Avoiding Your Triggers
Stay away from things that trigger your asthma. While there are some common asthma triggers, the specific triggers could vary from person to person. You’re the best guide for your own triggers, so keep track of things that make your asthma worse and do your best to avoid them. Making a list of your triggers important because your allergist will probably adjust your treatment depending on what your triggers are. For example, if a certain food triggers your symptoms, they may want to test you for an allergy. Bring the list with you to your appointments for the allergist to assess.
Clean your home at least once per week. While cleaning your home might not be fun, it's an important way to manage your asthma. Dust, pet dander, and mold spores are all common asthma triggers that are found in most homes. Clean and vacuum regularly, at least once per week, to remove these irritants from your home. You should also wear a dust mask and open all the window while you’re cleaning to avoid aggravating your symptoms. Keep the windows open for an hour or so after you finish so the dust filters out.
Remove as much carpeting as you can to prevent dust buildup. In general, solid flooring is better for asthma than carpeting. Carpets trap a lot of dust and irritants, and are also harder to clean than solid floors. It’s best to reduce the amount of carpeting in your home if you can. Remember that you still have to clean solid floors regularly to prevent dust buildup.
Groom your pets regularly. If you have furry pets, regular bathing and brushing can reduce the amount of dander they produce. This can prevent your pets from triggering your symptoms. You could also get a pet without fur or feathers, like a reptile.
Run a dehumidifier if you live in a humid climate. Moist air is heavy and harder to breathe, so high humidity could trigger your symptoms. Try using a dehumidifier in your home during humid weather so it’s easier to breathe. If you don’t have a dehumidifier, an AC can also reduce the humidity in your home. Excessively dry air could also aggravate your symptoms, so it’ll probably take some trial and error to find the best setting on your dehumidifier.
Stay inside if allergen levels are very high. Pollen and other allergens are common asthma triggers. Check your local news reports for daily allergen levels in your area. If possible, try to stay inside on high-allergen days to avoid an asthma attack. Websites and apps can also tell you the local allergen levels. You just have to type in your town. It’s especially important to avoid allergens if you’re exercising. Avoid exercising outside when allergen levels are high.
Cover your nose and mouth in cold weather. Breathing in very cold air can also constrict your airway. Keep yourself warm by covering your mouth and nose with a scarf while you’re outside in cold weather.
Avoid inhaling smoke. Smoke from cigarettes, campfires, or wildfires can all trigger an asthma attack. Do your best to avoid smoke at all times. Smoking is especially harmful if you have asthma. If you smoke, then you should quit as soon as possible. Also don’t let anyone smoke in your home.
Lifestyle Remedies
Exercise regularly to strengthen your lungs. While exercise might be difficult with asthma, it’s actually very good for your condition. Regular exercise can strengthen your heart and lungs, making your attacks less frequent. Try to get 30 minutes of aerobic activity on at least 5 days per week. Aerobic activities like running, walking, biking, and swimming are best for strengthening your lungs. Keep your inhaler with you while you’re exercising in case you have an attack.
Maintain a healthy bodyweight. Being overweight puts more strain on your heart and lungs, which could make your asthma worse. If you’re overweight, talk to your doctor and determine the ideal weight for you. Then design an exercise and diet regimen to reach and maintain that weight.
Manage your stress. Stress can cause hyperventilation and trigger asthma attacks. If you often feel stressed, then reducing and managing that can improve your asthma symptoms significantly. Try some relaxation exercises like deep breathing, yoga, or meditation to reduce your daily anxiety. Doing enjoyable activities is also helpful for relieving stress, so be sure to make some time for things you like each day. Ride your bike, listen to music, draw, read, crochet, or do any other of your hobbies to unwind.
Try to get 7-8 hours of sleep each night. There is some correlation between sleep deprivation and asthma, so getting a full night’s sleep regularly could be an effective treatment. If you often have trouble sleeping, start winding down for an hour before bed. Do relaxing activities like reading, listening to soft music, or taking a bath to get ready for bed.
Slow down if you feel your asthma acting up. It’s important to know your own limits and avoid pushing yourself too far. If you’re feeling short of breath or start wheezing, then stop doing what you were doing and relax. This can prevent an attack.
Dietary Changes
Eat 7-10 fruit and vegetable servings each day for good nutrition. Including enough plants in your diet provides you with plenty of vitamins and minerals that can boost your immunity and reduce inflammation in your body. This could have a positive effect on your asthma symptoms. If you don’t have access to fresh fruits and vegetables, canned or frozen varieties are also good. Just drain and rinse canned vegetables to reduce their salt content.
Include dairy products to get enough vitamin D. Some people with asthma also have a vitamin D deficiency, so this could be one of the triggers for the condition. Have fortified milk, cheese, yogurt, and eggs to get the recommended 15 mg vitamin D serving each day. Red meat and organ meats also contain a lot of vitamin D. However, they’re also high in saturated fats, so it’s better to get your servings from dairy products instead.
Fight inflammation with omega-3 fatty acids. While more research is needed to demonstrate how effective omega-3s are for fighting asthma, they can reduce inflammation in your body. This could open your airway and relieve your symptoms. The main source for omega-3s are oily fish like salmon, tuna, and sardines. You can also get them from nuts, seeds, and vegetable oils.
Reduce the amount of preservatives in your diet. For some people, preservatives like sulfites are an asthma trigger. They’re usually found in wine, but might also be in preserved seafood and pickled foods.
Avoid foods that cause heartburn or gas. Both conditions could stress your airway and trigger asthma symptoms. If any foods typically give you gas or heartburn, then it’s best to avoid them and prevent triggering your asthma. Spicy foods are a common trigger for heartburn, so if these bother you then you may want to switch to milder food. Fried, fatty, or sugary foods tend to cause gas and heartburn as well. Eat slowly to avoid overeating. Being too full could also cause heartburn.
Alternative Treatments
Do deep breathing exercises. Regular deep breathing can strengthen your airway and improve your asthma symptoms. For a simple exercise, sit in a quiet area and close your eyes. Breathe as deeply as you can and hold the breath for 10 seconds, then release the breath so your lungs are completely empty. Repeat this for 3-5 minutes to start out. You could also use your deep breathing exercises if you feel an asthma attack coming on. Stop and focus on your breathing to cut off an attack before it starts.
Take vitamin D and E supplements. These 2 vitamins could reduce your asthma symptoms. If you aren’t getting enough of either from your regular diet, you can take a dietary supplement to get the full amount. The daily recommended dosage is 15 mg of vitamin E and vitamin D is 15 mcg (micrograms). Ask your doctor before taking any dietary supplements to make sure they’re right for you.
Try acupuncture to release tension. Some people find that an acupuncture treatment relieves their asthma symptoms. This might be because acupuncture can reduce pressure on the airway. You can try an acupuncture treatment for yourself to see if it works. Make sure you visit a licensed and experienced acupuncturist so you get the safest and most effective treatment possible.
Get a back massage to see if that helps. For unclear reasons, a firm back massage relieves asthma in some people. It’s possible that the stress-release from a massage frees the airway. If you’d like to find out if this will work for you, book a massage appointment to see.
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