asthma is an extremely important thing to know in order to prevent your attacks. Think about using a journal to write down the things that you think might be triggering an attack, and talk about your notes with your health care professional. After you identify your triggers, make every effort to stay away from them.
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.
As was mentioned before in this article, asthma is a very severe medical condition and you should never take it lightly. If you feel like you are losing control of the situation, go see a doctor. The more you use the tips you just read about, the better control you’ll have over your asthma. Don’t let asthma stop you from living a full life.
If repainting a room is in your future, purchase a quality mask first to protect your lungs from paint fumes. Asthma is strongly irritated by paint, so a mask will put a shield between you and it, and lessen the problem. Learn what type of chemicals trigger your asthma and try to stay away from them.