Over 2 crore people in India suffer from Asthma. One in every 10 patients in the world is from India.
What is this disease exactly? Which troubles us in large volume? Let’s talk about this today.
What is asthma?
Asthma is a disease where your airways are inflamed, swollen, and get narrowed. They also produce extra mucus which creates difficulty in breathing.
Why does asthma aggravate during winter?
I always heard that this disease gets worse during winter, but why does this happen?
During winter or cold climates, humidity in the air is reduced and the air becomes dry.
Airways are lined with a thin layer of fluid when you inhale dry air. This fluid gets evaporated easily and creates irritation and swelling in your air passage. Which causes difficulty in breathing. And in asthmatic people, this airway is already inflamed, so it’s worsening their symptoms.
Tips to control asthma during winter
- Washing hands frequently – We have all known the importance of handwashing since childhood and more stressed in the last one and half years. Wash your hands frequently or use an alcohol-based sanitizer.
Along with you, emphasize to family members the importance of washing hands, so that it helps to prevent spreading infection from one place to another.
- Stay away from infection – If you are asthmatic, avoid meeting people having flu or any viral infection.
- Keep yourself warm – To protect yourself from attack in winter, an important measure is to keep yourself warm.
Wear a sweater, socks, and hand gloves. Drape scarf around your neck.
Also, drink warm water and soup.
- Stay away from dust and pollutants – Allergen-like dust and pollutants trigger asthma. So keep yourself away from dust and fireworks.
Try to keep your home dust-free. Clean filters of air conditioners from time to time.
- Keep your mouth close – During cold weather we try to breathe from our mouth instead of our nose to grasp more air. Which may lead to inflammation of the airways. So try to keep your mouth close and breathe from your nose.
- Warm-up before exercise – To keep your lungs more functional do warm-up at least for 10-15 minutes before exercising during winter, as well as daily too.
- Flu vaccination – It’s important to get the flu vaccine. It won’t prevent you from attacks. But will reduce the intensity of the attacks.
Remember if you are asthmatic don’t take vaccination through a nasal spray, as it contains live virus.
- Keep your medication in stock – Before winter starts, check your medication and inhaler for asthma. If it’s less in quantity, keep them in stock for emergencies.
Conclusion
- Asthma gets aggravated during winter or cold climates.
- Protect yourself from viral infection.
- Drink enough water.
- Keep the medicine in stock as well as keep them handy.
- Practice breathing exercises.
- Consult your physician if you notice any symptoms.
How are you preventing asthma attacks in winter?