Dealing with asthma presents a number of challenges, but it does not have to reduce your quality of life. There are many ways to control or prevent asthma from interfering with your life. The following article will provide you with many suggestions on how you can optimize your life despite having the condition of asthma.
If you are an asthma sufferer, it is crucial that you don’t smoke. Smoking is bad for everyone, but it’s particularly dangerous for an asthma sufferer, as it cuts off vital oxygen to the lungs.
Stay away from smoking, or being around any smoke, vapors or fumes. Stay far away from any tobacco products. You should also consider where you work, as factories may expose you to harmful vapors or smoke.
Be certain to properly use your inhaler. Locate a quiet place, and follow the label to a tee. The only way the inhaler will work is if your lungs get the proper amount of medication. Spray the stated dose of medicine into your mouth as you inhale. Don’t exhale for ten seconds so that the medicine can go through your lungs.
Do you know which type of asthma you suffer from? Being fully informed about the specific type of asthma you have is very important. People who suffer from exercise-induced asthma should consider carrying an emergency inhaler in their bag. You will be able to prevent asthma attacks if you can recognize symptoms.
You will need to keep your residence really clean, especially the bedroom where the asthma sufferer sleeps in order to help lessen the chances of an attack. Also, you should keep food confined to the kitchen, and opt to smoke outdoors only. Let in plenty of fresh air if the weather permits, and avoid using harsh chemicals to bleach.
There are some common medications that you could be using that will cause asthma symptoms. Aspirin and other NSAIDs are known to be asthma triggers. Beta blockers that are used to treat high blood pressure and heart disease can develop asthma like symptoms. Let your doctor know about your asthma and what prescriptions you’re taking.
Be certain you are aware of all your asthma attack triggers so you know both how to steer clear of them and also be ready to take care of your symptoms. 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. When possible, stay away from these triggers that cause symptoms or ultimately, full-blown attacks.
As a chronic disease, asthma must be managed continuously. You need to keep taking your medications to control the asthma symptoms every day, and if an attack should occur, you should have quick relief medication at your disposal. Consult with your physician and allergist to find out what is best for you.
If you suffer from asthma, you should refrain from sleeping on a pillow that contains feathers. The feathers from a pillow can cause asthma symptoms and decrease your lung function. This also goes for bedding; use sheets, comforters and blankets that are crafted from hypoallergenic materials.
Be sure to avoid cigarette smoke if you have asthma. You should not smoke yourself! Avoid breathing chemical fumes and vapors. This can aggravate your asthma and it might not stop. If you find that you have people smoking around you, get yourself out of that area rather quickly.
A lot of the main causes, and triggers, of asthma may exist right in your home. These causes are sources, such as, but not limited to dust, mold and spores. 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. It also helps to clean your home frequently to prevent a buildup of these allergens.
Social Worker
Mold and mildew thrive in homes with high humidity levels. These substances are prime triggers for asthma attacks. You should therefore try to keep your home dry. During the winter, you can use a dehumidifier to control humidity when using a heater, and an air conditioner during the summer will help keep your home dry.
If you have asthma and do not have health insurance, you should consider seeing a social worker. If you cannot afford medicine for asthma, your social worker can help you locate someone that can help.
It is important to track how often you use your fast-acting inhaler each week. If your records start to show you need the inhaler more than two times weekly, your environment might be causing you problems or your asthma is not being controlled as well as it could be. If you notice an increased use in your inhaler, reexamine your management plan and check for any changes in your surroundings that may be triggering the asthma.
If you suffer from asthma, ensure that your diet contains adequate amounts of Vitamin E and Vitamin C. These particular vitamins are believed to better your lung function and help manage your symptoms of asthma. Vitamin C is available in multiple forms. You can find it in citrus fruits, supplements, and in many other places. Your immune system gets a boost with these vitamins, and this helps protect your body against illnesses and asthma.
Instead of sweeping your floors, clean them with a damp mop. Those particles that can trigger asthma attacks are stirred up when you sweep. Use a dampened rag when dusting, instead of a feather duster, so as to prevent stirring up loose dust particles and other asthma triggers.
If you are using a lot of different cleaners around your house you can trigger a asthma attack. To limit the chemicals in the air, look for organic cleaning alternatives.
Asthma sufferers should have minimal contact with animals including pets. Even sufferers not allergic to a certain animal need to remember that dust and pollen on the animals can still trigger an attack.
Keep your home dust-free and get rid of any carpet in your house to help prevent asthma attacks, especially in a bedroom. Keep food consumption to the kitchen and the dining room, and never allow anyone to smoke in the house. Make sure that the home is properly ventilated and aired out, especially after cleaning with harsh products, like bleach or ammonia.
