It can be difficult to live with asthma. It can affect your ability to participate in even the most basic of activities, such as going for a short walk. The symptoms of this lifelong condition can be challenging to manage. That said, there ARE tips and techniques which can make managing your asthma and returning to a full life possible, and we’ve included many in this article. Read on!
Do not smoke around a child with asthma. Secondhand smoke is something that can lead to serious asthma. Always ensure your child is in a smoke-free area.
If you suffer from asthma, don’t smoke or expose yourself to smoke, fumes or vapors. You should avoid jobs where you might be exposed to fumes and chemicals, such as factories.
If you are afficted with asthma, it is critical to quit smoking and avoid the use of any other tobacco products. Although smoking is terrible for everyone, it is even worse for an asthma sufferer due to less oxygen supply in the lungs and that can trigger an attack.
Some asthmas are specific to certain triggers, so identify what kind 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 induced by exercise, it might be wise to always have an inhaler in your gym bag. Knowing your asthma symptom patterns will help keep you safe.
Stay away from anything that you are aware of that may trigger your asthma. For many, allergens like dust and pollen, can trigger their attacks. Some things, such as physical exertion, can cause an asthma attack. Know your asthma causes so you can avoid putting yourself in a situation where you may suffer from an attack.
Suffer from asthma? It is vital that you not smoke tobacco; if you do, quit. Although smoking is bad for all people, it is especially worse for asthma patients because it cuts off the oxygen supply that you need in order for your lungs to function and keep away asthma attacks.
If you find yourself having a mild asthma attack, force the air from your lungs until they are empty. Force air out of your lungs with quick, powerful exhalations. Exhale with maximum force! Then, follow three short intakes of breath with one longer inhalation until your lungs are filled with air, although not uncomfortably so. Finally, expel the air from your lungs with force again. This will create a rhythm and will help you be aware of the way you are breathing. Expelling the air from your lungs in this fashion also allows you to breathe in deeper. It may cause you to cough or even generate sputum, but that’s fine, you goal is for your breathing to get back to normal.
Ask everyone in your family to get a flu shot every year. Keep yourself healthy, and without respiratory infections as best you can. The preventative measures you can take against such sickness range from simple habits of hand washing to getting your annual flu shot.
If you’re someone who gets an asthma attack related to allergy like symptoms, there’s medication you can use to help. Omalizumab, an antibody medicine, might be suggested by an allergist and controls allergic reactions.
Asthma Attacks
Make proper use of your inhaler. Find a spot that is out of the way, and follow the manufacturer’s instructions to the letter. You can inhale all you want, but it’s useless if the medication doesn’t make it to your lungs. Inhale the air and spray the right amount down your throat. You should keep your breath held for 10 seconds at a minimum to let the medicated mist fill up your lungs.
Vitamins C and E can greatly assist you in fighting asthma attacks. Both vitamins improve lung function, helping you to better resist asthma attacks and other negative symptoms. It is possible to acquire the necessary amounts by eating foods or by taking dietary supplements. The vitamins will help improve the immune system, which will help you fight off illnesses that cause asthma.
If you have asthma and cannot afford health insurance or have no eligibility, bring up your situation with a social worker. You will need asthma medications, and if you are unable to afford them, a social worker can find a hospital or clinic that can offer you medication for free or for a little cost.
If someone in your home has asthma, make sure to keep a clean house, especially their bedroom so that the risk of an attack is reduced. Also, you should keep food confined to the kitchen, and opt to smoke outdoors only. After cleaning around the house, open windows and allow fresh air into the house. This can reduce the smell and pervasiveness of household cleaners like bleach.
If your child or yourself are asthma sufferers it is very important that you get the flu shot every single year. Avoid a lot of these infections by getting vaccinated each year.
Make sure you are aware of what triggers your asthma so you can avoid it or prepare properly. Common asthma triggers include pollen, smoke or dander. Avoid these things when you can to breathe easier.
When you are traveling, make sure you have a rescue inhaler with you. Traveling adds strain on the body and increases your susceptibility to asthma triggers. It is often hard to maintain the right kind of environment when you are traveling, and this may heighten the risk of an asthma attack or worsening symptoms.
If you have asthma, use a pillow that doesn’t have feathers in it. People are often allergic to these natural products that can affect breathing and bring on asthma symptoms. Also, make sure your other bedding is made with hypoallergenic materials.
Even if you seem to be fine, see your doctor regularly for your asthma checkups. Your health care provider may have new prescriptions that could benefit you in case the need arises.
