Having asthma can be scary because it can make you unable to breathe freely. Asthma attacks come with no warning, and the condition can shorten your life or even bring it to an abrupt halt. This article is here to help you prevent asthma attacks and manage your condition efficiently to live a normal life.
What kind of asthma do you have? Before you can develop a self-care plan for your asthma symptoms, you need to know the specific cause of your symptoms. For example, if your asthma is brought on by bronchitis, you should keep your rescue inhaler with you during times when you are sick. Treating asthma is less difficult if you and your physician are aware of the triggers that bring on an attack.
If you are an asthma patient, do not expose yourself to vapors, fumes and cigarette 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.
Cleaning products can trigger an asthma attack, so try to keep your exposure to them to a minimum. A lot of agents in cleaners tend to trigger asthma attacks and symptoms. If you are responsible for cleaning your residence, think about purchasing natural products, which are less likely to set off your asthma.
When you have asthma, you need to be careful around chemical cleaning products. Cleaning products are often full of chemicals, and breathing those chemicals in can irritate your lungs. If you have the job of cleaning your house, you should safer, natural products.
Asthma doesn’t just go away, so you can’t just stop managing it. 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. Speak with an allergist or your doctor to determine the best care for you.
Avoid the things that trigger your asthma. Certain asthma sufferers experience attacks when they around around allergy triggers, such as dust or pollen. For others, attacks can be caused by physical activities. Pay attention to what causes your attacks so you can prevent them from happening.
If you’re in a room that has a lot of dust in it, don’t turn on a fan. While it may seem smart to get the air circulating, in reality this will only stir up the dust, making it easier to inhale and trigger an attack. If you feel you need airflow, open a window instead.
Leukotriene Inhibitor
It is always a problem if you have asthma and don’t have health insurance, but talking to a social worker may help you resolve this issue. Asthma medications are never cheap, but it’s vital that you receive them and that is the social worker’s goal. He or she will deal with the clinics directly in efforts to remedy the situation.
If you suffer from asthma, try seeing if a leukotriene inhibitor helps. A leukotriene inhibitor stops the release of a chemical that causes the inflammation that is responsible for some asthma attacks. Leukotriene is a substance that may cause inflammation. This can make a person have an asthma attack. Leukotriene is an oral therapy for the treatment of asthma, but it is not as effective as inhaled corticosteroids.
Get a flu shot every season and make sure your family does as well. You do not want to have a respiratory infection if you have asthma. The easiest way to start is by performing routine hand-washing, limiting your touching of surfaces while in public places, and getting vaccinations recommended by your doctor.
While traveling, always keep emergency asthma medication on hand and close by. Traveling can be somewhat stressful and put added strain your body, which might make you more likely to respond to asthma triggers by having an attack. 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.
An increased propensity for asthma attacks has been linked with the utilization of multiple cleaning products. The more you use, the greater the risk of an attack. Try to use organic based cleaning products that are not harmful to asthma sufferers.
In the winter, cover your mouth and nose with a scarf or shawl to prevent asthma attacks. This allows you to warm air before it enters your lungs. Cold air can trigger severe attacks, especially for young children.
Be knowledgeable about the factors that cause asthma attacks in order to avoid the triggers or develop a plan for managing the symptoms of asthma. Most asthma sufferers have a few common triggers such as smoke, pet dander or pollen. Try to avoid these items as much as humanly possible so as to not trigger a full attack.
Know how to properly use asthma medicine, especially your rescue medication. Most people treat their asthma with regular daily medication, and carry supplemental emergency medication in the form of a rescue inhaler. Asthma lasts a lifetime, so you must manage your treatment and lifestyle to ensure you’re taking the best care of yourself.
If you are asthmatic, it may be a good idea to use a pillow that is not filled with feathers. Feathers may trigger asthma symptoms by irritating your lungs. This applies to bedding, as well. Purchase sheets and comforters that are made of hypoallergenic materials.
Asthma is a medical condition that tends to slowly develop over time, and the symptoms are not always that obvious. Sometimes, a person can die from their first asthma attack without actually knowing they had the disease to begin with! Therefore, if you find yourself having difficulties breathing or with a chronic cough, it is essential that you see a doctor and get tested for asthma. The sooner you get the needed treatment and medication, the better.
Make sure that your rescue medication is at hand at all times during your travels. You may find that the stress of traveling makes an asthma attack more likely. Traveling can make asthma symptoms worse, and it is difficult, nearly impossible to control environmental triggers during travel.
Written Prescription
Some of asthma’s major triggers can be right in your home. These causes can 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. As an additional measure, a home that is regularly cleaned will help keep these irritants from building up.
If you are going on a plane trip with asthma medications, make sure to bring your written prescription along with you. The written prescription will help you get through security without difficulty, because it establishes that your nebulizer and supplies are medically necessary.
