For the millions of men, women, and children who have difficulty breathing as a result of asthma, even the simplest physical task may seem daunting. Luckily, there are a number of ways to combat the devastating symptoms of
asthma and make life much more manageable. The following article will provide you with important information about this devastating and often life-changing respiratory condition.
Second hand smoke can cause asthma to develop in children, and can trigger an asthma attack if they already suffer from asthma. Secondhand smoke is something that can lead to serious asthma. Always ensure your child is in a smoke-free area.
Do you know what sub-type of asthma you’re plagued with? Gaining as much knowledge as you can about the type of asthma you have can make your day-to-day activities a little easier. For instance, people with exercise-induced asthma would do well to carry an inhaler in their gym bag! If you know and understand your asthma triggers, you can better avoid and handle attacks.
Avoid anything that is known to trigger your asthma. This could be something you’re allergic to like pollen or dust. For other people it may physical activities that will set them off. Knowing exactly what sets off your asthma is thus, very important.
Avoid those things that you know can trigger your asthma. Many asthma suffers find that dust or pollen can trigger an attack. Some things, such as physical exertion, can cause an asthma attack. You need to determine what your triggers are so that you can avoid them.
Always be very mindful of the type of medications you’re taking. Some meds out there might just trigger an asthma attack. Aspirin and some other NSAIDs may do this. You should also pay attention to heart medications you may take, or ones that treat abnormal blood pressure. If you’ve been diagnosed as asthmatic and are taking medications unrelated to your asthma, be sure your doctor is aware of them.
Exhale Forcefully
If you are suffering from a moderate or mild attack, do your best to force as much air out of the lungs as possible. Breathe out fast and hard. Really expel the air from your lungs! Then take three small breaths in, followed by a deeper breath to fill your lungs comfortably. Next, exhale forcefully again. This will make your breathing rhythmic and help you pay more attention to it. It will also help to get the air to come out of the lungs so more can come in. There may be periods of harsh coughing and a substantial generation of sputum, but this is actually what you want in order to get the airways opened and the breathing back on a regular pattern.
If you have moderate asthma attacks, exhale forcefully, so that you force air from your lungs. Breathe out quick and forcefully. Try hard to push the air out from your lungs! Inhale in three short breaths and one fourth deeper breath so that your lungs are comfortably full of air, then exhale forcefully again. This will make your breathing rhythmic and help you pay more attention to it. It will also help to get the air to come out of the lungs so more can come in. If you cough or produce sputum, don’t worry. Just remain focused on your objective, which is to regain a normal rate of breathing.
Talk to a social worker if you have asthma and no health insurance. Social workers are trained to help people find resources for affording health care, particularly on debilitating conditions such as asthma.
When you are dealing with asthma, try getting a lekotriene inhibitor. These inhibitors can prevent leukotrienes. Leukotrienes are molecules that cause the tracheal muscles to contract; having too many leukotrienes makes asthma attacks more likely. The prescription will help to decrease home much leukotriene is in your system and therefore, the number of asthma attacks you have.
You might want to purchase a dehumidifier to use at home if you have asthma. Not only will a dehumidifier decrease humidity, but it will also be helpful in controlling the dust mite population. Both are causative factors in asthma attacks. Dehumidifiers remove the humidity by drying out the air that flows through your house.
Think about getting a home dehumidifier if you have asthma. Though you may not be aware of it, high levels of humidity in indoor spaces can increase dust mites, which then can affect asthma. A dehumidifying device reduces the moisture in the air.
Products with no scent are the safest and best option for an asthma sufferer. Using products in your home such as incense, perfume or air fresheners can increase the amount of microscopic pollutants indoors and trigger asthma attacks. New carpet and fresh paint can also emit odors that can irritate the airways. Try keeping the air indoors as fresh as it can be.
Now that you know how to better handle your asthma, you can have a better quality of life. Just because someone has asthma doesn’t mean that his life is over.
A yearly flu shot is necessary if you suffer from asthma. Stave off as many of these infections as possible by getting vaccinated every year.