There Are Few Other Techniques Discussed Below And Can Help You Against Asthma:
- Belly breathing technique
Carefully concentrate on your breathing. Its must that you should breathe slowly through your nose. This technique of belly breathing can maximize the air distribution inside your lungs. You can lie down or sit straight. When you inhale your abdomen should go out as opposed to your chest. Exhale slowly with your abdomen pushing inward. Ideally exhalation should be twice as long as inhalation.
- Buteyko breathing exercise
This buteyko breathing technique perfectly aims at consciously reducing either breathing rate or breathing volume. The method involves sitting upright with a belly and chest muscles when you are breathing. Breathe through your nose gently with a closed mouth. Breathe slow and shallow. Try to exhale slowly till the time it seems that here is no air left in the lungs. Hold your breath as long as possible and then again revert to a gentle breathing.
- Pursed lip breathing technique
One of the most helpful techniques during an asthma attack. As air is trapped in your lungs during an attack so this helps get more air out and make breathing easier. It involves inhaling slowly through the nose and then exhaling through pursed lips, or exhaling slowly.
How To Ease Your Toddlers Nighttime Cough
Steam from a vaporizer in your childs room may help calm a cough. For barking coughs, take your child in a steam-filled bathroom for about 20 minutes to help them breathe more easily. Exposure to cool air may relieve some coughs, but be careful if your child has asthma as it may aggravate an asthma cough.
If your child is younger than 3 years, dont give them cough drops. Cough drops are a choking hazard for young children.
You should get medical help right away if your childs cough is barky or croupy or accompanied by:
- fast breathing or difficulty breathing
You should also call the doctor immediately if your childs cough ends with a whooping sound or produces green, yellow, or bloody phlegm.
The Importance Of Medication Adherence
One of the most important things to prevent asthma attacks is medication adherence, said Carrillo. Often, people find their medication reduces the occurrence of their symptoms, so they think they do not need their medication anymore. This is not true, because asthma has no curethe prescribed medication only controls your asthma symptoms.
Health care providers usually prescribe two key medications: a long-term control inhaler and a rescue inhaler. Since asthma triggers are highly specific to the individual, people should speak with their health care provider to find an asthma care plan that works for them. Many health care providers prescribe both types of inhalers.
The first medication is a long-term asthma control inhaler like a corticosteroid. People with asthma should regularly take this medication to control their chronic symptoms and prevent asthma attacks. If people stop their medication, then their risk of an asthma attacks increases.
The second medication is a rescue inhaler. This inhaler will provide a quick relief of symptoms during an asthma attack. The medication relaxes the airway muscles, which opens the lungs and allows unconstructed airflow.
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Breathe Easier With A Better Pharmacy
Alto is here every step of the way to make it easy to manage your asthma symptoms at any time of day. Our team of pharmacists is available to answer questions about your asthma medications, and we offer free, same-day delivery and medication management tools like reminders and auto refills in our app.
Reach out any time through in-app secure messaging or by phone at 1-800-874-5881 to learn how Alto can support your asthma treatment plan.
This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
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What Is Nocturnal Asthma
Asthma is a long-term, chronic respiratory disease, caused by the inflammation of the airways. When this condition worsens overnight, we call it nocturnal asthma or nighttime asthma. Regardless of the type of asthma you have, including allergic, non-allergic, occupational, and exercise-induced asthma, nocturnal asthma can occur more than once a month.
Over the past decade, the prevalence of asthma in adults and children has increased in the United States. The California Health Interview Survey states that 15.9% of asthma cases were reported in Orange County in 2015-2017. Although there is no cure for asthma, the symptoms can be managed through long-term medications and short-term quick-relief inhalers. A few home remedies and other tips can also help patients with nocturnal asthma sleep better.
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Does Asthma Get Worse At Night
Asthma is worse at night than during the day partly because the body is in a supine position, and you have a higher exposure to allergens than you would when walking around. Exacerbated symptoms make it difficult to sleep and cause coughing, wheezing, and sneezing. We recommend a humidifier, air purifier, and keeping your bedroom clean to reduce indoor allergens.
Gargle With Warm Salt Water
Gargling with warm salt water is a tried-and-true way to relieve throat inflammation. The salt may also kill some throat bacteria.
This home remedy works because the salt removes water from your oral tissues and creates a barrier that prevents water and bacteria from returning to your throat.
Simply mix a 1/2 teaspoon of salt into 8 ounces of warm water. You can add honey or hydrogen peroxide to make it more soothing.
Gargle for about 30 seconds or as long as possible, swish it around your mouth, and then spit it out.
