Living with allergies & asthma can be challenging for all of us. Our family has been suffering through many sleepless night for the past few weeks. There are so many irritants in the air we breathe that monitoring air quality is a simple fact of life for the those who suffer from allergies and or asthma.
Many of us stay indoors when smog or other pollutants are high and on days of raised pollen counts we minimize our outdoor activity.
But what if your allergies or asthma are being triggered by your own home?
Most of us don’t look to our own home when it comes to considering these triggers. We consider our home as our safe haven, a place to seek solace and comfort when we are sick. But what if it is the cause of our stuffiness, headaches, allergies & asthma?
RECOGNIZING TRIGGERS IN YOUR OWN HOME
Let’s begin with the basics of learning to recognize what potential triggers can be present in your home. There are obvious triggers such as smoke, chemicals and for some of us even perfumes. These are the triggers people seem to think of immediately when considering things in the home that irritates their lungs.
The not-so-obvious include the temperature you keep your home, how often you allow some fresh air in, how often you change your air filters, cooking with oils, your pets and the very bed you sleep in!
MANAGING THE “NOT-SO” OBVIOUS TRIGGERS
We need to learn and manage the triggers in our indoor environments.
Research has shown that dust mites can aggravate asthmatics. To get dust mite populations under control you need to cut them off from their food source and eliminate their waste from the air you breathe. The best way to do this is to cover your mattress, box spring and pillows in an allergy mattress barrier.
Another trigger is our beloved pets. If you have cats, dogs or even caged furry critters you could be causing your own complications. You don’t have to give up your furry family members but you do need to invest in an allergy vacuum designed specifically to trap animal dander and dust particles.
The next “not so obvious trigger” is the temperature that you set your thermostat to in your home. Very few people consider the temperature in their home when it comes to allergies or asthma. The truth is maintaining a room temperature that is too hot or too cold can trigger attacks. If you find yourself struggling with indoor air issues consider monitoring what your thermostat is set at and making some needed adjustments.
The final major trigger I want to discuss is the frequency of exchanging air in your home through the simple act of opening your windows. Yes, there are many reasons to keep the outside air from entering your home… BUT not allowing in enough FRESH air can aid in the build-up of Carbon Dioxide. Without letting in some fresh air, indoor pollutants build up to levels that can cause even the healthiest of us to suffer.