How to Help Your Teen Learn to Control Their Asthma
Understand the different symptoms., Know what can trigger an attack., Keep a diary., Contact their doctor., Create an asthma action plan.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Understand the different symptoms.
Make sure your teen understands the different signs and symptoms of an oncoming flare-up or attack.
Asthma symptoms include coughing, wheezing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath.Coughing caused by asthma is often worse at night or early in the morning.
This can make it difficult to sleep.
Wheezing is a squeaking or whistling sound that occurs when you breathe.
Chest tightness feels as if something is squeezing or sitting on your chest.
Shortness of breath feels as if you cannot catch your breath, or cannot get air out of your lungs.
You will generally feel out of breath. -
Step 2: Know what can trigger an attack.
Many different things can trigger or worsen asthma symptoms.
Triggers include allergens, irritants, medicines, sulfites in foods and drinks, viral upper respiratory infections, and physical activity.
Other health conditions, such as a runny nose, sinus infections, reflux disease, psychological distress, and sleep apnea, can trigger an attack and make asthma harder to manage.Allergens include dust, animal fur, cockroaches, mold, and pollens from grasses, trees, and flowers.
Irritants include cigarette smoke, air pollution, sprays (like hair spray), chemicals or dust, and compounds in home décor products.
Medicines include non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), like aspirin, and nonselective beta-blockers. , Encourage your teen to keep a diary detailing when the flare-up occurred (for example time of day), what they were doing, their surrounding environment, and the medicines they took to control the flare-up.
This way, your teen can identify specific triggers in order to avoid them.
A diary will also help your teen determine how well their medicine is controlling their asthma.
For example, “It was 3:30 p.m. and I was sitting in the middle of class when my teacher announced that our final is coming up in a week.
Everything was fine until my teacher mentioned the test.
I then began to feel shortness in my breath.
As soon as I felt the shortness I reached for my inhaler.
Once I used my inhaler, my symptoms subsided.” , The doctor will diagnose the asthma based on your teen's medical and family history, test results, and a physical exam.
Your teen's doctor will also diagnose the severity of asthma, i.e., intermittent, mild, moderate, or severe.
Then, the doctor will formulate a treatment plan based on the severity of the asthma.
Let the doctor know whether your teen's symptoms happen during a certain time of the day, at certain places, or if they get worse at night.Have your teen bring their asthma diary for the doctor to review.
Doctors use a test called the spirometry to check how well the lungs are working.
The doctor may also recommend allergy tests, chest x-rays, and tests to rule out other diseases that have similar symptoms to asthma like sleep apnea, vocal cord dysfunction, or reflux disease. , With their doctor, create an asthma action plan with your teen.
The asthma action plan should detail asthma triggers and the different levels of severity of an asthma attack.
It should outline symptoms and peak flow measurements that indicate a flare-up or worsening asthma, as well as specific medicines to take based on their signs, symptoms, or peak flow measurements.
The action plan should also outline symptoms or peak flow measurements that indicate the need for urgent medical attention.The plan should also include telephone numbers for emergency contacts, your healthcare provider, and your local hospital.
Encourage your teen to carry their action plan with them wherever they go.
You can find an action plan template here: http://teenshealth.org/en/teens/action-plan-sheet.html?WT.ac=ctg. -
Step 3: Keep a diary.
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Step 4: Contact their doctor.
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Step 5: Create an asthma action plan.
Detailed Guide
Make sure your teen understands the different signs and symptoms of an oncoming flare-up or attack.
Asthma symptoms include coughing, wheezing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath.Coughing caused by asthma is often worse at night or early in the morning.
This can make it difficult to sleep.
Wheezing is a squeaking or whistling sound that occurs when you breathe.
Chest tightness feels as if something is squeezing or sitting on your chest.
Shortness of breath feels as if you cannot catch your breath, or cannot get air out of your lungs.
You will generally feel out of breath.
Many different things can trigger or worsen asthma symptoms.
Triggers include allergens, irritants, medicines, sulfites in foods and drinks, viral upper respiratory infections, and physical activity.
Other health conditions, such as a runny nose, sinus infections, reflux disease, psychological distress, and sleep apnea, can trigger an attack and make asthma harder to manage.Allergens include dust, animal fur, cockroaches, mold, and pollens from grasses, trees, and flowers.
Irritants include cigarette smoke, air pollution, sprays (like hair spray), chemicals or dust, and compounds in home décor products.
Medicines include non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), like aspirin, and nonselective beta-blockers. , Encourage your teen to keep a diary detailing when the flare-up occurred (for example time of day), what they were doing, their surrounding environment, and the medicines they took to control the flare-up.
This way, your teen can identify specific triggers in order to avoid them.
A diary will also help your teen determine how well their medicine is controlling their asthma.
For example, “It was 3:30 p.m. and I was sitting in the middle of class when my teacher announced that our final is coming up in a week.
Everything was fine until my teacher mentioned the test.
I then began to feel shortness in my breath.
As soon as I felt the shortness I reached for my inhaler.
Once I used my inhaler, my symptoms subsided.” , The doctor will diagnose the asthma based on your teen's medical and family history, test results, and a physical exam.
Your teen's doctor will also diagnose the severity of asthma, i.e., intermittent, mild, moderate, or severe.
Then, the doctor will formulate a treatment plan based on the severity of the asthma.
Let the doctor know whether your teen's symptoms happen during a certain time of the day, at certain places, or if they get worse at night.Have your teen bring their asthma diary for the doctor to review.
Doctors use a test called the spirometry to check how well the lungs are working.
The doctor may also recommend allergy tests, chest x-rays, and tests to rule out other diseases that have similar symptoms to asthma like sleep apnea, vocal cord dysfunction, or reflux disease. , With their doctor, create an asthma action plan with your teen.
The asthma action plan should detail asthma triggers and the different levels of severity of an asthma attack.
It should outline symptoms and peak flow measurements that indicate a flare-up or worsening asthma, as well as specific medicines to take based on their signs, symptoms, or peak flow measurements.
The action plan should also outline symptoms or peak flow measurements that indicate the need for urgent medical attention.The plan should also include telephone numbers for emergency contacts, your healthcare provider, and your local hospital.
Encourage your teen to carry their action plan with them wherever they go.
You can find an action plan template here: http://teenshealth.org/en/teens/action-plan-sheet.html?WT.ac=ctg.
About the Author
Jerry Reynolds
Committed to making lifestyle accessible and understandable for everyone.
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