5 Tips for Managing Asthma

Kex Rx Pharmacist
6 hours ago
3 min read

Struggling to catch your breath can be frustrating, especially when it comes to everyday tasks, like exercise, work, and even sleep. This is the reality for 28 million people in the U.S. each and every day that struggle with asthma.¹ There are many ways to help better manage your asthma and live better every day.

What is Asthma?

Asthma, a chronic and long-term disease, causes inflammation and swelling of the airways. It causes narrowing of the large and small airways that carry air from the nose and mouth to the lungs. Asthma presents as shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing, and tightness or pain in the chest, which can be triggered by different things for different people.¹

Asthma is one of the most common and expensive diseases in the United States. With no cure for asthma, it is important for proper education and treatment to control and prevent asthma attacks. This can help you have a better quality of life.

Who Can Get Asthma?

While around 25 million people manage asthma every day, there are many factors that can be linked to an increased risk of developing asthma.

Allergens, asthma is a form of an allergic reaction, meaning those with food or pollen allergies are more likely to develop the condition.
Obesity, being overweight can cause the risk for developing asthma or make asthma symptoms worse.
Race, Puerto Rican and Black or African American people have a higher risk of developing asthma than other people or ethnic groups. Children of these ethnic groups are more likely than non-Hispanic White children to die from asthma.
Gender, more boys than girls are likely to have asthma as children. In adults, asthma is more common among women.
Climate Change, air pollution and rapidly changing weather patters can contribute to asthma and exposure to allergens.²

What Can Trigger Asthma?

Asthma can be triggered by specific things that can set off or make the condition worse. Some of the most common triggers are:

Indoor Allergies, such as mold, dust, and pet dander or fur
Outdoor Allergies, such as pollen and mold
Emotional Stress
Physical Activity
Infections, such as cold, flu, or COVID-19
Certain Medications, similar to aspirin, can cause serious breathing issues in people with asthma
Poor Air Quality³

Tips to Manage Asthma

While asthma is a lifelong and chronic condition, there are ways that you can better manage the condition with your everyday lifestyle.

Manage Your Exposure to Allergies

There are many ways that you can manage your exposure to allergens around you, with the first control starting at home. You can improve indoor allergies by keeping surfaces dust free, vacuuming once or twice a week, preventing pet dander, keeping doors and windows closed, and avoiding mold spores.

For assistance in improving outdoor allergens, many over the counter allergy medications are available. You can get higher strength allergy medications through your healthcare team, such as your primary care doctor or pharmacist.⁴

Drink Enough Water

Drinking enough water, such as the recommended 8 cups per day, can help you for many everyday reasons. But water can also help manage asthma, by keeping airways moist, reducing inflammation, and thinning mucus in passageways, which can prevent clogging in breathing passages.⁵

Get Exercise Regularly

Getting exercise on a normal basis can help asthma by strengthening your breathing muscles, improving lung capacity and blood flow, reducing airway inflammation, boosting your immune system, and managing your weight. All of these can help to lead to fewer asthma attacks and have better overall breath control too.⁶

Keep an Inhaler on Hand

Making sure that you have your inhaler on hand is very important, especially when an asthma attack can flare up randomly. It’s crucial because they can occur suddenly and often requiring immediate life saving medication to reverse symptoms or restore breathing.

Watch For and Manage Your Symptoms

Managing your asthma symptoms and this chronic condition involves daily monitoring and tracking your lung function to prevent asthma attacks. You can watch for symptoms by listening to your body, knowing your triggers, knowing the signs when having an asthma attack, and being prepared.

How Can Your Healthcare Team Help?

Your healthcare team, which includes your primary care doctor and pharmacist, can help you to better manage your asthma. You can work with your doctor or pharmacist to create an asthma action plan, which can outline when to take specific prescribed medications or when to increase/decrease the dosages of your medications based on symptoms. They can also help to recommend tracking your asthma symptoms and triggers, knowing the steps you need to take to avoid them.⁷

No matter what your diagnosis with asthma, you can live a normal and healthy life. All you have to do is be proactive, talk with your healthcare team when needed, and make improvements in your daily life when needed.