This Saturday marks the first day of spring! An exciting time, but many of us fall victim to spring allergies. For those of us who have asthma and respiratory issues these symptoms can be worsened significantly, including those with sleep apnea. Here are our top tips to survive those springtime attacks:
Know your Triggers
Triggers are a thing, condition, or activity that brings the onset of asthma, allergy and respiratory symptoms. These symptoms can result in an attack, episode, or flare-up. Triggers are different for everyone so get to know what yours may be. The most common are:
- Medical Conditions (cold, flu, acid reflux)
- Weather (air quality, pollen, pollution)
- Smoke (wood burning, cigarettes, leaf burning)
- Animals (dander and saliva)
- Pests (dust mites, cockroaches, rodents)
- Mold
- Exercise (intense, sports, climbing)
- Emotions (stress, laughing, fear)
- Odors (perfume, cleaning products)
Keep it clean
Bedrooms are breeding grounds for allergens. This is one room we spend a good
portion of our time in. Washing bedding at least once a week in hot water is a
great way to ensure that they remain mostly pollen, dust mite free. Also it may
be helpful to you to use a scent-free detergent. It is recommended to avoid
using a clothesline to dry garments. Use a clothes dryer to keep allergens at
bay. To keep indoor allergens to a minimum, I would suggest frequent vacuuming
and dusting. As tempting as it may be on a nice day, keep windows and doors
closed to avoid pollen from entering your home. If you are utilizing an air
conditioning or forced heat system, check your filters and change when
necessary.
Taking your prescribed asthma medications as directed is essential, especially when they are quick relief medications to help you through a potential attack.
Over-the-counter products like loratadine (generic Claritin) or phenylephrine (generic Sudafed), can assist many people with these troubling conditions, but some people benefit only from prescription allergy medicine depending on their severity. A saline spray can help to reduce nasal swelling. Prescription and prescription-strength sprays (like Fluticasone Propionate, or Flonase, which is a glucocorticoid) are also available when the saline spray doesn’t cut it.
A netipot is a great tool to flush allergens from your nose and reduce swelling. Using a humidifier by your bed at night can help put moisture into the air. When you have dry nasal passages it can make congestion worse. Give those nasal strips a try to allow more air to move through your airways. When using a nasal strip in conjunction with CPAP therapy it may adequately address breathing difficulties from allergies.
If you are using inhalers, there are some new ones on the market; ProAir Digihaler, AirDuo Digihaler and ArmonAir Digihaler. These inhalers use Bluetooth technology to connect to your Smartphone. Products like these increase your compliance and track data that you can share with your doctor.
Maintain Caution when doing Activities Outdoors in the Morning
While exercising outdoors is great for the body and mind, it can be risky for
those who have Asthma. Daily pollen counts tend to be at their highest during
the morning hours, so if you have intentions of exercising outdoors, we
recommend keeping it in the early afternoon during the cooler spring weather or
the evening time during the hotter summer weather to avoid other complications,
such as heat stroke or battling poor air quality.
Check
the Local Pollen Count and Bathe Frequently
Taking more showers and washing clothing more often will assist in removing any
additional pollen that may still be stuck to clothing or skin. Knowing your
pollen count before stepping foot into the outdoors will prevent any unexpected
Asthma attacks or avoidable complications when you already know the air quality
and conditions before going anywhere.
These
are some good tips to help you manage any asthma, allergy, respiratory issues. Maintaining good day-to-day control is the key to keeping symptoms at bay.
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