Understanding and living with your Asthma

What is Asthma

Asthma is a disease that affects your lungs, by narrowing the airways to your lungs. It causes wheeziness, breathlessness, chest tightness and either morning or nighttime coughing. Asthma is a 24/7 disease although you may have no effect from it for ages and suddenly something will trigger it off. If it is looked after and controlled your asthma will let you live a normal life. Try to avoid things that trigger an attack like dust mites, pollen, smoke. Knowing the warning signs you can avoid an attack and you can carry on with every day life. Going to work, school etc.

Hereditary

If you have a parent that suffers with asthma you are three-six times more likely to develop asthma yourself, more than a person who has no parent with asthma.

What is an asthma attack

It is caused by the tubes letting air down to your lungs, getting smaller, muscles get tighter and make it difficult to get air down, causing breathlessness, coughing, chest tightness, panic, a blue tinge to the lips.

Asthma Triggers

Smoke should be banned from the home of an asthmatic as it can bring on an attack. Dust mites, you can by protective mattress covers and pillow covers that will block the dust mites from you.

Pollution from car and industry emission in built up areas, air pollution when air quality is low asthma attacks go up.

Cockroaches can also be a big trigger and you should clean any areas where food and drink has been prepared to make sure they don’t pay a visit.

Pets can trigger asthma and it is better if you do not have any pets if you are a sufferer, but if you do have pets take as many precautions as you can, keep the pet outside if possible and never let pets in the bedroom.

Any mould in the home can be a potential trigger and if inhaled can cause an attack.

Too much exercise, weather changes, cold, humidity, and storms.

Changes in emotions can also trigger asthma off.

Learn what triggers your asthma off and do all you can to avoid the situations.

How is Asthma treated

You remove as many of the triggers from your home as possible, take any medication that your GP has prescribed as and in the way you’ve been told. Different sufferers have different medication but generally you have a preventive inhaler that works long term, and an emergency inhaler that opens the airways in an attack this is called the quick relief. Long-term inhalers help to prevent attacks and make them milder in the long term.

However if you are having an attack you need the emergency inhaler that will open your airways and let you breath more easily. Although some medication can have a few little side effects they go quickly if they don’t go and are prolonged go see your GP or asthma nurse and they will change your medication. Just remember your asthma can be controlled and you can live a full normal life if you take a little extra care and your medication regularly.