If you frequently have breathing problems or experience wheezing and coughing, you might be among the millions of Americans with asthma. Asthma is a lifelong, chronic respiratory illness that makes your airways get swollen, rendering it hard for you to breathe appropriately. Besides inducing swelling, garland asthma could also make your body secrete excessive mucus, which induces symptoms like coughing and wheezing. Numerous factors can trigger asthma episodes. Understanding your specific asthma triggers can help you reduce or avoid exposure to them, making your condition easier to handle. Continue reading to learn more.
- Mold and Dust
Numerous people with asthma have a sensitivity to allergens. Allergens cause swelling of the airways and induce mucus secretion, which worsens the asthma attack.
Reducing dust in your house by regularly cleaning surfaces, removing carpets, and utilizing air filters could help reduce your attacks. Mols could also be troublesome, but keeping humidity levels low and fixing any leaks could help eliminate mold.
- Pet Allergies
If you sneeze near animals, you might have a sensitivity to pet dander. Pet dander refers to the substances made of dead skin that animals covered in feathers or fur shed often. If you are sensitive to this material and decide to keep a pet, wash it often, and maintain your home’s surfaces clean.
- Sprays and Fragrances
There is a reason why numerous organizations currently have a scent-free policy in the workplace. Some individuals are sensitive to fragrances, particularly if they remain in a closed environment for several hours. Cleaning products, perfumes, and colognes all possess chemicals that could irritate the airways and induce an asthma attack.
While at home, consider using fragrance-free, natural cleaning products and detergents. However, while outdoors, you risk coming across somebody with perfume or cologne, so you should carry fast-acting medication.
- Chronic Stress
Years ago, stress was deemed the only cause of an asthma attack. Currently, researchers understand that environmental allergens and toxins are also triggers. Nonetheless, stress is still a common cause of asthma symptoms. As you get stressed or anxious, the immune system generates specific chemicals that induce swelling of the airways, causing an asthmatic bout.
Once your coughing or breathing difficulties worsen, you might suffer another stressful bout, which traps you in a dangerous cycle. If you are dealing with chronic stress, learning how to manage it could help avoid your attacks.
- Exercising
Remaining active could be great for your vitality and general health. Unfortunately, if you are asthmatic, working out could be quite tricky.
Asthma patients cannot engage in strenuous activities. Ideally, you should aim for light exercises for several minutes daily. If you start experiencing breathing difficulties, stop. Besides, where you work out is important too. If you reside in an urban area, air pollutants could make exercising outside hard.
Asthma triggers are everywhere, which makes managing asthma tricky. Depending on inhalers or other medications should not be your only approach in dealing with asthma attacks. Rather, the initial step in managing asthma is identifying the triggers and the best prevention measures. Remember, asthma triggers are different from one patient to another, and the attacks vary in severity as well. Therefore, keeping a journal of your asthma attacks could be a great way to narrow down your potential triggers. Once identified, you can work with your specialist to create an effective care plan.
