Asthma Management: How to Breathe Easy in Every Season

If you have asthma, you know that breathing easily is not always so easy. The good news is, asthma management is not difficult. With the right tools and knowledge, you can breathe comfortably throughout the year. Asthma touches millions of people, and knowing how to handle it is a great determinant of enhancing the quality of your life. Whether it is airborne allergens or temperature differences, knowing how to breathe comfortably means easy breathing every season.

Breathing freely can be something that most people take for granted, but for asthma patients, this is not true. Asthma, a chronic airway disease, is usually complicated by inflammation and constriction of airways, which makes free breathing impossible. Proper management of the condition is thus very crucial if you wish to have a quality active life. Whether you’re coping with asthma triggers in warm summer air or dry winter air, being prepared will make all the difference to your experience.

With seasons, our air changes too, and for the asthmatic, it could be more than a change in attire. It is particularly necessary to manage asthma when factors such as spring pollens, monsoon humidity, winter cold, or dry summers come into the equation. If you’re the type of person who’s always convinced that you’re one breath away from learning how vital breathing easy while nature takes care of business is, then learning how to deal with your various conditions of breathing every season is the greatest investment you can make in living life to its fullest.

Whether you are newly diagnosed with asthma or have been living with asthma for years, knowing how the seasons impact your asthma will put you in charge of your symptoms. In this blog, we will share practical, easy-to-implement tips for managing asthma throughout the year so that you can live your life without worrying every minute about your next wheeze or sneeze.

What Is Asthma and How Does It Affect Your Breathing?

Asthma is a chronic, inflammatory health condition that includes narrowing of the airways and breathing difficulty. Knowing how to breathe easily begins with knowing how asthma works. When we have asthma, our airways are more sensitive to triggers (e.g., allergens, cold air, exercise, some viruses, stress) and this results in symptoms such as wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath.

Asthma control involves knowing your triggers and having a plan/strategy to cope with them, utilizing medications, lifestyle modifications, and preventive strategies. Your asthma symptoms may worsen during allergy season, and knowing how to control your asthma through each season is essential to maintaining your symptoms under control.

Asthma Management: Tips for Managing Your Asthma Effectively

1. Create Your Asthma Action Plan: A Key to How to Breathe Easy

An important aspect of asthma control is being ready, and the best preparation is to have an asthma action plan. It’s your very own action plan for managing mild or severe asthma symptoms. Knowing what to do in advance makes you feel empowered and prepared to handle any attacks.

Your asthma action plan should include the following components:

Daily Medications: Be sure you are taking your controller meds (for example, inhaled corticosteroids) every day to keep your airways as clear as possible and reduce inflammation.
Rescue Inhaler: Be sure to have your quick-relief inhaler ready for those times you need immediate, fast-acting relief that will open your airways right away.
When to Seek Help: You need to know when to call your doctor or seek medical help. If your symptoms are worsening and you are not responding with your inhaler, you should get medical help.

A clear action plan should help you be calm in your mind at a difficult time. You should not be surprised when you experience an asthma flare-up.

2. Keep Track of Your Seasonal Allergies: Essential for Asthma Management

Seasonal allergies are among the strongest asthma triggers and asthma control can be tougher when pollen and other allergens are in full swing. Whether it is the pollen flowers of spring or the mold from leaf litter, allergens are not breath-friendly. Thus, keeping seasonal allergies under control is crucial:

Monitor Pollen Counts: Use an app or website to find out the pollen count in your area each day, so you can plan indoor activities during times that are highest for allergies.
Limit Outdoor Time: If pollen counts are high, limit your time outside during peak hours which is typically in the early morning when levels are the most concentrated.
Keep The Windows Shut: If pollen counts are high, limit your time outside during peak hours which is typically in the early morning when levels are the most concentrated. .
Wash Up After Being Outside: Since pollen can stick to your clothes as well as skin, washing your hands and changing your clothes when you come back inside will help limit allergen exposure.

By staying well-informed of seasonal allergies, and managing your exposure, you can mitigate the triggering risk of asthma attacks from these common triggers.