You can also use a saline solution in a neti pot to rinse irritants and mucus from your sinuses.
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Signs And Symptoms Of Asthma
A person with bronchial asthma may have one or more of the following signs and symptoms
- Recurrent episodes of wheezing
- Difficulty in breathing or shortness of breath
- Chest tightness
- Cough that gets worse at night
Based on the duration of signs and symptoms, asthma can present itself clinically in three conditions
Spacers And Asthma Medication
For all people with asthma, it is recommended that a spacer device is used when asthma medication is delivered via a puffer . A spacer is a specially designed container that attaches to a puffer and has its own mouthpiece to breathe through.
Using a spacer helps the medication to go where it is supposed to into the small airways in the lungs rather than ending up coating your childs mouth, tongue and throat. It is much more effective than using a puffer on its own. Using a spacer with a puffer can reduce or prevent side effects from inhaled medication.
Babies and young children may need a spacer with a special face mask attached to inhale asthma medicines effectively. These fit tightly around your childs mouth and nose to make sure none of the medicine leaks out. Talk to your pharmacist for advice and to have your technique checked.
Watch this Asthma Australia video which shows you how to use a spacer with a face mask.
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When To See A Doctor Urgently
Keep your child sitting up and give them 6 puffs of the blue inhaler through the spacer and see a doctor urgently if your child has any of the following symptoms:
- is breathing fast, wheezing and having to use extra effort to breathe
- is breathless at rest
- has blue lips and tongue
- has periods of stopping breathing
In severe asthma, it is usually better to dial 111 within New Zealand and ask for emergency medical help, rather than drive your child in your own car to the hospital.
While you are waiting for the ambulance, keep giving your child 6 puffs of the blue inhaler through the spacer every 5 minutes.
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Reducing The Burden Of Asthma
Asthma cannot be cured, but good management with inhaled medications can control the disease and enable people with asthma to enjoy a normal, active life.
There are two main types of inhaler:
- bronchodilators , that open the air passages and relieve symptoms and
- steroids , that reduce inflammation in the air passages. This improves asthma symptoms and reduces the risk of severe asthma attacks and death.
People with asthma may need to use their inhaler every day. Their treatment will depend on the frequency of symptoms and the different types of inhalers available.
It can be difficult to coordinate breathing using an inhaler, especially for children and during emergency situations. Using a spacer device makes it easier to use an aerosol inhaler and helps the medicine to reach the lungs more effectively. A spacer is a plastic container with a mouthpiece or mask at one end and a hole for the inhaler in the other. A homemade spacer, made from a 500ml plastic bottle, can be as effective as a commercially manufactured inhaler.
Access to inhalers is a problem in many countries. In 2021, bronchodilators were available in public primary health care facilities in half of low- and low-middle income countries, and steroid inhalers available in one third.
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Everyday Treatment For Asthma In Children
The main aims of day-to-day asthma treatment are to:
- keep symptoms under control
- keep lungs as healthy as possible
- stop asthma from interfering with school or play
- help your child enjoy a full and active life.
Your doctor will help you to develop a plan to manage your childs asthma which will include an asthma action plan , and will prescribe the correct medication to help you do so.
Why Is My Asthma Worse At Night
Asthma that gets worse at night is sometimes called nighttime asthma or nocturnal asthma. There are no definite reasons that this happens, but there are some educated guesses. These include:
- The way you sleep: Sleeping on your back can result in mucus dripping into your throat or acid reflux coming back up from your stomach. Also, sleeping on your back puts pressure on your chest and lungs, which makes breathing more difficult. However, lying face down or on your side can put pressure on your lungs.
- Triggers in your bedroom and triggers that happen in the evening: You may find your blankets, sheets and pillows have dust mites, mold or pet hair on them. If youve been outside in the early evening, you may have brought pollen in with you.
- Medication side effects: Some drugs that treat asthma, such as steroids and montelukast, can affect your sleep.
- Air thats too hot or too cold: Hot air can cause airways to narrow when you breathe in. Cold air is an asthma trigger for some people.
- Lung function changes: Lung function lessens at night as a natural process.
- Asthma is poorly controlled during the day: Symptoms that arent controlled during the day wont be better at night. Its important to work with your provider to make sure your asthma symptoms are controlled both day and night. Treating nighttime symptoms is very important. Serious asthma attacks, and sometimes deaths, can happen at night.
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Home Remedies For Children With Asthma
As a parent, you probably want to do anything and everything you can to keep your childs asthma from interfering with their life. Fortunately, there are some simple steps you can take to help your child manage their asthma symptoms.
