Whether you find yourself or a relative dealing with asthma, it is definitely a trying and scary experience. Know all that you can about your asthma so that you know what to expect in all situations. Read on for some advice designed to help you understand the way asthma works and what symptoms to expect.
Can you identify the exact type of asthma you’re dealing 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. People who suffer from exercise-induced asthma should consider carrying an emergency inhaler in their bag. Knowing your asthma symptom patterns will help keep you safe.
Quit smoking or avoid smoke if you suffer from asthma. Smoking is detrimental to anyone’s health, but those with asthma suffer especially because cigarettes lessen the oxygen supply that is crucial for the lungs to function properly and prevent an asthma attack.
Don’t smoke around your child if they have asthma; this could worsen their situation. One leading cause of issues in children who have asthma is that people smoke around them. Ensure that your child is not around other people that smoke, either.
If you suffer from asthma, strong cleaning products should be avoided. The chemicals in these products make you more prone to an asthma attack. There are many natural alternatives you can use to clean your home, instead of using harsh chemicals.
Prescriptions and over-the-counter medications can actually trigger an asthma attack. Aspirin and other NSAIDs are known to be asthma triggers. Some medications can cause your asthma to be worse such as beta blockers for high blood pressure or heart disease. Make sure your doctor knows if you are taking such medicine and also have asthma.
Keep clear of anything that you know to be a trigger for your asthma. Certain outdoor areas may be off-limits because they cause allergies to flare up. Others experience an attack from physical activities. You need to determine what your triggers are so that you can avoid them.
Use your inhaler as directed. Try to locate a calming location, and be certain to adhere to any directions given by the inhaler’s maker. The medicine in the inhaler only works if it actually makes it to your lungs. While inhaling air, spray the proper amount of inhalant into your mouth. Then, don’t breathe for around 10 seconds so that the medication permeates your lungs.
You may be unaware that certain medications you might be on could cause asthma symptoms. NSAIDs and aspirin are known for their ability to cause symptoms. Beta blockers that are used to treat high blood pressure and heart disease can develop asthma like symptoms. If you suffer from any of these conditions along with your asthma, make sure you tell your doctor.
Think about buying a dehumidifier if your asthma symptoms are bad. If you lessen your humidity in the house, you will stave off dust mites that may make your asthma flare. Dehumidifiers keep the air in your home dry by eliminating humidity.
If you are experiencing a moderately severe attack, try to first exhale completely. Exhale in a hard and fast manner. Really expel the air from your lungs! Breathe in by taking three quick breaths, followed by one very deep breath. Doing this will fill your lungs completely, and allow you to expel the air forcefully again. Breathing in this rhythmic manner helps you to concentrate on the breaths you’re taking. By repeatedly forcing air out, you make room for new air so that your breathing can get back on track. This breathing technique may cause some coughing or sputum, but it can help regulate your breathing and reduce the attack.
If you’ve got asthma, don’t smoke or be near smokers. When you breathe in smoke, particularly in an enclosed area, your lungs cannot function as well, and it increases your risk of having an asthma attack.
Use the inhaler properly. Locate a quiet place, and follow the label to a tee. The inhaler will only work if the medicine reaches your lungs. Inhale the air and spray the right amount down your throat. Hold your breath for at least 10 seconds to allow the medicated mist to fill your lungs.
Take notes of what can trigger your asthma attacks so that you can be prepared for a future attack or learn how to avoid them all together. Most asthma sufferers have a few common triggers such as smoke, pet dander or pollen. If at all possible, strive to avoid substances and locations that trigger your asthma symptoms or attacks.
When suffering from asthma, make sure to choose products that are unscented. Scented products should be avoided, such as air fresheners, perfume, and incense. These can increase the amount of air pollution in the home and even trigger an attack. Newly installed carpet or fresh paint in the home are both known to release chemical irritants. Keep the air inside as fresh as you can.
Avoid pillows with feathers if you have asthma. Feathers can aggravate symptoms of asthma and lower lung function. The same can be said for bedding, try to get hypoallergenic comforters and sheets.
If you have asthma, use a pillow that doesn’t have feathers in it. Pillow feathers are known to worsen asthma and affect the lungs. You should also look into hypoallergenic materials when buying sheets and a comforter.
