Practical Advice For Managing Your Asthma Symptoms

Practical Advice For Managing Your Asthma Symptoms

People with asthma usually find that even with their medication and inhalers, their symptoms still get in the way of daily life and activities. Fortunately, there are many ways you can prevent some of these symptoms and improve your quality of life. This article has several useful tips that can help you manage your asthma symptoms.

To teach a very young child about asthma make use of videos and online websites that offer cartoon instruction regarding medications, nebulizers, and good practices in dealing with asthma. Demonstrate using the nebulizer on a doll or stuffed toy. Allow your child to instruct the doll or toy. This will help you gain quite a bit of insight into your child's concerns and fears around asthma.

While exercising, to avoid an attack or to overcome a mild attack take these two steps. Step One: thrust all of the air out of your lungs, really force it. Step Two: create an "O" shape with your lips, almost like you are about to whistle, but not that narrow, then forcibly suck air back into your lungs until you are comfortably filled with air. Repeat these steps as long as you are exercising and are worried about an attack. The breathing creates a rhythm so that you are aware of your breathing. It also causes you to mildly hyperventilate, pumping more oxygen into your bloodstream.

If you are traveling with an asthmatic family member, make sure they bring along their own pillow. If they are particularly sensitive, they may want to bring along their own bedding. Most hotel bedding, especially pillows, is prone to dust mites and other allergens, or they may use detergents that set off your symptoms.

Do not allow your asthma attacks to keep you down in the dumps! Any chronic illness can wear on you and lead to depression. Depression in turn leads to missed medications, missed appointments and a general lack of enjoyment within your life. When you keep a positive attitude instead, you maintain better control of your asthma.

For temporary relief of asthma symptoms there are quick-relief medications. They are oral corticosteroids and bronchodilators. Bronchodilators are often called rescue medication and open up airways and allow more air to flow through. Corticosteroids are designed for short-term use and are either swallowed or given by injection. They work by treating inflammation in airways.

The most important thing to remember when you are having an asthma attack is to not panic. Panicking causes your heart rate to rise, your blood pressure to increase and your breathing to become labored. This last one is the thing that you DON'T want to have happen. You need to keep your breathing as controlled as possible.

An excellent tip for avoiding your asthma symptoms as much as possible is to have a complete cleansing of your house. There could be pet dandruff, dust particles or other things that cause your asthma to act up. Cleansing your home on a regular basis will help to prevent severe asthma attacks from occurring.

When you know you have asthma be sure to exercise moderately. Excessive and prolonged physical activity may generate asthma attacks. Some people only have attacks during these exercises. Be sure to breathe through your nose when you exercise as breathing in cold air through your mouth can be the trigger of your attacks.

Avoid living with smokers. Ask your partner to quit if you have asthma. If you absolutely have to live with smokers, try to get them to smoke outside the house. In the worst case scenario, buy some smoke-eating candles and air out your house as much as possible so that no harmful chemicals remain in the air.

There are two types of asthma medications that are used by people in their on going hunt for relief from their condition. One is a long term management medication and the other is one to control an asthma attack. Your doctor may recommend one or a combination of both of them.

There is help for when you feel an asthma attack coming on and your inhaler is not with you. Caffeinated drinks can help you as they open your airways. Drink a couple of cups of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate before the full onset of your attack to minimize its negative effects.

Asthma sufferers need to learn everything they can to know what triggers an asthma attack. One helpful tip to help understand what brings on an asthma attack is to keep a daily diary. Log how you are breathing each day with the activities you experienced. This daily log may give you clues as to the triggers that bring on asthma attacks.

You should take asthma very seriously. If left uncontrolled, it can result in an asthma attack which could be fatal. You should try to take every step that you can to reduce the symptoms. Apply these simple tips to manage your asthma symptoms and stop it from restricting your quality of life.