Asthma is a chronic condition and there is no cure for it: those who have the illness experience it for life. For this reason, it is extremely important that those with asthma learn how to manage their symptoms and prevent attacks. The following article will provide you with some tools and strategies that can help you to effectively deal with your condition.
The first step is to seek immediate treatment options as soon as you feel an attack coming on. Using the strategies provided to you by your medical specialist, start treatment immediately at the onset of symptoms. This prevents them from becoming more severe and lets you deal with them while they are more manageable.
You want to try your best not to panic, no matter how severe your symptoms become. Panic does not help with anything, and in fact, can make your symptoms worse, as it often mimics the symptoms of asthma (wheezing, shortness of breath, tightness of chest, etc.). Take deep breaths to help yourself remain calm and remind yourself that you've gotten passed these feelings before.
You'll want to keep emergency medications on hand in an easily accessible location. If you use a rescue inhaler or medications, make sure that you carry it with you or have it available in your home for others to grab if needed. Inform your friends and family of where you are storing these so that they can help you to retrieve them in case of an attack.
Talk to your friends and family about how they could help you during an asthma attack. Begin by educating them about your asthma and the symptoms that you experience so that they do not panic if you have an episode. Friends and family can be an enormous help during asthma attacks, so enlist their support if at all possible.
Drinking water may help reduce the severity of an attack, so if you're able, definitely consider this option. One thing to keep in mind is that cold water may worsen the attack and should be avoided; drinking warm water is more beneficial to helping you stop your symptoms.
During an asthma attack, you want to preserve your oxygen levels. One way to do this is to try to talk as little as possible. You don't want to waste your oxygen in explaining to others what to do (one reason it's important to educate them beforehand). Also, remember that it is important to stay relaxed, as feelings of panic can cause you to expel excess oxygen, as well.
To prevent asthma attacks from happening in the first place, learn about your specific triggers. Take mental (or physical) note of what is going on around you when you have an attack to help you identify trends. Use this information to help you avoid the triggers which can cause your attacks. While it may be impossible to avoid every single asthma trigger, reducing your exposure to these will have great benefits.
Asthma attacks can be scary, but it is important to remain calm. Use the knowledge provided above to help yourself reduce the severity of the attacks and manage your asthma effectively.