Protect yourself against breathing in cold air that aggravates your asthma by wearing a scarf that covers your nose and mouth. This will warm the air that you breathe before it enters your lungs. By breathing in cold air, it has been proven that it could trigger an asthma attack more so in children that are younger and suffer from severe to moderate asthma.
Keep your medication with you, especially when you are traveling. The stress of travel may temporarily weaken your body and make you more vulnerable to attack triggers. You also have less control of your surroundings while you are away from home, so it is difficult to avoid potential triggers and to maintain control over your attack.
Asthma typically develops over a long time, and sometimes the symptoms aren’t very obvious. Many individuals died from their very first asthma attack because they weren’t aware they had the risk factors for an attack. Therefore, if you have trouble breathing or a constant cough, you may want to seek a medical professional to determine if you have asthma. Your physician can also determine whether you need medication for either asthma prevention or asthma treatment.
Keep all your doctors appointments even if your asthma symptoms aren’t bothering you. It is impossible to predict the next attack. Furthermore, newer or safer asthma medications may be approved in the time since you last visited your doctor.
When you fly, make sure to take along prescriptions or doctors’ notes for all of your asthma equipment and medications, especially if they are unusual. Having written documentation supporting this medically necessary item will eliminate any hassles when going through the security check point.
Asthma Attacks
Inhalers are important to use every day, but be aware that inhalers have been known to cause infections near the teeth and gums. Immediately brush your teeth followed by a quick gargle after using your inhaler. This is a great way to prevent any kind of complications in your mouth.
When it’s colder, wear a shawl, scarf or muffler that will cover your mouth and nose to avoid asthma attacks. You can inhale warmer air into your body with these. In multiple studies, breathing cold air is linked to increased asthma attacks. This link is especially pronounced in younger children.
Make note of how often, on a weekly basis, you use your inhaler. If you use it very often, you may not have it under control. Focusing on how often you need your inhaler makes you aware of when you need to make changes to your plan for keeping asthma under control.
Stay away from smoke if you have asthma. Cigarette smoke will often trigger an asthma attack. Avoid smoke of any kind, including cigarette smoke, if you’ve got asthma. Exposure to these substances can worsen your asthma considerably. Ask your family to smoke outside, and consider moving if they refuse.
Those with asthma should minimize time with pets and 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.
Contact with pets and other animals should be minimized for the asthma sufferer. Many people with asthma also suffer from allergies to animal dander. Even without a specific allergy, asthma attacks can be triggered by the dust and dander in the air caused by the presence of an animal.
Bed linens attract things that cause asthma attacks. Clean your linen and pillow case every week to prevent asthma attacks. If you are sleeping on freshly laundered linens, you will sleep much easier.
Get a second opinion. You want to see your primary doctor for asthma help, though you should also see some specialists. Pulmonologists, allergists, asthma centers and nutritionists can help you take advantage of the many treatments available to those with asthma.
If you suffer from asthma, it is imperative that you know how to correctly use your inhaler. It is not as simple as spraying it into your mouth and breathing in. Every time you spray the inhaler, breathe deeply inward for about three seconds. An inhaler is not of much use if you aren’t taking it correctly.
Avoid smoking and people who are smokers. A lot of people know that smoking is bad for you, but if you have asthma it is far worse. Not only should smoking be avoided, you need to be careful to stay away from people who do smoke because it is extremely harmful and will irritate your sensitive asthmatic lungs.
Make sure you are getting enough vitamin B6. Getting increased amounts of B6, also called pyridoxine, has been scientifically shown to make asthma attacks less frequent. Pyridoxine is very important in the production of certain molecules that will help relax bronchial tissues. Bananas are a great source of Vitamin B6.
If you use your inhaler over two times a week, talk to your doctor about changing your medicine. This frequency of inhaler use means that your inhaler medication is not functioning effectively. Also, if you have to refill your inhaler more than twice in one year, then a visit to the doctor for a medication change is also in order.
In order to ward off asthma attacks, it is crucial that you pinpoint your triggers. You need to think about maintaining a journal that can assist you in determining potential triggers of asthma. Talk to your doctor about these results. Once you know your triggers, you can avoid and eliminate them as much as possible.
This article should have shown you that there is much to learn about asthma. The article above is a starting point in helping you or someone you love deal with asthma. Together, you can minimize the impact that asthma has in your life.
Keep an eye on your allergy attacks and consider switching your prescription if you suffer from more than two asthma attacks a week. Two asthma attacks a week or more is very avoidable danger to your overall health.