With the holiday season right around the corner, you may be traveling away from home to visit family and friends causing disruptions to your day-to-day routine activities.
For those living with a lung condition, these changes can affect your health, resulting in flare ups in your symptoms.
Be prepared and have a plan: Make sure you have adequate supply of your daily maintenance inhaler and your rescue inhaler readily available to get you through the holidays. Monitor your symptoms and have a plan in place in the case of an exacerbation. Keep your providers phone number on hand in case you need to call them.
Stay hydrated: We all know that drinking water is important for our health, but when your daily routine is changed it can be easy to forget to drink water. It may be helpful to avoid drinks that increase dehydration like coffee, tea, and alcohol. Foods high in water content may be helpful such as fruits and vegetables. It is important to discuss with your doctor the appropriate amount for your condition as some people may be on a fluid restriction.
Keep an eye on the weather: Whether it’s summer or winter, rainy or windy, people with lung disease should pay attention to the weather report as sudden changes in the weather as well as extreme conditions can provoke lung symptoms. Cold weather in particularly can raise havoc in your lungs. Cold air is often dry and can irritate the airways. This can lead to increase and worsening of respiratory symptoms such as wheezing, coughing and shortness of breath. If it’s cold outside wear a loose-fitting scarf around your nose and mouth to warm the air before it enters your lungs. If it is warm or hot out, try to get to an area with air condition.
Travel plans: Whether it’s a short road trip or a long flight, travel can take a toll on your body. If you live or care for someone with a lung condition, there may be some considerations to keep in mind such as traveling with portable oxygen. You may want to allow extra travel time and plan for regular breaks.
Relax and enjoy: This time of year, the stress of feeling like you must do everything can affect your breathing. Prioritize your tasks throughout the day and work through them one at a time, taking breaks to recover where needed. Simple things like deep breathing exercises can also help you relax and enjoy your time with family and friends.