6 Ways to Keep Your Asthma Under Control
Asthma can creep up at any moment. Those who suffer from it know just how important it is to keep on top of it and keep it under control in order to prevent an attack from taking place. If you have suffered with asthma for many years or all of your life, you’ll probably know what your personal triggers are and how to deal with an attack if it happens. However, for those who’ve just developed and been diagnosed with asthma, keeping their condition under control might seem like something that’s currently not achievable. Thankfully, there are a number of simple things that you can do today in order to ensure that your asthma attacks are kept to a minimum.
Allergy-proof bedding
Anybody with asthma will tell you that nighttime is the most common time for an attack to come on. Asthma is often triggered by allergens, and the dust mites found in bedding items such as pillows and duvets are often the trigger, which causes many people to have an asthma attack. For this reason, it is a good idea to use anti-allergy covers on bedding, which eliminate the dust mites and helps to keep the risk of an asthma attack low. It’s also advisable to wash your bedding each week in hot water to get rid of the dust mites, and use a dehumidifier in the bedroom to help prevent mold and reduce excess moisture.
Take up the carpets
This might seem a little extreme, but dust mites in carpets are just what you don’t need when you’re trying to get a handle on your asthma and prevent an attack. If you always seem to have asthma attacks in your home or more specifically in the carpeted rooms of your home even when you have used your preventative inhaler, the dust mites in the carpets are most likely a big trigger. You should consider removing the carpets and switching to laminate flooring instead. If this isn’t possible, at least vacuum the carpets twice a week or more with a cleaner that’s fitted with a HEPA air filter.
Keep a diary
Keeping a diary” of your asthma triggers and symptoms is an ideal way to help you understand your asthma better and learn what is most likely to set you off wheezing or even give you an asthma attack. You can keep a written diary of this. Or, you might want to keep it electronically in your smartphone or tablet, where you may be able to find some apps specifically designed for the purpose in order to make tracking your triggers simpler. If you use home health billing software, ask your healthcare provider or healthcare vendor if there are any applications available from them for tracking asthma triggers.
Avoid harsh cleaning products
Although keeping your home clean and as dust-free as possible are crucial when it comes to looking after your asthma, it’s important that you don’t use harsh cleaning products or chemicals whenever possible as the fumes from these can actually trigger an asthma attack. Instead, use milder cleaning products that are less likely to give off strong fumes. You may be able to ask your healthcare provider for a list of recommended cleaning products that are less likely to cause an attack.
Take Your meds
Although it might seem obvious, there are a lot of asthmatics who actually stop taking their long term inhalers simply because they feel better or haven’t had an asthma attack in a while. However, it’s actually the long term inhaler that is causing this – and if you stop taking it, you’ll see the old symptoms slowly creep back. You should take the recommended dosage of your long term inhaler each day, normally in the morning and in the evening. One good tip is to keep this inhaler in your bathroom, so that you get into the habit of taking it after you’ve brushed your teeth.
Attend reviews
Making sure that you attend regular asthma reviews with your physician is crucial, as they will be able to assess your progress and ensure that the medication you have been prescribed is working for you. You should also attend reviews to make any updates or changes to your asthma action plan, which should have been completed with your doctor when you were initially diagnosed. Even if you’re not feeling sick or haven’t noticed any worsening of symptoms, it’s vital that you attend reviews when required.
Article by Carol Trehearn
This article was written by the guest author listed at the end of the article.