Asthma is a respiratory condition that affects your breathing, as the lungs swell and tighten in response to various triggers. If you have such a condition, it’s vital that you speak to your GP or an allergist to receive the right medication – it’s a dangerous illness that could be fatal if left to worsen. Around 60 per cent of asthma cases are allergic asthma, which means that underlying allergies make it hard for you to breathe. This could be cats, pollen, dust or chemicals in the air, but a skin-prick test can determine what is making your asthma worse. Once you know what the triggers are, you can avoid them to ensure you don’t exacerbate your condition. The seasons are one of the most common causes so you should be aware of the seasons, specifically if you have allergies to grasses, weeds and pollens. Allergic symptoms can start as early as February when the trees start blooming, grasses can make your symptoms worse right through summer, and weeds will continue to affect you until autumn. So be aware of the signs and get your treatments sorted ahead of time. Once you know that pollen is your trigger, you can keep an eye on your risk by checking the daily pollen count in your local area. If you know what you’re sensitive to, this will help you read the rankings a little more clearly and you’ll know what to avoid for future summers to keep allergies at bay.
Seems to simple to be true? Maybe, but closing your window could actually be the answer to some of your problems! You can use an air conditioner to filter out pollen that does find its way into your home, especially on high pollen days. There is a chance that your allergies are worse in the evening because pollen gets trapped on your clothes and hair. So make sure that you change your clothes, shower and wash your hair of an evening so that you don’t exacerbate your problem. This goes for your nose – believe it or not, but your nostrils trap pollen too, and this can lead you to have worse allergies when you’ve been out all day. You can try using a saline rinse, or a herbal nasal spray to reduce the risk of pollen getting trapped in the nasal cavity. If these don’t work, you can speak to your GP who may be able to advise of a prescription treatment that will do the job more effectively. Antihistamines can be bought over the counter and can work with your asthma medication to keep your symptoms under control. There are plenty you can buy over the counter, but if they don’t work there are stronger ones that your GP can prescribe for you. Some people find that their allergic asthma gets worse when they workout outside, so opt for an indoor workout instead. If you really must exercise outdoors, try to avoid the late morning or early afternoon as pollen is released at sunrise and tends to peak just a few hours later. You should also aim to keep your home temperature in the mid to low 60s and the humidity between 40 and 45 per cent, as dust mites thrive in homes that are warmer than 70 degrees. These are known to make allergies worse, so keep an eye on this and make sure that you keep your home at a temperature that sends them packing.