Avoid smoking. A lot of people know that smoking is bad for you, but if you have asthma it is far worse. The lungs of someone with asthma are irritated by smoking, whether by that person or someone nearby.
Feather pillows can be bad for those with asthma. The feathers can make asthma worse and take away from your ability to breathe. Same thing with bedding – purchase sheets and a comforter that are constructed from hypoallergenic materials.
Knowing how to appropriately and safely use your inhaler is essential if you are afflicted with asthma. Simply spraying it and then inhaling in a shallow manner will negate the inhaler’s benefits. Whenever you spray your inhaler, inhale deeply for multiple seconds. If you have asthma, there’s no way around it: you need to get familiar with the right method of using your inhaler.
You can join an online or offline support group. Suffering from asthma can mean many days are spent at home with your condition stopping you from participating in a full and fulfilling lifestyle. Your peers will be able to provide you with advice and tips that work for them, information about new treatment techniques, and even some home remedies you might not know about.
Include more vitamin B6 foods in your diet. Vitamin B6, also known as pyridoxine, has been found to reduce the frequency and intensity of asthma attacks in many studies. Pyridoxine can produce specific molecules which can relax your bronchial tissue. Bananas are a wonderful source of Vitamin B6.
Understand how to properly use your own asthma medication, particularly the rescue medication. For most asthma cases, an emergency treatment option, such as an inhaler, is used to supplement day-to-day management medication. Because asthma can be a lifelong issue, it is vital to take both regular and rescue medications according to the instructions.
In order to ward off asthma attacks, it is crucial that you pinpoint your triggers. A journal is a good way to identify what has triggered an attack and provides you with a simple way to keep your doctor informed. After you figure them out, try to stay away from your triggers, and take them out of your environment if you can.
If you are cleaning, you should use a mop that is damp instead of a dry broom. Sweeping stirs up irritants that can trigger an asthma attack. Dust will adhere to a wet towel instead of being loose in the air like feather dusters do where it can aggravate your asthma.
Ensure your house is clean and tidy. You need to also wash your pillows, blankets, and sheets on a regular basis. By doing this, you are preventing dust and the tiny dust mites that can cause asthma attacks from building up in your home. When dust builds, the air becomes much more irritating to those with asthma and can raise the chances of an attack.
Contact with animals and pets should be avoided for asthma sufferers. Even sufferers not allergic to a certain animal need to remember that dust and pollen on the animals can still trigger an attack.
Know what asthma symptoms are an indicator of a life threatening attack that requires a trip to the hospital emergency room for your child. 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. Your child can have a hard time speaking.
If you are using a vaporizer or humidifier, you should thoroughly clean it prior to use. Bacteria can breed inside the moist machine and you would be releasing them along with the humid air.
If an asthma attack occurs, and you do not have your controller medications with you, try to ingest something that contains caffeine. Strong tea, coffee, or chocolate can give you some caffeine to help the asthma attack. Caffeine constricts the blood vessels in the body, which can open airways.
If you have asthma attacks, remember to stay calm. Calmly use the inhaler. Use it again after 30 seconds has elapsed. If your attack worsens, get help. Get someone to call an ambulance or get you to a hospital. To slow down your breathing along the way, breathe into a paper bag.
If you live with a person who smokes and you suffer from asthma, obviously smoking should not be permitted in your home. People who want to smoke should do so outside, away from the house and away from the person with asthma. A heavy smoker can trigger someone’s asthma attack simply because they are carrying a heavy smoke scent on their clothing.
Regular Appointments
Get a flu vaccination every year. Flu vaccinations are a proactive strategy against attacks that is worth the time and effort. If you’re prone to getting asthma attacks, it’s more likely that you’ll seriously suffer from respiratory or sinus infections caused the a virus or the flu.
Schedule regular appointments with your physician to keep tabs on your asthma. Your doctor should be recording your current state as a benchmark, and making necessary changes to improve your situation if needed. It is up to you to be proactive about your health and set up regular appointments with your asthma doctor to allow him or her to work with you to keep you healthy and feeling well.
When you have asthma, it is especially important to warm up before exercising and to cool down when you are finished. Doing so greatly reduces the chances of having an exercise-induced asthma attack.
There are many ways to control asthma, and the tips in this article are a great place to start. Asthma doesn’t mean the end of the world, so it you could create a plan in which you can live with asthma in a good way, you will experience a more fulfilling life.
Make sure you let fresh air in your house if you or a loved one has asthma. Open up the doors and windows whenever the weather will allow it. If your home is well-ventilated you have 200% less allergen levels than a home that is insulated. Ventilation is an excellent way to clean your air inside your house.