- Your child spends around eight hours each night in bed, so asthma triggers there can really aggravate symptoms. You can use zippered dust mite covers for pillows and mattresses to help keep allergens from permeating their bedding. Additionally, washing bedding in hot water once a week can help reduce nighttime allergen exposure.
- Being mindful about outdoor time can help reduce exposure to asthma triggers, such as pollen and industrial pollution. Monitoring the Air Quality Index on AirNow can help you decide whether it is a good day for your child to play outside. Any AQI rating above 100 is likely to be unhealthy for children with asthma.
- Make sure that your childs school has an asthma action plan and that all supervisors know how to react if your child starts to show signs of an asthma attack. This includes outlining the specifics of your childs asthma treatment medicines.
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Clean Sheets + A Clean Body = A Good Nights Sleep
If you are coughing at night and you are not sick, it may be time to do some detective work. Take a good look at your room and see if you need to vacuum, wash your sheets, or shower before bed if you have allergies.
Some people may also have problems if they have acid reflux, and that can trigger their asthma when they lay down at night to sleep.5
Talk to your doctor and see if they can help you find out whats going on.
Lets all get a good nights sleep. I dont know about you, but I am a much nicer person when I get a good nights sleep!
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How To Prevent Asthma Symptoms At Night
Using your preventer inhaler every day, as prescribed, will build up protection in your airways and keep your asthma symptoms under control, so theyre less likely to wake you at night.
Its very important to:
- use your written asthma action plan to help you understand how to manage your symptoms and what to do if they get worse.
- go for regular asthma reviews with your GP or asthma nurse. They can check youre using your inhalers correctly. Its also a chance to talk about any triggers that might be affecting your sleep.
Does your child wake up at night from asthma symptoms? Read our advice on asthma and your childs sleep.
What Are Common Asthma Attack Triggers
You can have an asthma attack if you come in contact with substances that irritate you. Healthcare providers call these substances triggers. Knowing what triggers your asthma makes it easier to avoid asthma attacks.
For some people, a trigger can bring on an attack right away. For other people, or at other times, an attack may start hours or days later.
Triggers can be different for each person. But some common triggers include:
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Coughing At Night With Asthma
May 25, 2018
- Reactions 0 reactions
So, everybody coughs at night when they have asthma, right? I mean, its perfectly normal, right?
Actually, no.
I met a woman with asthma who coughed all night long, all winter long. She and her husband slept in separate rooms in the winter because her coughing was so severe. FYI, thats NOT normal!1
Unless you are sick, you shouldnt be coughing at night. A night cough is one of the red flags of asthma to let you know something is wrong with your asthma. It usually means there is inflammation in your lungs.2
Home Remedies For Asthma Cough At Night
Generally, the treatment of asthma is aimed at the removal of the causative factors. It can be treated with the help of medications including pills and inhalers for broncho-dilation.
Along with conventional medicine, the use of certain home remedies for asthma cough at night is found to be helpful. These home remedies are often simple herbs which help to alleviate signs and symptoms, providing longer-lasting relief.
Top 5 home remedies for asthma cough at night include
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Why Is Asthma Keeping Me Awake
Its common for asthma symptoms to come on at night, but you shouldnt have to put up with them. Night-time asthma symptoms are a sign that your asthma isnt well controlled, and you may be at risk of an asthma attack.
If your symptoms come on early in the morning, it could be a sign your asthma has been difficult through the night, even if you werent aware of it.
Here are some reasons why your symptoms may come on at night:
There is also evidence to suggest that a lack of sleep can make your asthma symptoms worse. If youre struggling with sleep and its affecting your asthma, speak to your GP or asthma nurse.
How Is Nighttime Asthma Diagnosed
Nighttime asthma is easy to diagnose if symptoms clearly get worse at night. In this case, your doctor may diagnose you with nighttime asthma in addition to other types of asthma.2,7
Nocturnal asthma often goes undetected in children because they may not report nighttime symptoms. Monitoring childrens nighttime symptoms can help diagnose nighttime asthma and prevent sleep disturbances.2,7
Certain diagnostic tests can also help identify nighttime asthma. Your doctor may have you use a spirometer or peak flow meter to measure lung function at home. You can do this before you go to sleep and after you wake up. This can help doctors see how lung function changes overnight.3
If symptoms are more severe, you may undergo a sleep study. This diagnostic test tracks many body measurements during sleep. A sleep study can also be helpful to diagnose sleep apnea. This is typically linked to loud snoring and gasping for air in the middle of the night. Inform your doctor if you have experienced these symptoms.3
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