Living with asthma sucks. But if you’re one of the 25 million people in the U.S who suffers from it, or worse still, one of the 12 Million who had an asthma attack in 2008, you probably already knew that.
Sadly, the amount of people affected by Asthma is skyrocketing, year-on-year, rising from one in 14 people in 2001 to one in 12 people in 2009. But don’t let Asthma dominate your life. Here’s five top tips for asthmatics.
1.Relax. Stress is not your freind. In fact it is one of the biggest killers leading to low blood sugar, increased blood pressure and a reuced immune system. But for asthma sufferers it can become a deadly vicious circle. Coughing and wheezing can cause more stress due to fears of another attack and this stress in turn makes asthma attacks more likely.
Learning to worry less is vitally important. Try Yoga, meditation and even exercising on a regular basis to help you learn new perspectives to worry less. Check out our website which has health and exercise tips for both men and women.
2.Control those Health Care Costs
One of the biggest stress factors for Americans today is rising healthcare costs. If you’re on a budget and even the cost of the equipment like inhalers is stressing you out, try a monthly subscription to prescription hope, which might work out cheaper for you than buying individual equipment and gives you the peace of mind you’ll be paying a fixed price every month.
3. Give up those Smokes. Smoking and asthma do not mix. No wonder, since a cigarette contains over 7,000 toxic chemicals. Hopefully if you were a kid when you were diagnosed you were told this by your doctor and were never tempted to even try. If not and you were diagnosed after you started to smoke, now is the time to give up.
Nicotine patches and e-cigarettes are just some of the tools you can use to give up. Second hand smoke can be equally as dangerous so avoid following friends who are smokers to the smoking shelter on nights out.
4. Triggered? Many people’s asthma is excebertated by a particular trigger. This could include medications, the weather or even a certain emotion. Learn what your trigger is and then avoid it at all costs.
If an emotion like anger sets off an asthma attack learn to control it. The age old tricks of counting to ten and walking away from a situation where you felt triggered still work here.
5. Time for a Career Change
Some people with asthma have to work in conditions which are extremely bad for their condition. This can make coping with asthma very challenging. In the U.K, where they have tougher workplace regulations, the Health and Saftey Executive has listed several careers with are potentially hazardous for those living with asthma.
- A baker is exposed to the enzymes from the flour dust which are known to aggravate asthma.
- A welder, particularly of stainless steel, might suffer particularly badly because the fumes of chromium and nickel are an astmagen, any substance which provokes asthma.
Living with Asthma: Make that Change.
Whilst many people might not have the option of changing their career path and might have to rely on taking precautions, if you’re young and have the opportunity to fit your work around your lifestyle – and asthma is a part of that lifestyle – it is worth considering.
Check out more articles about asthma on our site for more top tips on living with asthma.