Remaining calm and taking prescribed quick-relief medications can often help a person manage or stop an asthma attack. People should seek medical assistance if rest and inhalers do not resolve symptoms.

An asthma attack happens when a person’s airways narrow and swell. This makes breathing more difficult and worsens symptoms such as coughing and wheezing. In a 2020 survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 41% of individuals with asthma reported that they had experienced an attack within the past 12 months.

Research has not shown that home remedies can stop an asthma attack, but breathing exercises, eucalyptus oil, or ginger may offer some benefits.

Avoiding exposure to known triggers and maintaining a moderate weight may help prevent asthma attacks. Eating a nutritious diet, such as the Mediterranean diet, also may reduce the risk.

This article discusses steps to take immediately for an asthma attack, as well as possible home remedies. It also examines the symptoms, causes, stages, prevention, and outlook.

A person should always keep an up-to-date action plan available. This tells people how to recognize an attack and what to do when it happens. The instructions should specify the following details:

  • what medications to take and their dosage
  • when to take medications
  • when to call a doctor or seek emergency treatment

Since people never know when they may encounter something that triggers an asthma attack, they should keep their doctor-prescribed medications with them at all times.

The following actions can help someone manage an asthma attack:

  1. Remain calm.
  2. Follow the action plan’s instructions, which will likely advise taking a quick-relief medication, usually in the form of an inhaler.
  3. If the inhaler does not relieve symptoms, an inhaled corticosteroid such as prednisone (Rayos) may be necessary. A doctor can provide a prescription.
  4. If shortness of breath or coughing persists or worsens, seek immediate treatment.

Symptoms of an asthma attack include:

Although other conditions can cause these symptoms, they frequently follow a pattern in asthma. This may include:

  • coming or going within the same day or over time
  • worsening in the morning or at night
  • starting in response to a trigger such as exercise, cold air, or allergies
  • beginning or worsening with a viral infection

Exposure to various triggers can cause an asthma attack. Experts advise that a person keep a journal to record which things provoke symptoms. This may help a person avoid some triggers in the future.

Potential triggers may include:

  • outdoor triggers such as mold and pollen
  • indoor triggers such as pet dander, mold, and dust mites
  • physical activity, although doctors recommend that people exercise regularly
  • emotional stress such as crying, laughing, or intense anger
  • infections such as flu, colds, and COVID-19
  • poor air quality or very cold air
  • some medications, such as aspirin

Asthma has the following four stages:

  • intermittent, which involves symptoms occurring on fewer than 2 days per week and nighttime awakenings less than twice per month
  • mild, which involves symptoms occurring on more than 2 days per week and 3–4 nighttime awakenings per month
  • moderate, which involves symptoms occurring daily and nighttime awakenings more than once per week
  • severe, which involves symptoms occurring throughout the day and nighttime awakenings more than seven times per week

The duration of flare-ups varies.

It depends on the cause and how long the airways have had inflammation.

Mild symptoms may last a few minutes, but more severe symptoms may last hours or days.

According to research from 2020, certain dietary habits can help prevent asthma. Research associates greater fruit and vegetable consumption with lower asthma risk, while dairy consumption — which has a link to higher risk — may worsen symptoms.

Additionally, Mediterranean and vegan diets, which focus on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes while limiting animal foods, may decrease the risk and reduce flare-ups.

Other asthma prevention measures include:

When a person’s asthma is not flaring up, it has only a minimal impact on daily life. However, uncontrolled asthma, which causes frequent or intense symptoms, can result in absences from work and school and a higher risk of emergency room visits. According to CDC data, 61.9% of adults with asthma have the uncontrolled kind.

Asthma is a life threatening illness in some people, as it causes 4,145 deaths per year in the United States. That said, a person can manage their asthma by following their doctor’s prescribed action plan.

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An individual’s action plan makes it easy to know what to do at home for an asthma attack. The plan lists symptoms of an attack and provides instructions on what medications to take and when to seek medical attention.

While home remedies do not stop an asthma attack, they may provide some relief. A person should always check with their doctor before taking a dietary supplement, whether for asthma symptoms or for other purposes.

Symptoms of an asthma attack may include coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath.

A variety of triggers may provoke an attack, so it helps to keep track of triggers and avoid them if possible. Attacks can last from a few minutes to hours or days.

Because a severe asthma attack can be life threatening, a person should closely follow instructions in their action plan regarding getting emergency treatment.