3. Be Aware of Your Triggers: The Foundation of How to Breathe Easy

Everyone with asthma has varying triggers; the most prevalent triggers are pollen, smoke, pet dander, dust mites, and cold air. The more you know your triggers for your asthma, the easier you will be able to manage it. How to cope with a few of the common triggers and ways to avoid them are as follows:

Cold Air: Breathing cold air can constrict your airways and can cause asthma symptoms. At a minimum, if you’re going outside in cold weather, try wearing a scarf over your mouth.
Tobacco Smoke: Whether it be your smoking or second-hand smoke, tobacco smoke can set off asthma by irritating your airways. Avoid smoking indoors altogether and avoid places that are filled with smoke.
Strong Scents: Perfumes, air fresheners, cleaning products, and candles produce emissions that can irritate your airways. Use fragrance-free products and ventilate your home.

The key to how to breathe easy is realizing your triggers and avoiding them as often as possible.

4. Travel Tips for Asthma Patients

Organizing a trip with asthma needn’t involve holding your breath; a bit of planning can do the trick! Always take your reliever and preventer inhalers, written asthma action plan, and make sure your medication is easily within reach in your hand luggage. Research the air quality and weather at your destination beforehand, particularly if you have seasonal triggers.

It is also a good idea to bring a face mask or scarf to cover yourself from unexpected dust, cold air, or pollution while in transit. With some planning ahead you can have a wonderful time traveling without fear of wheezing.

Carry enough medications, including spare inhalers.
Keep a written asthma action plan..
Do research on the air quality and climate of the destination.
Carry a mask or scarf for sudden triggers while travelling.

5. Helping Children Manage Asthma Through Seasons

If you have a child who has asthma, you’re not the only one. Follow these few suggestions to help your child:

Make the school aware of your child’s condition.
Send rescue inhalers with your child to school in their backpack..
Write an asthma plan and share it with caregivers.
Keep vaccinations up to date to minimize infection risks.

How to Breathe Easy Throughout Every Season

Spring & Summer: Managing Pollen and High Heat

When the sun is bright and flowers are in bloom, it is easy to fall in love with the season’s beauty, even if pollen and hay fever are fighting their battles on your body. Don’t worry, though – there are a multitude of ways to make sure that you’re breathing easy all these months.

Limit Outdoor Activity During Peak Pollen Hours: Pollen counts peak in the morning, so if possible, plan on staying inside until the late afternoon.
Use Air Conditioning: Keep your home cool and relatively allergen-free by using air conditioning and having a good filter. The right filter helps remove pollen and dust from the air.
Wear a Mask as Protection: If you have to go outdoors, at least during high pollen times, mouth and nose masks help cover up your nose and mouth so that pollen doesn’t easily get in.

Autumn & Winter: Tackling Cold Air and Mould

The cold winter months of the year present special challenges to asthma control. Cold air is a potent airway irritant because it constricts your airway. Indoor radiation heating is also extremely drying to the air and can make it more difficult for you to breathe. Take these tips into consideration:

Use a Humidifier: Dry air indoors will irritate the airways, and using a humidifier will introduce moisture to the air and reduce throat irritation.
Dress Warmly: Always cover your nose and mouth with a scarf in the winter to warm the air before breathing.
Prevent Mould: Mould is another potential trigger in the autumn months. Make sure you keep your home, or any essential area, dry, particularly in places such as the bathroom or basement.

Asthma Management: The Importance of Medications

Avoidance of triggers is only one aspect of learning easy breathing. Medication is a big aid in the treatment of asthma symptoms. There are controller drugs, such as inhaled corticosteroids, that work over time to decrease inflammation and rescue inhalers, which are subsequently employed for quick relief.

It’s important to follow your doctor’s directions and not skip doses. Even if you’re feeling well, continue to take the medication prescribed by your doctor. It’s important for managing asthma over the long-term.

Conclusion: Take Control of Your Asthma and Breathe Easy

At times, it is difficult to control asthma, but with a personalized asthma management plan, easy breathing becomes a part of your daily life.

In case you find it hard to control your symptoms, the experts at Dispur Polyclinic & Hospital, will be more than happy to assist you. We have committed doctors and highly-trained respiratory therapists, who give you proper advice, customized treatment plans, and continuous support, which enable you or your loved one to live comfortably and confidently with asthma.

You are entitled to receive care based on who you are, so don’t wait, take the first step towards knowing how to breathe easy today. Call us at +91 8822669275 to schedule your appointment.