When asthma makes it hard to breathe, the impact on your ability to participate in your regular activities is enormous. There are still ways to manage a normal life and remain safe, so do not think asthma means the end to fun and good health. Read the helpful advice from this article for a better understanding of how to live your life with asthma in the best way possible.
If you have any children who suffer from asthma, avoid smoking around them at all costs. Secondhand smoke is a leading cause of asthma, and it can also trigger an asthma attack. Try to keep your children out of environments that are smokey to ensure the health of their lungs.
What type of asthma do you suffer from? Understanding the specifics of your asthma will help you to avoid attack triggers in your day-to-day life. 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.
Smoking is extremely harmful if you suffer from asthma. If you are not already a smoker, don’t start, and if you are, quit as soon as possible. Smoking is terrible for everyone, but it lowers the oxygen supply in asthma patients who need as much oxygen as possible.
Quit smoking or avoid smoke if you suffer from asthma. 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.
There are certain medications that cause or exacerbate asthma symptoms. Not everyone knows this. A couple of common culprits that do this are aspirin and NSAIDs. Some medications can cause your asthma to be worse such as beta blockers for high blood pressure or heart disease. Let your doctor know about your asthma and what prescriptions you’re taking.
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. If you smoke, try quitting. Don’t breathe vapor or chemical fumes. A severe asthma attack can be life threatening. If you see people smoking in your vicinity, you should get away from them as soon as possible.
If you are experiencing a moderately severe attack, try to first exhale completely. Exhale in a hard and fast manner. Force your lungs to expel as much air as possible. 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 establishes a regular pattern to your breathing routine, which means you have to pay attention to how you are breathing. This technique also forces the air from your lungs to enable more air to come in. It is okay to cough, even to generate sputum. Your ultimate goal is getting your breathing regulated.
Make sure that everyone in your family, including you, gets annual flu shots. Try to avoid getting any respiratory infections if you have asthma. It is important to do things like hand washing and receiving proper vaccinations.
If you are someone who suffers from asthma, stay away from all types of cigarette smoke. Do not smoke! Avoid breathing in any of the vapors or other chemical fumes. Inhaling these substances may trigger an unstoppable asthma attack. If you find that you have people smoking around you, get yourself out of that area rather quickly.
Regular flu shots are important if you or one of your children suffer from asthma. Therefore, it is very important to avoid as many infections to the lungs as possible by getting a vaccine each year.
If the room that you’re in is dusty, do not turn on a fan. A fan will spread dust and debris all over. This can very easily aggravate your asthma, and cause serious symptoms. Open a window to bring clean, cool air inside instead.
When you are traveling, make sure you have a rescue inhaler with you. The stress of travel may temporarily weaken your body and make you more vulnerable to attack triggers. Controlling your environment is harder when traveling, so this makes it much more probable that you experience worsening symptoms or an attack.
Make proper use of your inhaler. Go to a quiet place, and be sure to follow all instructions from the manufacturer. The medicine in the inhaler only works if it actually makes it to your lungs. Inhale the air and spray the right amount down your throat. Then, don’t breathe for around 10 seconds so that the medication permeates your lungs.
Regardless of whether your asthma has been flaring up, don’t neglect routine checkups. You never know when you might suffer another flare-up, or when your doctor might have a better or safer medication to prescribe for your symptoms.
If you have asthma and do not have health insurance, you should consider seeing a social worker. Asthma patients need their medications, and a social worker might be able to hook you up with programs to help you such as clinics and programs through pharmaceutical companies.
Most of the triggers for attacks, and causes of asthma, are found inside the home. These include dust, mold and spores. Stay on top of your health and reduce the likelihood of attacks. You can do this by having it inspected every year to get rid of triggers. Keep your house clean to keep these asthma triggers out of your home.
If you suffer from asthma, make sure that you consume enough Vitamin C and Vitamin E. It is thought that these vitamins will help increase lung function and will help control asthma symptoms. It is possible to acquire the necessary amounts by eating foods or by taking dietary supplements. These vitamins can also boost the immune system and help prevent asthma attacks.
When the weather starts to turn colder, wear a scarf or shawl that covers your mouth and nose to help prevent asthma attacks. This will warm the air before it gets in your lungs. Breathing in air that’s cold can trigger an attack, particularly in younger children that have moderate or severe asthma.
If you deal with asthma in your life, always choose products that are free of scents. Indoor air pollution rises with the constant use of anything scented, ranging from air fresheners to incense, and all this can trigger asthma attacks. Other asthma irritants include fresh paint fumes and new carpeting. Try to see that the air inside your home remains as fresh as possible.
