Individuals with asthma might find their asthma symptoms acting up once the heat and humidity level soar during summer. Fortunately, whether you are enjoying a sunny day on the beach, by the swimming pool, in the garden, or even inside your home, the following tips can help you better manage your symptoms and keep them in check during summertime — where the living is supposed to be easy.
- 1. Visit your doctor before summer rolls around.
- 2. Keep cool and relax.
- 3. Make sure to keep your allergies in check.
- 4. Consider staying indoors when it’s too hot and humid outside.
- 5. Keep an eye on the air quality index.
- 6. Make sure that the humidity level inside your home is low.
- 7. Take extra precautions in swimming pools.
1. Visit your doctor before summer rolls around.
If you have a history of worsening asthma symptoms every time summer rolls around, it’s best that you have a check-up with your doctor before summer starts. You don’t have to suffer through your symptoms. Discuss your concerns with your doctor. You might need to adjust the scheduling or dosage of your asthma medication to manage your symptoms.
2. Keep cool and relax.
Refrain from putting yourself in certain situations where you’d be inhaling extremely hot air. Admittedly, this might be a difficult task if your job requires that you stay outdoors. But don’t hesitate to ask your superior for an alternative task if the weather is simply too hot for you to bear.
3. Make sure to keep your allergies in check.
If you know or suspect that you have allergic reactions to common summer triggers like pollen or mold, visit your doctor and ask if you can get tested for allergies and if you can take allergy meds. This would help prevent an asthma attack due to an undiagnosed allergy. In addition, ask your doctor about things you can do to limit your exposure to allergens that might trigger an asthma attack.
4. Consider staying indoors when it’s too hot and humid outside.
If the weather outside is just too hot and humid for you to handle, just stay inside your home and bask in the cool air from your air conditioner. Remember to have your air conditioner checked by an air conditioning repair specialist in Draper before summer arrives to avoid issues later.
5. Keep an eye on the air quality index.
Look for updates online or tune in to local weather programs to get updates on the air quality for the day. This way, you can avoid subjecting yourself to unnecessary heat and humidity by planning your day around the weather.
6. Make sure that the humidity level inside your home is low.
While you can’t control the weather outside, you can definitely control the environment inside your home. Ensure that your home’s humidity level is at least 50% lower than usual to reduce the chance of mold, dust mites, and other allergens that thrive in moist, humid environments, from developing.
7. Take extra precautions in swimming pools.
Swimming is the best exercise for people with asthma and is effective in keeping symptoms at bay. However, chlorine can trigger asthma symptoms in some people. If this applies to you, stick to swimming in natural bodies of water instead.
Having “summer asthma” is immensely challenging. However, certain lifestyle changes such as the ones mentioned above could help you limit your exposure to extreme humidity and heat and keep you comfortable all throughout the season.