Do you suffer from asthma attacks or other symptoms? Read on for some simple ways to help you keep asthma symptoms under control.
Do you know what type of asthma you have? 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. For example, if you have exercise-induced asthma, you will want to always make sure you have an inhaler in your gym bag. You can avoid any future crisis by knowing and figuring out patterns of the symptoms you have.
If you suffer from asthma, stay away from the fumes of household cleaning products. Asthma sufferers are often sensitive to chemical cleaners; using these products can sometimes trigger asthma attacks. If you’re the one that cleans your home, try organic or natural cleaning solutions that are much less risky to your health.
Don’t turn on any fans if you see that your room is dusty. Dust blown around by fans can cause your asthma to rear up. A fan will just blow around dust without providing fresh air, so opening a window is a better option as it brings in fresh air and ventilation.
Exacerbate Asthma
Leukotriene inhibitors can help control the symptoms of asthma. A leukotriene inhibitor helps to prevent leukotrienes. Leukotrienes has a hand in causing swelling and inflammation in your lungs, and may trigger a asthma attack. The inhibitor will block leukotrienes from getting into your lungs and lessen the chances of you suffering an asthma attack.
Some medications can exacerbate asthma symptoms as a side effect. Aspirin is an example of a widely used medicine that can cause asthma problems. Some medications for blood pressure and heart disease – those referred to as beta blockers – can also exacerbate asthma problems. Let your doctor know about your asthma and what prescriptions you’re taking.
If you have asthma, avoid people who are smoking. When you inhale tobacco smoke, particularly in closeted areas, the functioning of your lungs can decrease, and you may suffer an attack.
Anyone suffering from asthma or asthma-like symptoms needs to stay clear of cigarette smoke, whether you smoke yourself, or even if you’re breathing secondhand smoke. This cannot be emphasized enough: Stay away from cigarette smoke! Avoid vapors and chemical fumes from cigarettes. Any of these things can trigger an asthma attack. Leave a room if people smoke, or ask them to stop.
Products with no scent are the safest and best option for an asthma sufferer. Products that contain strong scents, like incense, perfume, or air freshener can trigger an asthma attack just by lingering in the air. Be aware that fresh paint and new carpet also can emit harmful odors that irritate sensitive airways. As much as possible, try to keep your home filled with fresh, pure air.
Everyone in your family, including you, should get the flu vaccination every year. When you are afflicted with asthma, steer as clear as you can of all types of respiratory infections. Making sure to consistently wash your hands, and getting the proper vaccinations are two standard precautions.
Allergens, the common cold and influenza can increase your asthma symptoms. Some illnesses create issues that make it necessary to increase medication temporarily. You might even get a new treatment added onto our existing program until the illness subsides.
A dehumidifier can significantly reduce the asthma attacks experienced by you or other afflicted members of your household. Lowering humidity will reduce the amount of dust mites in your home, and help your asthma improve. Dehumidifiers keep the humidity out of your home by keeping the air dry.
If you or someone in your family has asthma, all family members need to get flu shots every year. Get yearly vaccinations to keep these potential infections at bay.
If you suffer from asthma, don’t expose yourself to secondhand smoke. Inhaled smoke from tobacco can drastically reduce lung function, increasing your chances of an asthma attack. This is especially true in closed-in areas.
Avoid pillows with feathers if you have asthma. People are often allergic to these natural products that can affect breathing and bring on asthma symptoms. This applies to bedding, as well. Purchase sheets and comforters that are made of hypoallergenic materials.
If you are dealing with asthma, a good idea is to use a pillow without feathers. Feathers can aggravate symptoms of asthma and lower lung function. The same can be said for bedding, try to get hypoallergenic comforters and sheets.
Protect yourself against breathing in cold air that aggravates your asthma by wearing a scarf that covers your nose and mouth. Bundling up puts heat between the air and your lungs, which can help lessen your risk of an asthma attack. In multiple studies, breathing cold air is linked to increased asthma attacks. This link is especially pronounced in younger children.
