Do you count yourself amongst the millions who suffer from symptoms related to asthma? Read on for some simple ways to help you keep asthma symptoms under control.
A good tip that can help your child cope with asthma is to make sure you never smoke around them. There’s a long list of environmental asthma triggers, and secondhand smoke is at the top of it. If your child is in an area where people are smoking, remove him quickly to avoid an asthma attack.
If you suffer from asthma, avoid smoke, fumes and vapors. Decrease the effects of asthma by wearing a protective mask when pollution levels are especially high.
Quit smoking or avoid smoke if you suffer from asthma. Smoking isn’t healthy for anyone, but if you are afflicted with asthma, preventing oxygen from getting to your lungs is just begging for an attack.
Second hand smoke can cause asthma to develop in children, and can trigger an asthma attack if they already suffer from asthma. Second-hand cigarette smoke is a leading cause of asthma. It’s best to also keep your child away from places in which others will be smoking.
If you suffer with asthma, avoid cleaning products. Asthma sufferers are often sensitive to chemical cleaners; using these products can sometimes trigger asthma attacks. If you do the cleaning in your house, use natural solutions that are safer for you to breath in.
Avoid anything that is known to trigger your asthma. For many people, allergens such as dust and pollen can induce an attack. For others, certain physical activities may be the trigger. You should know what causes asthma, so you can stay away from these things.
There are certain medications that cause or exacerbate asthma symptoms. Not everyone knows this. Aspirin is an example of a widely used medicine that can cause asthma problems. Common medications used for controlling high blood pressure often times contain beta blockers, which asthmatics may be more sensitive to. It is important to talk openly with your doctor about your asthma so that you do not take any medications that could be harmful to you.
Heart Disease
Unfortunately, asthma sufferers must realize that their condition is chronic which requires ongoing treatment. Make certain you are doing the most you can each day to keep your symptoms under control. Take the proper medications needed for everyday symptoms, and always have quick relief medication by you at all times in the event an attack occurs. Talk to your doctor and allergist to see what is the best idea for you.
There are medicines out there that may increase your chance of triggering asthma symptoms. Aspirin is a common medication that can affect asthma sufferers. Additionally, beta blockers, a type of medication used for heart disease and hypertension, may cause asthma symptoms. If you have asthma paired with heart disease or high blood pressure, tell your doctor.
If you have asthma, avoid cigarette smoke of all kinds. Asthma creates breathing problems by constricting airways, and cigarette smoking only exacerbates the problem. Stay away from vapors and chemical fumes, too. Inhaling these substances may trigger an unstoppable asthma attack. If you find yourself in a situation where you are around smokers, remove yourself as quickly as possible.
Asthma is a chronic disease that requires ongoing, consistent management and care. Ensure you’re taking the proper medications to manage common symptoms of asthma. In case of an attack, you need to have in your possession a medication that will provide almost instant relief. To find which treatment options are the best for you and your condition, make sure you speak with a doctor and allergist.
If the room you are in appears to be dusty, refrain from turning on any fans. 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. Instead, you should consider opening a window to get some fresh clean air going through your lungs.
Use the inhaler the right way. Find a relaxing spot, and be sure that you follow the directions that the manufacturer provided. Your inhaler will only help if you breathe very deeply. Inhale deeply and spray the correct dose into your mouth. Then hold it and try not to breathe for a minimum of 10 seconds. This will give enough time for the medication to properly fill out your lungs.
If you suffer from asthma, and have many attacks that are related to your allergy symptoms, there is a medication that is injected and provides long term effects. Omalizumab, an antibody medicine, might be suggested by an allergist and controls allergic reactions.
Annual Flu
If you have asthma, a dehumidifier is something you should consider purchasing for you home. Cutting down the humidity in the house will lower the amount dust mites in the air, and that will mean fewer asthma flare-ups. Air is kept dry by dehumidifiers by sucking the humidity out of it.
Make certain that all members of your family get their annual flu shot. If you suffer from asthma, it is best to avoid respiratory infections of any type as much as possible. The preventative measures you can take against such sickness range from simple habits of hand washing to getting your annual flu shot.
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. Use organic products as often as possible, as these contain fewer harsh chemicals.
If you use more than four cleaning products, you are increasing the risks of an asthma attack. Organic products are preferable to more chemically loaded, commercially produced cleaning products.
Your asthma medication may need to be adjusted if you become ill. Many of these illnesses will worsen your asthma symptoms bad enough to require more treatments than you typically need. Your doctor might add additional medication until your sickness gets better.
Scented products could cause averse reactions to asthma sufferers. It is safest to use unscented products when possible. Products with fragrance, such as perfumes, colognes, and air fresheners, introduce irritants into the air around you and can cause asthma attacks. Fresh paint and new carpeting give off odors that can irritate sensitive airways. Keep your indoor air as clean as you can.
If you’ve been diagnosed with asthma, be sure to get flu shots every year. This is doubly important for asthmatic children. Prevent these infections from occurring by going to get vaccinated each year.
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. If you have asthma, it’s most likely triggered by things such as being around animals or pollen. Most asthmatics also can’t tolerate smoke. Do your best to avoid coming into contact with substances that you know will trigger your symptoms.
