Keeping your asthma under control and knowing what to do when you have a flare-up of symptoms are essential to avoiding lasting effects. You need to know the signs that your condition is worsening, and you need to know how to treat your asthma if the situation does get worse. Using preventive measures works best for calming your symptoms. Here’s how to know when you’re experiencing increasing symptoms and what to do when you have an asthma flare-up.
What Causes Asthma Symptoms To Flare Up?
Your asthma can flare up for various reasons. If you have an allergy to dust mites, pollen, or mold, your asthma symptoms can worsen when you’re exposed. Cold air, exercise, fumes, tobacco, smoke, or perfume can also worsen symptoms. You should pay attention to the way things affect your asthma. Tell your doctor if you notice that something particular is causing your flare-ups.
How To Know When Your Asthma Is Flaring Up
Common signs that your asthma is flaring up are breathlessness, wheezing, and tightness in the chest. Another sign is that you have to take an extra pump of your relief medicine with an inhaler more than twice a week because of your symptoms. Take note of your daily symptoms and how many times you experience them.
How To Treat an Asthma Flare-Up
When you have an asthma flare-up, the best thing to do is to use your inhaler 2 to 4 times every 20 minutes for 3 doses, or use 1 nebulizer treatment, if available. After you use your quick-relief method, you should be able to tell how severe your symptoms are.
If you’re equipped with a peak flow meter, you should check your PEFR (peak expiratory flow rate) after using your quick-relief medicine. If your PEFR is low and your flare-up was severe, you should see your doctor.
Now that you know what to do when you have an asthma flare-up, you should take measures to keep your asthma under control and to prevent severe outbreaks. Eliminate any possible things that may cause your asthma symptoms to worsen by dusting your house, cleaning your sheets, and staying away from smoky areas.