Keep your medication with you, especially when you are traveling. 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. Controlling your environment is harder when traveling, so this makes it much more probable that you experience worsening symptoms or an attack.
You may want to think about joining support groups you can find both online and offline. Asthma is a terrible condition that can prevent you from engaging in simple daily activities. Being a part of a support group can help provide you with honest information about products and helpful hints, as well as medical news.
Most of the triggers for attacks, and causes of asthma, are found inside the home. Some of these irritants include dust, mold and spores. An annual visit by a professional inspector can help keep your home free from these agents, and reduce the likelihood of an attack. As an additional measure, a home that is regularly cleaned will help keep these irritants from building up.
A handful of primary initiators of asthma, and its attack triggers, lie right in your residence. Some of these irritants include dust, mold and spores. To reduce asthma attacks and stay healthy, have an inspector remove any harmful agents yearly. Cleaning your house on a regular basis is one way to keep these substances from accumulating.
Avoid smoke to prevent asthma and asthma attacks. Smoke and chemicals have been known to trigger asthma attacks. Stay away from cigarette smoke, fumes, and vapors as much as you can. These can aggravate your asthma symptoms. If there is someone who always smokes around you, you should politely ask this person to smoke when you aren’t present.
Humidity in the home can create an environment that is ideal for mold and mildew to grow. These things can trigger asthma attacks very easily. You will benefit greatly from keeping the moisture out of your home’s air. Whenever you use a heater, you should use a dehumidifier, and air conditioning will help in the summer.
If you have asthma consider staying away from pets or animals. While allergies to dander or animal hair can possibly complicate your asthma, even those with no such allergies can have asthma attacks by inhaling the pollen and dust animals usually carry about with them.
Asthma generally takes a long time to develop, and the symptoms may be vague at first, making it difficult to diagnose the problem. In fact, some people who didn’t even realize they had asthma died as a result of their initial attack. 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.
Allergens, pollen and other irritants can collect in your linens and aggravate your asthma. You can eliminate or reduce these inducers by washing your pillowcases and sheets weekly in hot water. You will breathe easier at night when you have freshly washed and clean bed linens.
Keep an asthma diary and record how often, each week, you must use a rescue inhaler. You should not have to rely on a rescue inhaler more than twice per week. If you find yourself needing it more often, it could be a sign that your asthma is not being controlled well or that there is a new environmental factor causing attacks more frequently. How frequently you need to use the inhaler can help you recognize any environmental changes you need to make.
Keep yourself as calm as possible when having an asthma attack. You should immediately use your inhaler and use the inhaler again 30 seconds later. If this does not help and your attack gets worse, you need to get immediate medical assistance. Have someone take you to a hospital, or if necessary call an ambulance. Inhaling and exhaling into a paper bag can slow your breathing while en route.
When you are cleaning your home, it is always better to use a wet mop rather than sweeping your floors. Those particles that can trigger asthma attacks are stirred up when you sweep. Dusting can actually just move the dust around, sending particles into the air, and into your lungs triggering an asthma attack, so try wiping things down with a damp cloth to minimize the amount of allergens you are exposed to.
Always use an appropriately-designed mask when painting to guard against breathing paint fumes. Paint can irritate your asthma a lot, so this mask acts like a protective barrier to prevent this. Avoid specific substances and chemicals that will worsen your asthma.
Someone suffering from asthma should avoid animals. An allergy to an animal will worsen asthma symptoms, and an animal can carry enough dust or pollen to trigger an attack.
Environmental Factors
Don’t smoke. Most people know how dangerous smoking is, but for someone afflicted with asthma, the dangers are ten times more serious. Asthmatics have sensitive lungs and tobacco smoke is very, very irritating. Smoke is so bad, that asthmatics should never allow themselves to be in the same vicinity as someone who is smoking.
Asthma is caused by environmental factors, genetics, or sometimes 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 you end up using your inhaler more than twice a week, then you need to consult a physician and change your medication. Frequent need of an inhaler is an indication that the medication prescribed is not the right strength. It also isn’t working right if you’re having to refill the inhaler more than two times a year.
Asthma should not be taken lightly. Find out what symptoms may be specific to you, and begin learning how you can manage it every step of the way. Make sure to use the information from this article to help you make your symptoms better and to avoid asthma from commanding your life.
Going to an asthma support group or just talking to people who also have asthma can really help out. Your support group can give you some suggestions on how deal with certain situations, and help you to fight your asthma. One of the keys to fighting asthma is having the support of the people in your life.