Are you fed up with constantly fighting allergy symptoms and having trouble breathing freely? You're not alone. Allergies and breathing problems affect millions of people worldwide, messing with their lives and how they feel. But there are ways to deal with them. In this article, we will look at seven tricks experts recommend to help you control your allergies and breathe better. From figuring out what's causing your allergies to changing your life, these practical tricks can help you feel better. Whether you have allergies that come and go with the seasons, get sinus infections, or have asthma, trying out these tricks might make a big difference in how you feel daily. So, let's get started and find out how you can handle your allergies and improve your breathing.
Enhancing respiratory well-being involves effectively managing allergies and their associated symptoms.
Breathing Techniques
Breathing techniques help calm the mind and relieve anxiety, which can exacerbate allergy symptoms. These techniques focus on slowing down the breath and breathing from the diaphragm, promoting relaxation, and expanding lung capacity.
For example, the AIS endorses a yoga practice called the Quieting Response that uses deep breathing and visualization to reduce stress in six seconds. This technique is designed to relax the muscles in your shoulders and neck, releasing tension that can trigger breathing problems.
Another useful technique is the Buteyko breathing technique, created in the 1950s by Ukrainian doctor Konstantin Buteyko. It focuses on creating "air hunger" to normalize breathing, which helps asthma patients because rapid breathing can trigger a flare-up.
To practice Buteyko breathing:
- Sit comfortably with your legs crossed or in a chair and relax your abdominal and chest muscles.
- Place one hand on your stomach and the other on your chest.
- As you inhale through your nose, visualize the air moving slowly from the feet up through the legs, abdomen, and ribcage into the lungs.
- Exhale through your nose, taking twice as long to exhale as you inhale.
- Repeat this process 3-5 times. This technique may initially feel uncomfortable, but practicing it regularly will improve your breathing.
Allergy-Proofing Your Diet
What you eat can affect your feelings, especially if you have allergies. Being mindful of the foods you consume can help reduce allergic reactions and keep your respiratory system healthy. Start by removing common allergens like nuts, shellfish, and dairy.
Instead, focus on eating plenty of fruits, veggies, and foods rich in omega-3s, which can help calm inflammation and ease allergy symptoms. A balanced diet of essential vitamins and minerals can boost your immune system, making it better equipped to handle allergens.
And don't forget to drink enough water—staying hydrated helps keep your airways clear and your body functioning properly. Herbal teas and broths can be soothing and hydrating, too. If you need extra help figuring out which foods to avoid or add to your diet, consider talking to a nutritionist or allergist for personalized advice. By being mindful of what you eat, you can better manage your allergies and keep your respiratory system in tip-top shape.
Medications
Allergies can lead to several breathing problems, including nasal congestion, itchy eyes and throat, sneezing, wheezing, and shortness of breath. They can be made worse by a chronic condition such as COPD. People with allergies may also have to take medication, such as antihistamines or steroid nasal sprays, to control their symptoms.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, allergy medications can improve breathing, reduce eye and ear irritation, and help with sleep. Common over-the-counter allergy medicines include antihistamines, decongestants, and nasal sprays. A doctor can recommend stronger medications, such as leukotriene modifiers (Montelukast or Zafirlukast), or injection drugs, such as omalizumab or sarilumab. Another option is immunotherapy or allergy shots. The treatment exposes the immune system to small amounts of allergens over several months, helping to create tolerance. The treatments are available in subcutaneous or sublingual forms. They require regular administration and a consistent expense.
Nasal Irrigation for Allergy Relief
Ever heard of rinsing out your nose to feel better? It's an old trick that works wonders for allergies. Here's the lowdown: nasal irrigation, as it's called, helps clear out all the junk that's causing your nose to feel stuffy and miserable. Squirting a special saline solution up your nose can thin out the gunk, wash away allergens, and ease inflammation. There are a few ways to do it, like using a Neti pot or a nasal spray. Just ensure you're using clean water—tap water can sometimes cause problems—and always keep things hygienic.
Doing this regularly can make a big difference, especially if you're dealing with allergies that make your nose feel like it's been stuffed with cotton. It's great for folks with seasonal allergies, sinus troubles, or a perpetually stuffy nose. And the best part? It's safe and easy to do at home. Of course, if you've got any nose issues or medical conditions, it's smart to check with your doctor first. But for most people, rinsing out your nose is a simple and effective way to get some relief from allergies and breathe a little easier.
Sleep
Getting enough high-quality sleep is crucial for your health and well-being. It involves nearly all body processes – growth and healing, metabolism, immune function, mood, and disease resistance. If you don't get enough sleep, you may feel tired, have a lower immune system, and be more likely to have heart problems, high blood pressure, diabetes, and depression.
