Suffering from asthma doesn’t mean your child can’t enjoy sports or the great outdoors. However, you should be aware that the weather could affect your child’s asthma, so stay informed and take precautions when necessary.
Is the Weather Triggering Your Child’s Asthma?
If the weather triggers your child’s asthma, you need to know why.
1. Humidity
Many types of allergens thrive in the warm, moist air. For example, mold and mildew love humid weather. Also, intense humidity can make it more difficult to breathe and trigger an asthma attack.
2. Cold Weather
At the other extreme, cold weather can be bad for your child’s asthma as well. In fact, cold, dry air can be even worse for your asthma than warm air.
Additionally, children who suffer from exercise-induced asthma may experience breathing issues while exercising in the cold and when breathing through their mouth instead of their nose. Air drawn in through the mouth is cooler than air drawn in through the nose, and, odd as it sounds, it acts as a trigger.
3. Rain
Rain is good for nature, but it also spreads pollen. Typically, asthma and allergy symptoms both increase after heavy rain or thunderstorm.
4. Poor Air Quality
Air pollution is dangerous to everyone, whether suffering from asthma or not. Chemicals, fumes, smoke, and other pollutants can cause a variety of health issues, including lung cancer, respiratory infections, asthma attacks, and severe allergies.
The Difference Between Asthma and Allergies
While asthma and allergies share many of the same triggers, the symptoms have some differences. Generally speaking, allergies usually result in watery or itchy eyes, stuffy noses, coughing, sneezing, or respiratory infections.
While allergies can cause shortness of breath, it is usually a sinus problem. In contrast, allergic asthma (asthma caused by allergic triggers) is a lung problem and makes it difficult to breathe.
Individuals suffering from asthma or allergy symptoms should consult a professional and receive medication as well as medical advice for handling triggers.
Track Your Child’s Triggers
One of the best things you can do for your asthma is to track data with an asthma action plan. This could include symptoms, triggers, times of attacks, commonalities between attacks, and methods of dealing with attacks.
You should also note the weather so you can see if a pattern emerges. Identifying what triggers your child’s asthma can help prevent future attacks.
Building up this storehouse of information will not only help you but will also assist your healthcare professional in determining the best way to approach the care of your asthma.
