Ever checked out this list of asthma triggers? Some of them make my own kid flare, some are common triggers, and others are not so well-known. I threw the page together over a year ago with a little help from readers and their experiences, but now let’s see if we can add to it. The more extensive that list is, the better it helps parents pin down their kids’ breathing problems.
What triggers your/your child’s asthma?
These are the ones that bother AG most:
- Dust mites
- Colds/flu
- Excessive laughing or crying
- Strong-smelling airborne irritants like air freshener spray and fumes from synthetic cleaners and bleach
- Abrupt seasonal weather changes
- Heavy exercise in high humidity
- Drinking cold liquids too fast (seriously)
Help out the families new to asthma, and leave yours in the comments.
Exercise, colds, smoke, chemicals and fragrances, cold air, humidity, seasonal changes.
Humidity is probably the hardest one for me to deal with, because the only real solution is air conditioning! I definitely get more short of breath when it’s humid, but also, it’s just generally feels more miserable because of how the air feels in my lungs!
The more I think about it, and my similarities with AG trigger wise, the more I’m convinced that I’m also an intrinsic asthmatic.
Great post idea, Amy!
Here are some of mine:
-air conditioning
-hormones (a post is coming up on this next Monday)
-cats, horses, some dogs
-cold dry air
-hot humid air
-lying flat on my back
-smoke of any kind
-many tree pollens
-mould
-windy days
-rainy days
-eating a big meal
-some wines and some beers
Also, the drinking cold liquids, it can totally have me coughing for hours, but nobody believes me!
Danielle,
I forgot about a few that you mentioned! Lying flat on my back = YES [hello pillow mound], hormones, rain/wind, eating a big meal. How the heck did I forget about those?
Thanks
Thanks Amy for the trigger list. I am slowly or quickly finding out what sets off a flare. Rain/damp weather/weather change is big. All “those” smells get me going. Fatigue is a big one coupled with minor exertion throws me into shortness of breath big time. My immunity is way down so any freefloating germs hit me if I am not careful.
Still no real answers here but there is lung biopsy in the near future since there has been little to no control since March!
And this is NOT because I am old as some specialists were trying to say I was old before this happened and will be old when we figure it out!!!!
The entire month of September is a trigger for my son!
Some of mine are:
- Colds/flus/sinus infections (Okay, that’s by far the biggest. See my latest rants in my blog)
- Hormones
- smog/pollution/smoke
- cleaning chemicals
- cold air and rain
- ummm…?
Thanks, all, and Mabeane–please keep us updated on the biopsy. I hope you get some answers and control soon.
Bit late, but mine are:
-House Dust mite
-Grass Pollen
- Some alcohol
-Guinea Pigs
-Cold or humid air
-Paraffin (no idea on this one, but it’s my worst trigger)
-Spicy foods
-Central Heating
-Exercise
-Weirdly, sometimes chocolate
Also with the others on the lying flat on you back/ large meals/ cold drinks setting me off.
Bit late…
Live in Colorado, outside of Boulder so this weekend and last week was a trigger all in itself:
Cold weather
Extreme changes in temperature
Dry air
Getting sick
Possibly, but not fully tested, scents
Wondering about his humidifier… figured it would help his sinus which is a huge trigger for him, but wondering if it itself is a trigger
Allergies
August
Dust
Hopefully not our pets
Debated and debated but came across this site, and I think it’d be best to give him his daily meds through the worst of winter.
Great site, btw.
Now that’s interesting–I moved to the Denver area from very humid coastal Florida 8 months ago, and the cold doesn’t seem to affect my daughter’s lungs at all yet. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop–but I hope it doesn’t.
I kept meaning to come back and post this one: CARBONATED DRINKS.
.
I don’t even like them anyways, but whenever I do have them, my lungs are kind of not happy campers. The simple solution would be to stop drinking them, which I attempt to but, stuff happens