5 Tips on How to Cope With Asthma
By TOI Desk Report September 14, 2023 Update on : September 14, 2023
Asthma can be diagnosed at any time in a person’s life. And while there’s no cure for asthma currently, you can manage your life with a healthcare provider as you cope with it. The best way to cope with asthma is to create an asthma action plan with your healthcare provider.
Doing everything in your asthma action plan, even if you’re currently well, is your best bet to prevent flare-ups from happening most of the time. From avoiding triggers to having your inhaler on your side all of the time, we will talk about some tips on coping with asthma in this article. Let’s start.
Know Your Triggers
For some people, there’s one substance in their life that they must avoid to prevent a cascade of asthma symptoms. However, for the more unfortunate ones, there are multiple. That said, it’s always vital to learn what your triggers are to prevent yourself from having an asthma attack. You can usually do this by keeping track of your asthma attacks or symptoms in an asthma diary.
In this diary, you should write down all of the details of your environments or emotional things that you’re going through that cause an attack or an onslaught of symptoms. When you have an attack, you should check your diary to see if you can determine which triggered it. Common asthma triggers are usually not always obvious, like cockroaches, molds, etc. On the other hand, there are some common ones that you can easily spot. Here are some of them:
- Air pollution
- Cold air
- Exercise
- Smoke
- Fragrances
- Pets
- Dust mites
Stay Away From Your Allergens
Even a single whiff of their allergens can produce an onslaught of asthma symptoms for asthmatic people. Most of the time, this doesn’t call for an emergency, but it can result in death when neglected. That said, in the first place, you should stay away from your allergens. You should always have someone clean your room if it’s common, like dust or pet dander.
This is a good way of preventing asthma attacks in your home. It’s also a good idea to always have your medications, especially your inhaler, accessible at all times. Although you have ensured that your room or house is clean, you never know if you’re safe.
Allergy-Proof Your Surroundings
Whether at home or regularly going to your office, you can allergy-proof your surroundings in many ways. By making your environment allergy-proof, your chances of getting an asthma attack will decrease significantly.
One thing you can do is wash your pillows in hot water for at least 130 degrees Fahrenheit. This is a good temperature to ensure any mites in your pillow are dead. If you don’t have access to hot water easily, you can opt for a mixture of regular water and bleach. Not only pillows, though, as you can also opt to wash your sheets and blankets.
If you can’t do these things regularly, you can also opt for your cleaners to vacuum, especially in your offices. If possible, don’t do this yourself since vacuuming can disturb the air around the office, which can trigger your asthma.
Another thing you can do if you regularly go to hotels for work is to reserve a smoke-free room. Smoke-free rooms can cost you more, but it’s worth it if you don’t want an asthma attack. This is important because cleaning off smoke stains and ashes in regular rooms is practically very hard, even if thoroughly cleaned.
Get Vaccinations
Having the flu or a simple cold can be a lot worse for people with asthma. These conditions can worsen your asthma for weeks or even months. Asthma can increase your chances of getting complications from the flu, like pneumonia.
The CDC recommends pneumonia shots like PCV15 or PCV20 for adults. You can talk to your doctor if you’re unsure about getting one. And no, they don’t cause autism in kids, so you don’t have to worry about getting that one for yourself. Vaccinations work!
Take Asthma Medication
For asthmatic people, they are often prescribed long-term medication for their condition. These medications are designed to prevent you from getting attacks and symptoms in your daily life. So, if your doctor has prescribed you medication, make sure to take it as prescribed. Of course, it can be costly, but thanks to promotions, you can save money on them. You can even get Prednisone Coupons Here if your doctors prescribe this medicine.
Final Words
While it is unfortunate that asthma doesn’t have any cure in today’s medicine, there are many
things we can do to at least cope with the condition throughout our lives. But suppose you pair them with healthy living, getting plenty of quality sleep, and an overall positive outlook on life. In that case, you’ll be much healthier, and have your chances of getting asthma attacks will be significantly lesser.
Read more: 5 Tips on How to Cope With Asthma