Find out how you are supposed to use your asthma medication and rescue treatments. Asthma is a condition traditionally treated with a combination of a regular medicine and an emergency medicinal inhaler. Because you will have asthma for the rest of your life, it is important that you take your maintenance medication properly, and that you use your emergency medication correctly.
You should use your inhaler everyday regularly; however, be forewarned that the medicine can potentially lead to mouth infections, especially around your gums and teeth. Always brush and gargle as soon as you’ve finished using your inhaler to prevent mouth infections.
When flying and bringing along asthma medications and equipment, be sure to pack your prescriptions. This is especially true for large items like a nebulizer. Written proof of needing your equipment can help you with any issues you might have in the security line.
Keep notes on how often you are compelled to use your inhaler each week. When you find you are depending on it more than thrice during a week’s period on an ongoing basis it is a sign your asthma is not under proper control and could lead to serious attacks if not addressed. The frequency of your inhaler usage should remind you to monitor the environmental conditions around you and other issues relating to the way you manage your asthma.
For a deeper and more thorough cleaning, mop your floors instead of simply sweeping them. Sweeping can cause the rise of dust and dander, which may trigger an asthma attack. You can greatly reduce this by using a wet sponge, damp rag, or moist cloth instead of your old-fashioned feather duster.
If you’d like to avoid asthma attacks, avoid cigarette smoke as much as possible. Smoke can cause asthma attacks. Keep away from chemical fumes, chemical vapor, and tobacco smoke as much as you can. Exposure to these substances can worsen your asthma considerably. If someone starts smoking near you, politely inquire whether they can smoke in your absence.
When you are making an effort to control asthma, do not smoke. Smoke is one of the primary triggers of asthma. Avoid any kind of chemical fumes, vapors, and tobacco smoke as much as you can. They can easily increase your asthma symptoms. If you know someone who smokes, politely ask that they do not smoke in your presence.
Asthma Attack
If you suffer from asthma or allergies, avoid using a vaporizer or humidifier unless it is consistently and thoroughly cleaned. Bacteria will breed rapidly due to the moisture in the machine. If you continue to use one without cleaning it correctly, you will be pushing allergens around the home, instead of the soothing humidity that you are hoping for.
Your bed linen could be filled with dust, pollen or other allergens. You can reduce or eliminate these potential asthma attack inducers by laundering your sheets and pillowcases in hot water every week. You’re less likely to have an asthma attack while asleep or upon first waking up if your bedding is fresh and clean.
If you end up using your inhaler more than twice a week, then you need to consult a physician and change your medication. If you need to use your inhaler that often, the medicine in it isn’t working as well as it should. It also isn’t working right if you’re having to refill the inhaler more than two times a year.
Do not make the decision to smoke. Most people are educated about how dangerous smoking is, but it is much more harmful for people who have asthma. Smoke is extremely irritating to the already sensitive asthmatic lungs, so care should be taken to not only smoke, but also avoid being in the presence of other people who are smoking.
If you have asthma, visit your doctor every three or four months so that they can help you monitor your health. This person needs to have the ability to look at your current situation so that they can make any changes as necessary. You are responsible for ensuring you schedule checkups with your doctor in order for him or her to follow up on you, and ensure you remain healthy.
Asthma sufferers should definitely stay indoors more when pollen increases. Asthma’s not an allergy, but many things that irritate allergies also irritate asthma. Asthma suffers can now minimize exposure to outdoor pollutants and irritants by checking online for current air quality in their areas.
Make sure that you protect yourself if you’re planning on doing anything like painting your home. You should purchase a protective mask to cut back on fume inhalation. You can bother your asthma a lot by painting, if you use a mask it can help protect you. In general, you should avoid anything that will trigger an asthma attack or worsen your asthma symptoms.
Thoroughly Cleaned
You will get a lot of support for your asthma if you join a group or just by talking with other people who have asthma. By talking to fellow sufferers, you will learn more about asthma and what you should do in case of an attack. As with anything else, having the right support system can make a difference in how asthma affects your life.
Do not use a vaporizer or humidifier unless you are sure it’s been thoroughly cleaned. If the vaporizer or humidifier has not been thoroughly cleaned there could be bacteria growing inside of it. When you turn it on it will pump allergens that you will inevitably breath in.
Asthma may be the result of genetics or something in the environment, or perhaps a bit of both. If anyone else in your family suffers from asthma, keep watch for any asthma symptoms in your children or yourself. All sorts of environmental factors can cause asthma, and they include smoke, pollution, excess dust and mold spores. It is best to avoid these hazardous situations, especially if there are children present.
If left untreated, it can be deadly. If you heed the advice that this article shared with you, not only will your asthma be better managed, you will also have a greater breath capacity and a more active lifestyle.
Make sure that smoking does not ever occur near an asthma sufferer. People who desire to smoke should go outside or away from the individual with asthma. In some cases just the smell of a heavy smoker’s clothing can cause an asthma attack.