Spring Hill Urgent Care – Asthma is a chronic health disease which causes breathing difficulties through excessive production of mucus, swelling, and narrowing in the lining of the airways which leads to the lungs receiving less air. If you experience coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, or fatigue during exercise, it’s possible that you have asthma. If that’s the case, don’t panic, you can control it! First of all, your doctor will prescribe you either quick-relief or long-term control medications, depending on the severity of your condition. Secondly, you should bear in mind that asthma attacks are always triggered by something. When you avoid that trigger, you automatically decrease the possibility of having an asthma episode. In this article, we describe a few of the most common asthma triggers and how to avoid them.
1. Allergens
Seems obvious yet so many people who visit our Spring Hill Urgent Care aren’t aware that their asthma attack was caused by contact with one of the allergens. Pollen, mold, dust mites, cockroaches, and even your beloved pet are only a few examples of the triggers that may cause your body’s immune response. Unfortunately, sometimes it’s not that easy to completely eliminate an allergen from your life, e.g. would you get rid of Buddy because it turns out that your newly married wife is allergic to him?
Nevertheless, there are some ways to limit your exposure to the allergens. Possible solutions are: keeping your pet outside / away from your bedroom, have your house dusted on a regular basis, try washing your sheets in hot water at least once a week, and keep garbage in closed containers. Those are just a couple possible ways to stay away from the allergens. Contact our Spring Hill Urgent Care physicians to get even more advice on this matter.
2. Smoking
Smoking or being in a close proximity to a person who smokes extremely irritates your lungs’ airways. What’s more, using cigarettes may permanently damage your airways. If you are a smoker the best thing you can do for yourself is to quit right away. When is comes to passive smoking, you may either walk away from those who are smoking, or ask them not to smoke (which might be very challenging), or if they are your friends, politely instruct them to go outside.
3. Weather
Believe it or not, changes in temperature and humidity may also contribute to your asthma episode. Cold and dry air that you inhale may cause lung inflammation. The best way to avoid weather-induced asthma attacks is to wrap your neck in a thick scarf that covers your mouth and nose while outside in cold weather, or if it’s hot weather that makes your asthma worse, do your best to stay in an air-conditioned place during the hot season.
4. Stress
Stress is a factor that causes very severe asthma attacks. It is not quite certain what is the reason behind it, however, some physicians believe that stress causes constriction of the muscles in the airways that reside within the lungs and as a result they tighten up triggering chest tightness in people with asthma. Don’t let stress overwhelm you and control your life – try breathing exercises or meditating which may help you relax and calm down. Another solution is talking to a friend or someone who you trust and simply vent. Don’t let the frustrations accumulate in you and weigh you down. Our professional medical team at Spring Hill Urgent Care is ready to help you out and give you some tips on how to deal with stress.
5. Exercise
Physical activity is important for everyone’s health, nonetheless, there are some sports that may trigger an asthma attack. When you work out, your body requires more oxygen and therefore forces you to breathe faster which could cause exercise-induced asthma (EIA). How is that possible? When you breathe slowly the air you inhale is warmed and moistened by your respiratory system and upper airways, however, when you start breathing faster, you most probably inhale air through your mouth which is cooler and drier. What you can implement to minimize the symptoms is to always do a short warm up before you start your exercise, try to breathe through your nose at all times while working out, try not to overdo yourself during strenuous exercise which is the easiest way to trigger an asthma attack.
If you suffer from asthma or suspect that you may have it, don’t wait until your symptoms worsen – contact our Spring Hill Urgent Care where we will help you effectively cope with your condition. For more information about the services provided at Lifeguard Urgent Care, visit our website or contact us.