Allergies can interfere with sleep because sneezing, itching, and nasal congestion cause you to wake up often at night or make it difficult to fall asleep. Taking allergy medication, especially at bedtime, can help you sleep better by relieving symptoms and preventing them from waking you up.
Research shows that sleep influences almost all body organs and systems – including the brain and heart, lungs, metabolism, immune system, and mood. It also involves how well you think, react, and learn. Sleep also plays a role in regulating how much you eat, and it helps you lose weight. Sleep is a complex process that scientists are just beginning to understand. This booklet explains what happens when you sleep, why you need it, and how to get enough.
Massage
Aside from medications that treat symptoms, massage is a great way to improve respiratory health and manage allergies. Many people who have allergies rely on over-the-counter and prescription drugs to alleviate their symptoms, but these medications can have unwanted side effects.
Massage can be used to reduce and prevent allergy symptoms by promoting relaxation, decreasing stress, and improving posture. It also effectively relieves sinus congestion by easing pressure, encouraging drainage, and breaking down mucous for expulsion.
In addition to providing symptom relief, massage can help reduce the overproduction of histamines in response to allergens. Histamines cause the negative symptoms associated with allergies, including itching and swelling. Medications like antihistamines try to quiet histamines by blocking histamine receptors, but this only works for as long as the medication is taken.
A massage focusing on the chest and neck area can be especially beneficial for those with allergies, as the muscles in this region aid breathing. It can relieve stress that can cause the rib cage to tighten and the diaphragm to weaken, leading to respiratory dysfunction. It can also alleviate the heightened tension around the clavicle and throat caused by allergies by calming the surrounding muscles and improving alignment.
Exercise for Better Breathing
Moving your body isn't just good for your muscles but also for your breathing. When you exercise, you breathe harder, which helps make your lungs stronger and work better. This can help if you have allergies or breathing problems because it clears out the yucky stuff and lets more air get in.
But you don't need to be a super athlete to get the benefits. Even walking, swimming, or doing yoga can help greatly. The important thing is to find something you like and can do often.
Exercise doesn't just help your lungs. It can also make the inflammation in your body go down, making your allergies feel better and making it easier to breathe. Plus, it's a good way to chill out and relax, which can also help with allergies and breathing issues.
Just go easy at first and pay attention to how your body feels. If you're not used to exercising or have any health issues, it's a good idea to talk to your doctor first. But for most people, regular exercise can help with allergies and make breathing easier.
Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy is a complementary and alternative medicine that uses scents to maintain health and beauty. It involves the controlled use of essential oils from aromatic plants, which represent the highest herbal energy.
Using steaming or pressing, essential oils are extracted from a plant's leaves, stems, flowers, or roots. It can take several pounds of plant material to make one oil bottle. Aromatherapy uses inhaling or combining these oils with carrier oils to apply topically to the skin.
Studies have shown that the inhalation of certain oils can be helpful for allergies and other conditions such as stress. Lavender oil, for example, is a soothing and relaxing oil. It may also help reduce inflammatory symptoms of the respiratory tract, such as sneezing and nasal congestion.
It's important to note that more research is needed to determine the effectiveness of these oils for allergy relief, and some individuals may be sensitive to the chemicals in them. Additionally, the Food and Drug Administration doesn't regulate dietary supplements like essential oils, so it's important to look for labels that state the ingredients are pure and natural. You can add a few drops of essential oil to water to make a room or body spray or add it to a base massage oil for a relaxing oil treatment.
The Bottom Line
More than 50 million Americans suffer from hay fever (allergic rhinitis) and 24 million with asthma. These chronic conditions adversely impact lung health and can cause discomfort, decreased productivity at school or work, and a lower quality of life.
Allergies occur when your immune system overreacts to proteins foreign to the body called allergens. Normally, your immune system protects you from disease by attacking dangerous substances and killing them off. When you have allergies, your immune system produces a chemical called immunoglobulin E (IgE). IgE antibodies bind to mast cells in the skin, respiratory tract, and digestive tract. These mast cells release histamines that produce allergy symptoms. Allergy-induced symptoms include sneezing, a runny nose or congestion, itchy eyes and nose, and wheezing.
Various medications can treat your allergies and help control your asthma symptoms. The most common allergy medications are loratadine (Claritin) or cetirizine (Allergy-D, Zyrtec). Your healthcare provider may recommend a short-acting inhaler for immediate relief or a long-term, preventative inhaler such as fluticasone (Flonase) for severe allergy and asthma symptoms.
Avoiding allergens is one of the best ways to control allergic rhinitis and asthma. Changing your diet to eliminate foods that trigger reactions is essential, and using air filters and hypoallergenic bedding can help keep indoor allergens to a minimum. If you exercise outdoors, try to do it when pollen and pollution levels are low. Keeping a diary or notes about when your symptoms occur can also help you and your provider figure out what you're inhaling that triggers your symptoms.
