When you’re living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), you’re likely to have good days and bad days. Part of living well with the condition is understanding what can trigger a bad day, how to avoid those triggers, and how to take care of yourself if you haven’t been able to stay away from a trigger.
4 Triggers To Avoid
1. Smoke Exposure
Smoke from a furnace or campfire can have the same effect on your lungs as smoke from cigarettes, cigars, and vaping equipment. While smoking can have a higher impact, it doesn’t mean that you’re safe when exposed to secondhand smoke.
The best thing to do is stay away from all forms of smoke. If you’re a smoker, you should quit immediately.
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2. Strong Chemicals
Strong odors of all kinds can cause a COPD flare. Cleaning chemicals, scented candles, hairspray, incense, perfumes, and air fresheners can irritate your lungs and make it difficult to breathe.
Dust and other environmental fumes can have the same effect. Your best bet is to use unscented personal products or use a mask when you’re exposed to irritating scents.
If using strong chemicals is a part of your job, then you should talk to your employer about getting the right protective gear.
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3. Respiratory Infections
As you might expect, getting sick can make your COPD symptoms worse. These infections can include colds, the flu, pneumonia, sinus infections, and COVID-19.
The first step toward staying free of respiratory infections is taking care of yourself. You should avoid sick people, wash your hands often, and wear a mask if you have to be in a crowd.
If being around sick people or crowds is a part of your job, it’s good to make wearing a mask a part of your routine.
Additionally, you should talk to your doctor about the recommended vaccines for you. There are vaccines available for the flu, pneumonia, and COVID-19 so it’s good to find out which ones are appropriate.
4. Outside Exposure
Changes in your external environment can also negatively affect your COPD. Windy conditions, sudden weather changes, and extreme temperatures can make your symptoms worse.
While it’s best to avoid this kind of exposure, it’s not always possible. In that case, you should dress appropriately for the temperatures, use a scarf to cover your nose when it’s windy, and try to stay cool when it’s hot.
Since pollen can also trigger a COPD flare, it’s good to keep your home free of it while avoiding pollinating plants on the outside.
How To Recognize A Flare
Generally, your symptoms will get worse during a COPD flare and they may last for two or more days. A few common symptoms you may have in a flare include shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing more than usual, coughing up phlegm or mucus that is thicker or a different color than you usually do, and having trouble sleeping.
How you deal with these issues will depend on the severity of your symptoms. It’s essential to establish a management plan with your doctor. A mild flare can be handled with over-the-counter medications and rest. However, more moderate symptoms may need to be handled with prescribed medications like an inhaler. You need to discuss an action plan with your doctor to ensure that you're doing the right thing.
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When To Seek Emergency Care
While a COPD flare can last for a few days, you should always contact your doctor if your symptoms are getting worse. If you have a fever, chest pains, are consistently short of breath, are drowsy, are having trouble thinking clearly, or are feeling inexplicably upset, you should seek emergency care immediately. A bad COPD flare can also affect your oxygen levels so if you see your lips or fingers turning blue, you need to go to the emergency room.
Once you’ve been treated, you should talk to your doctor about what happened. It’s possible that your action plan needs to be modified.
Anyone with COPD can have flares but it’s possible to reduce your odds if you know which triggers to avoid. If you still have a flare, though, it’s good to have an action plan in place that can help you to recover. If the plan isn’t enough, you should go to the emergency room quickly.
