Asthma is a chronic condition that affects your ability to breathe properly. And whenever sufferers are exposed to any substance they are allergic to, the airways become inflamed, and this causes shortness of breath, tightness of the chest, wheezing and coughing. The duration of the attack may vary and it depends on the cause and how long the airways have been inflamed. If you have asthma, you may discover that your symptoms are affected by the seasons. People with asthma go through traumatic times during the fall season because the cold may worsen their symptoms due to its cold and dry nature which usually trigger asthma attacks.
For many people, asthma attacks may occur more often during fall. And this doesn’t mean you can’t have asthma if you decide to stay indoors. Sufferers often experience triggers from even the least familiar source. But common allergies that may trigger an asthmatic attack include pet or wild animal dander, dust, mold, smoke, pollen, severe stress, pollutants in the air, some medications and extreme exercise.
If you have asthma, you aren’t alone, millions of people worldwide suffer the same condition. Over the years, researchers have discovered several ways to manage this life-threatening sickness. Below, we have recommended a few ways to survive asthma during the season and how to deal with asthma triggers.
Learn your triggers: The best way to avoid frequent attacks is to understand your triggers and avoid them always. You can talk to your doctor (an allergist) about having tests to find out what triggers your asthma. The doctor may suggest that you keep an asthma diary for a couple of weeks by writing down when and where you have symptoms and flare-ups.
Limit your time around pets: having a cat or pet in your home may trigger asthma. Try to stay away from them as much as you can. Avoiding allergy triggers when you sleep helps a lot.
Avoid cold air: To avoid triggers during the cold weather, cover your face by placing a scarf around your mouth, nose, and ear or you could put on a winter mask. You should also exercise indoors and do more of indoor activities during the season.
Talk to your doctor about cold medications: Some anti-inflammatories and decongestants can dry out the airways and cause palpitations. You should talk your doctor about proper medicines and avoid resorting to over-the-counter medicines. In addition to an inhaler, most likely, your doctor may recommend daily medication to keep your symptoms under control.
Proper diet: Don’t underestimate the effect of your diet in managing your condition. Research has shown that proper nutrition can reduce the rate at which sufferers react to allergies. They are advised to:
- Eat more of animal proteins than plant proteins.
- Avoid milk and other dairy products.
- Increase intake of omega 3 fatty acids.
- Eat organic food if possible.
- Use extra virgin cooking oil for cooking always.
- Avoid dehydration because more fluids in your system will make your lungs secretions less sticky.
Keep your room clean: Untidy environment accumulates dust, so you should keep your room free from dirt as much as possible. You could vacuum and dust it regularly to keep the air you breathe fresh and dust free.
Irritants: These can cause frequent flare-ups and they include perfumes, cleaning agents, spray tobacco smoke and the smell of paint or gas. Stay away from anyone that smoke tobacco or cigarettes. You might decide to run the air conditioner in case you perceive any air pollution indoors.
Maintain a good personal hygiene: Aside asthma, good hygiene promotes good health. This is the best way to protect yourself from falling ill regularly. Sufferers are advised to wash their hands regularly and avoid contact with sick people.
Exercise: Most people have asked; how can I handle exercising? This aspect sounds confusing because it’s one of the major asthma triggers despite its health benefits. We advise you not to run away from this trigger because it’s essential to your health. Even the doctor wants you to be active so discuss with him on what to do before exercising and remember always to have your fast relief medicines.
CONCLUSION
You can train your immune system to react lesser to allergies with these tips. Asthma isn’t a death sentence; it’s a condition that can be managed successfully and this mostly depends on how you control the factors that lead to your asthma attack. Although, keeping your asthma under control may require a little more effort during the fall season because cold air and flu is often the onset of asthma attacks before other allergies such as dust and mold. But, we think these suggestions will get you through the traumatic season without worsening your symptoms.
Source: https://www.healthcentral.com/article/avoid-the-seasonal-fall-in-asthma-control