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. You can’t control the weather or the environment when you travel, so keep in mind you are more vulnerable to symptoms and attacks when you go to a new area.
Understand how to properly use your own asthma medication, particularly the rescue medication. Most people treat their asthma with regular daily medication, and carry supplemental emergency medication in the form of a rescue inhaler. It’s important to use both forms of medication properly to treat your chronic condition.
If the air in your home is humid, it provides an ideal incubator for mold or mildew. These fungi are both common triggers for asthma attacks. It is best if you keep the air in your home as dry as possible. When it’s cold, a dehumidifier can keep moisture to a minimum; in hot months, your A/C unit will do the same thing.
Make sure you count how many times, within a week, you have to use your inhaler. Your medication may need to be adjusted or an alternative treatment considered if you find that you need to use it 3 or more times per week. Remembering the times you use the inhaler provides a good way to keep checking your environment, as well as other things in your plan to manage your asthma.
During cold, winter months, asthma sufferers should wear a shawl, muffler, or scarf that will cover both their nose and mouth. This will keep you from breathing cold air. Breathing in air that’s cold can trigger an attack, particularly in younger children that have moderate or severe asthma.
Dust, pollen, allergens and other asthma aggravators tend to collect in bed linens. You can avoid this by making sure to wash your bed linens in hot water at least once a week. These fresh, regularly washed linens can help you breathe easier when sleeping.
Asthma is a condition that typically will develop over a long period of time, with symptoms that are not very obvious. Sometimes, a person can die from their first asthma attack without actually knowing they had the disease to begin with! So, if you are having trouble coughing and breathing, talk to a doctor to see if you need treatment. You might receive a prescription to treat or prevent asthma.
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. You’ll want to visit an asthma center, or consult with a pulmonologist to get additional help improving your lung function. In addition, you should get tested for allergies so that you can avoid allergic reactions that trigger asthma attacks.
Use your inhaler when you need to, but be aware that this product can cause infections near your gums and teeth. One effective way in preventing these side effects and problems is to brush and gargle right away after you use your inhaler.
People who suffer from asthma should stay inside as much as they can when the pollen count is up. While asthma isn’t an allergy, many allergy irritants can affect it. Many areas provide air quality information publicly, allowing you to stay indoors when the air outside is poor.
When you are cleaning your home, it is always better to use a wet mop rather than sweeping your floors. An asthma attack is one possible outcome of a sweeping session that fills the air around you with allergens and dust. Also, use damp rags instead of feather dusters to dust your furniture.
Do not use a vaporizer or humidifier unless you are sure it’s been thoroughly cleaned. Not cleaning a humidifier allows bacteria to grow in the machine’s moist water tank area, and the machine will pump dangerous allergens into yoru environment every time you use it.
Bed Linens
If you experience an asthma attack, stay calm. Use the inhaler, pause for 30 seconds then use it again. Seek help if your attack gets worse. Ask a family member or friend to call for ambulatory help or to drive you to the emergency room. Try to breathe into a paper bag so that you can calm your breathing when you’re on the way.
Avoid aggravating your asthma condition while sleeping by covering your mattress and pillows with plastic before putting clean linens on. To reduce the chance that your bed linens will induce an asthma attack, wash your sheets every week in hot water. Fresh bed linens, washed regularly, will ensure that you can breathe a little easier while you sleep.
Schedule regular visits with your doctor to check up on your asthma. Ideally these should occur every few months. Your doctor will be able to assess the effectiveness of treatments, and adjust them, if necessary. Taking on the responsibility of scheduling these regular appointments will help your doctor help you to stay healthy.
You can find many helpful suggestions in dealing with asthma symptoms from this article. However, the biggest factor will be how determined you are to apply them. Individuals who ignore warning signs or underestimate the impact of symptoms are placing themselves in grave danger. Ensure that you are always protected by committing yourself to the task of controlling your condition.
Eat foods high in vitamin B6. Vitamin B6, known as pyridoxine, reduces the risks of getting an asthma attack. It does this by producing molecules to relax your bronchial tissue. One common source of vitamin B6 are bananas.