Tips for getting your asthma under control this year
The New Year is a time for change and new beginnings, so why not resolve to manage your asthma better this January? Caroline, Respiratory Nurse Specialist Co-lead for our Helpline, tells us how we can do this.
It’s easy to brush off the significance of asthma and become accustomed to coughing, wheezing, or taking your reliever inhaler three or more times a week. However, these are all early warning signs of an asthma attack.
I often tell callers that January is the perfect time to get their asthma under control because the cold weather combined with cold and flu season can worsen pre-existing asthma symptoms.
It’s always best to contact your GP or an asthma nurse if you’re concerned, but we know that it’s very tricky to schedule a GP appointment in the UK right now. So, we’ve also compiled some handy self-management tips for anybody who might be feeling worried about controlling their asthma.
Is my asthma under control?
Like other people living with asthma, you might find that your asthma has been troubling you lately. This is because winter triggers can significantly impact your asthma at this time of year.
Some general signs that indicate your asthma may not be well managed are:
· feeling breathless
· coughing
· a tight chest
· wheezing
· waking up at night because of your asthma symptoms
· using your reliever inhaler (usually blue) three or more times per week
· your asthma stopping you from doing your daily activities.
It’s important to speak to your GP or asthma nurse if you're experiencing any of these symptoms, as this suggests that your asthma isn’t under control and you need an asthma review as soon as possible.
If your reliever inhaler isn’t lasting more than four hours, you need to ask for an urgent, same-day appointment when you ring your GP surgery as you may even need a short course of oral steroids to get you back on track.
However, if you’re symptoms are less severe, there are still lots of straightforward things you can do until your next asthma review.
Self-management tips
If you don’t need urgent care, you can help manage your asthma symptoms by:
· making sure you are taking your medicines as prescribed (if you use inhalers, make sure you’re using the correct technique)
· always carrying your reliever inhaler with you
· getting any vaccines that you are eligible for (including your COVID-19 and booster vaccines and your flu jab)
· quitting smoking, if you smoke
· taking care of your general wellbeing, including your mental health
· eating a nutritionally balanced diet
· maintain a healthy weight
· keeping warm by having hot drinks regularly and wearing layers (you might be able to get help with your central heating costs too)
· wrapping a scarf loosely around your mouth and nose before going outside, to warm up the air you’re breathing in.
If your symptoms don’t improve, it’s important to book an urgent, same-day appointment with your GP.
Booking an asthma review
An asthma review is a routine check-up with your GP or asthma nurse to see how you’re dealing with your asthma. It’s an opportunity to talk about how you can manage your symptoms better and, ultimately, lower your risk of an asthma attack.
Your GP surgery should invite you for an asthma review once a year, though you may need to go for an asthma review more often if you have difficult or severe asthma. You don't need to wait for your asthma review to see your GP or asthma nurse about your asthma though - you can make an appointment at any time if you are concerned and your preventer inhalers can also be reviewed as needed.
Your lung function will be checked with a peak flow test at your review, to see how open your airways are. Though, this might not happen if your appointment is conducted virtually.
During your review, you should talk through and update your asthma action plan with your GP or asthma nurse.
Could an asthma action plan help me?
Everyone with asthma can benefit from using an asthma action plan, because it gathers all the important information about your asthma into one easy-to-read document. You can download an asthma action plan on the Asthma UK website, and fill it in with your GP or asthma nurse, so that it is entirely personalised to your medicines, symptoms and potential triggers.
Asthma UK also has action plans in languages including Bengali, Gujarati and Chinese.
Once completed, it’s important to keep your action plan somewhere you can access easily; you can save a copy on your mobile phone, tablet, or even print it off. It’s also a good idea to share your asthma action plan with friends, family members, co-workers and fitness coaches, so they know what to do if you have an asthma attack.
It’s really important to keep your asthma plan up to date with any changes made to your treatment. This will help ensure that you’re taking your medicines properly and that you know what to do if your symptoms get worse.
You can read more about how to use your inhalers correctly on the Asthma UK website.
If you’re worried about your asthma and wish to talk things through with one of our Helpline nurses, you can reach us on 0300 222 5800 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm), or message us on WhatsApp.