Asthma generally develops over a period of time, and the symptoms are not always obvious. Sometimes, a person can die from their first asthma attack without actually knowing they had the disease to begin with! Given that fact, if you have any kind of consistent cough or respiratory ailments, consulting a physician for testing is a good idea, since you want to know if you are suffering from asthma and if so, what to do about it.
Avoid pillows stuffed with goosedown or other feathers if you have an asthma problem. Feather can decrease lung function and trigger asthma symptoms. Be sure to keep the same advice in mind for your bedclothes. They should be made from materials that do not increase allergy symptoms.
You should track how often, in a week’s time, you require the use of a rescue inhaler. If you use it very often, you may not have it under control. If you notice an increased use in your inhaler, reexamine your management plan and check for any changes in your surroundings that may be triggering the asthma.
Smoking is particularly bad for people with asthma. Most people are aware of the dangers of smoking, but for someone with asthma, the consequences are even more serious. Smoke greatly irritates the sensitive lungs of the person with asthma, so in addition to not smoking, someone with asthma should avoid people that are smoking.
Contact with animals and pets should be avoided for asthma sufferers. An allergy to an animal will worsen asthma symptoms, and an animal can carry enough dust or pollen to trigger an attack.
It is important to keep away from humidifiers that have not been sanitized if you suffer from asthma or allergies. Not cleaning a humidifier allows bacteria to grow in the machine’s moist water tank area, and the machine will pump dangerous allergens into yoru environment every time you use it.
Any time that pollen counts go up, anyone suffering from asthma would be wise to keep their outdoors time to a minimum. Despite being different conditions, asthma and allergies can be triggered by the same kinds of irritants. The same air quality reports available in the local news for allergy problems can also help those with asthma issues stay indoors on particularly hazardous days.
Talk with your physician if you find that you need your inhaler more often than a couple of times weekly. If that’s the case, the medication in the inhaler isn’t working right. This also applies to anyone who needs to refill their inhaler more than two times in a single year.
Knowing what triggers your asthma is an extremely important thing to know in order to prevent your attacks. Think about maintaining a journal or diary that you can review for recurring situations that led to an attack. These situations can help you detect your triggers. You can then pass this information on to your doctor. After you identify substances that trigger your asthma symptoms, you can avoid those substances in your environment or ask your doctor whether there is a medication that will allow you to go into an environment with those triggers and remain free of asthma symptoms.
Keep the place you live clean, and make sure to sweep it regularly. Also, be sure to keep your bedding as clean as possible. Doing this prevents the build up of dust and dust mites, which can both trigger an asthma attack. The more dust there is in an environment, the more likely it becomes that the air will aggravate an asthmatic’s symptoms, prompting an attack.
Make sure to regularly clean and sweep your living area. You should also frequently launder your bedding, including your pillows. By doing this, you are preventing dust and the tiny dust mites that can cause asthma attacks from building up in your home. When there is a lot of dust in your house, the air will be irritating to any asthma sufferer, and they will be at a higher risk for having an attack.
Asthma Attack
If you find yourself experiencing the signs of an impending asthma attack, look for caffeinated foods or beverages in the event your inhaler is not close by. An asthma attack can be partially mitigated by coffee, chocolate or black tea. Caffeine constricts blood vessels, and that helps open your airways.
Watch for signs of a serious asthma attack in order to know whether you should rush to the hospital with your child. Some symptoms of a dangerous asthma attack are bluish or gray coloring of the lips and/or fingertips and not getting relief from using the medication more often. Also, the person suffering the attack may be having issues talking.
Watch your children closely for allergic reactions when they are eating new foods. If you see any development of hives, or difficulty in breathing after they have consumed a specific food, you should have the doctor test them for allergies. Food allergies can be a precursor to asthma.
Caffeine can be used in a pinch if you find yourself having an attack without access to your asthma medications. Many people have found that consuming black tea, coffee or chocolate may lessen the effects of an attack. Caffeine is a stimulant that dilates your airways, giving you temporary relief from asthma symptoms.
A dry, clean environment can help you reduce asthma attacks that happen at home. Control the amount of moisture in your home by using a dehumidifier. Keeping the humidity in your home under control, you can help reduce the occurrence of attacks at any season of the year.
Be sure to get the flu vaccine every year. Even if you’re not affected by flu seasons, you should still get a vaccine. When you are prone to asthma attacks, you are more inclined to suffer seriously from any kind of respiratory and sinus infections that could be caused by the flu virus.
Be aware of the signs of an asthma attack, if you have an asthmatic child less than 5 years old, in order to know when professional medical care will be necessary. ER symptoms include: sucking in their abdomen under their ribs while attempting to breath, difficulty speaking because of shortness of breath, or gasping for air. These signs mean that your child needs medical attention right away.
If you read this article, you’ll learn some ways you can keep your asthma under better control. In order for them to help, however, you must consistently apply them. Asthma symptoms can return if you neglect triggers and signs for even a small period of time. Lead a healthier, more symptom free, life by following the advice above.
Don’t do lots of exercise outside if the air is dry and cold if you are an asthma sufferer. Cold and dry air can cause your bronchial airways to constrict, causing an asthma attack. Because of this, it’s best only to exercise in a warm and humid area.