Asthma generally takes a long time to develop, and the symptoms may be vague at first, making it difficult to diagnose the problem. There have been a few cases where a person dies from their first attack, because they didn’t know they suffered from the condition. 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.
Keep all your regularly scheduled asthma appointments, regardless of how you are feeling. A flare up can come at any time and your doctor can always look into safer medications for your particular symptoms.
If you have asthma consider staying away from pets or animals. A lot of times the hair or dander will cause an asthma attack, but even if you do not have an allergy to the pet itself they often carry pollen and dust with them.
Join an online or offline support group. Asthma is a disease that can affect your everyday life and prove debilitating in so many ways. Others who suffer from asthma can give you immeasurable amounts of support and advice, and help you keep up with new medical developments.
Bed linens tend to collect asthma triggers like pollen, dust and other allergens. Use fresh linens to make up your bed on a regular basis. You’re less likely to have an asthma attack while asleep or upon first waking up if your bedding is fresh and clean.
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. So, it makes sense to keep dry air in your home. Using a dehumidifier during cold weather and turning on your air conditioner when the weather gets hot again can help keep humidity out of your home to ensure your asthma is under control.
It is important to keep away from humidifiers that have not been sanitized if you suffer from asthma or allergies. If you allow bacteria to breed in the moist environment of the machine, you will just be pumping allergens into the air that you are trying to humidify.
Asthma sufferers should avoid coming into contact with both domestic and farm animals. Animals are a danger to asthma sufferers who are already allergic to them, but pets also carry a wide array of dust particles and pollen, so avoiding them is a good move for anyone dealing with asthma.
Remain calm if you do happen to come under an asthma attack. Locate your inhaler, inhale deeply with the spray, and allow 30 seconds to pass before you reuse it. If the attack gets worse, then seek help immediately. Go to the emergency room, or call an ambulance if it’s extreme. To slow down your breathing along the way, breathe into a paper bag.
Asthma sufferers should stay indoors as much as possible when pollen counts rise. A lot of the same things that can bother people with allergies will bother people with asthma as well. The air quality information should be used to find out when it is better to stay indoors to avoid irritants present in the air.
Asthmatics should always wear a mask when dealing with the harsh chemicals in fresh paint. Paint can aggravate asthma, but a mask can combat the irritation because it forms a shield between your nose and the environment. Take similar steps to avoid any chemical or other substance that tends to trigger your asthma attacks.
Always try your best to remain calm if you begin having an asthma attack. Try taking inhaled medication to get your asthma back under control. Breathe the medication in as deeply as you can. Take two doses, timed 30 seconds apart, before determining whether the medication is working. Should your asthma get even worse, seek medical attention immediately. Have someone call emergency services or drive you to the nearest hospital. Try breathing into a paper bag in order to slow down your breathing while on the way to the hospital.
Asthma Attacks
Know what your triggers are to safeguard yourself against asthma. Start an attack journal to help identify these triggers, and share what you record with your doctor. Once identified, do everything you can to avoid triggers and eliminate them from your environment whenever possible.
Keep track of how often allergies trigger asthma attacks. If you experience two or more asthma attacks a week after taking allergy medicine, switch to a different allergy medication. That many attacks in a week can be dangerous, and does not even need to happen according to medical professionals.
Asthma can be triggered by environmental factors such as allergens, or it could be genetic. If you have a family history of asthma, be especially attentive when asthma like symptoms manifest in another family member. Environmental factors such as pollution, smoke, mold spores and excess dust can cause asthma, so make sure to keep yourself and little ones away from these hazards.
Ease yourself into more difficult regiments by regulating your breathing. Make sure you are able to breathe in and out, and receive enough air to take on your current task. The last thing you should do is a frenetic workout. You will surely trigger an attack. Start slow and build your stamina.
Watch carefully for any signs of food allergies in your children. If you notice any kinds of hives or breathing problems after they have eaten a particular food, you are going to want to have them tested for the allergy at the doctor. These allergies may be a sign of asthma down the road.
Asthma isn’t curable at the present time, but management can be made much easier with the proper advice from this article and a medical professional. There are always breakthroughs in medicines and methods so soon, there will be an easy treatment for asthma.
In order to keep asthma attacks to a minimum, make sure that your home is both clean and dry at all times. Control the amount of moisture in your home by using a dehumidifier. If you try to maintain proper humidity, you can decrease seasonal attacks.