Asthma is a serious medical condition that can affect anyone, from a teenager to a senior citizen. Going to the doctor is, of course, the appropriate first step, but you should also be vigilant about paying attention to signs that may mean your condition is worsening. By following the ideas presented here, you can lessen your symptoms of asthma and reduce the chances that you will have an asthma attack.
If you need to use your rescue inhaler frequently, especially at night, this may be a sign that you need to switch to a new asthma medication. Consult with your doctor.
If you're having an asthma attack, a great way to handle this is to immediately evacuate the air from your lungs. Breathe out fast and hard. Force your lungs to expel as much air as possible. Inhale in three short breaths and one fourth deeper breath so that your lungs are comfortably full of air, then exhale forcefully again. This establishes a regular pattern to your breathing routine, which means you have to pay attention to how you are breathing. It also pushes the air out of your lungs, so that more air can come in. If you cough up mucus, don't worry - just get the breathing back to normal.
Avoid aggravating your asthma condition while sleeping by covering your mattress and pillows with plastic before putting clean linens on. If you put your pillowcases and sheets in hot water weekly, these inducers will be reduced or completely eliminated. You're less likely to have an asthma attack while asleep or upon first waking up if your bedding is fresh and clean.
If you suffer from asthma and do not smoke, make sure to avoid people who do smoke. The functionality of your lungs can be dramatically impaired if you inhale tobacco smoke, especially in areas with little ventilation, and you run a greater risk of attack.
Make sure you consume more foods with vitamin B6. Vitamin B6 -- also called pyridoxine-- can reduce the intensity and frequency of asthma attacks. This substance helps your body produce the molecules needed to relax the tissues of the bronchial tubes. Bananas are a great vitamin B6 source.
Make sure you let fresh air in your house if you or a loved one has asthma. Keep windows and doors open whenever you can to allow for a constant air flow through the house. Homes with insulation have 200% higher levels of allergens than homes with great ventilation. You can clean the air through ventilation.
Sufferers from asthma should stay indoors when the pollen count rises. Even though asthma isn't an allergy, they share many things in common. Many areas provide air quality information publicly, allowing you to stay indoors when the air outside is poor.
Asthma sufferers should avoid smoking cigarettes and any place that has cigarette smoke. If you smoke, try quitting. Avoid all fumes of chemical products or breathing harmful vapors. This can trigger an asthma attack, which may be difficult to stop. If others are smoking and you are nearby, get away from them immediately.
An annual flu vaccination is recommended for you as well as other members of your family. Asthma sufferers need to be careful and guard against any upper-resperatory illnesses. Precautions include washing your hands and staying current with vaccinations.
Open up your windows, if there is smoke from cooking so that you don't trigger any asthma attacks in those around you. Even this type of smoke could trigger an asthma attack, or make breathing harder for you. If opening the window and having your ventilation running still isn't enough, you can always step outside until the smoke clears.
Be prepared for your asthma treatment to be increased if you have a cold or hay fever. The effects of some illnesses can exacerbate the effects of your asthma, causing the need for more treatments. Your doctor may need to add new treatments to your typical asthma regimen until you are well.
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.
A handful of primary initiators of asthma, and its attack triggers, lie right in your residence. Three triggers comprise the asthma triad of doom: spores, dust and mold. To keep yourself healthy and avoid asthma attacks, you may need to hire an inspector to come out once a year to test your home and remove any irritants. Conscientious house-cleaning can help prevent buildup of substances in your home that might trigger an asthma attack.
Over time you should work to strengthen your body and increase the capacity of your lungs. The last thing you should do is a frenetic workout. You will surely trigger an attack. Start slow and build your stamina.
Asthma is a disease that can develop slowly over time, making it sometimes difficult to spot the symptoms. Sometimes, a person can die from their first asthma attack without actually knowing they had the disease to begin with! So, if you have a lingering cough or instances of troubled breathing, you should see a doctor to see if you might have asthma and determine whether you may need medication to either prevent or treat asthma.
If you are dealing with asthma, you would benefit from buying a dehumidifier. 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 reduce humidity and keep the air in your home dry.
Asthma doesn't just go away, so you can't just stop managing it. You need to always take your medications for your everyday symptoms, and keep your quick relief medication with you in case you do have an attack. Speak to your allergist and doctor to see what they recommend for you.
Waking up with an asthma attack at night more than 3 times a week, or using your inhaler 3 or more times a week is a sign that your asthma medication needs to be evaluated. Talk to your doctor as soon as possible.
If you are having an attack that is not severe, push as much air out of the lungs as possible. Breathe out fast and hard. This will force the air from your lungs. Then take three quick breaths, next a deeper breath till your lungs fill with air, then repeat the forceful exhalation again. This creates a rhythm to your breathing, making you pay attention to the breaths you take. By repeatedly forcing air out, you make room for new air so that your breathing can get back on track. This may cause you to cough or it may cause phlegm, but your breathing will be back to normal again.
Asthma is a serious medical condition that should not be underestimated. Keeping your asthma under control can literally mean the difference between life and death, because attacks can be fatal. You should never leave home without your inhaler just in case an emergency should arise. You should also attempt to reduce how much allergens and dust is in your home. Hopefully, by using the tips in this article your symptoms will improve and you can have more control of your asthma.
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