Asthma triggers during winter holidays

Winter holidays can expose you to new allergens

With the winter holidays just around the corner, many of us are in a joyous mood. This is a time where we get to enjoy various Christmas foods, which we do not usually eat throughout the year. We also decorate our homes and keeps the best possible Christmas tree that we can find in the middle of our house.   

Not only these, we also tend to enjoy the wintery weather and if snow is around, it will be double the fun. In places where there isn’t any snow, artificial snow machines are working 24hrs a day to bring that snowy Christmas spirit or at times, we tend to use such machines inside our homes as well.

However, for those who are prone to develop asthmatic attacks, winter holidays may bring a new set of challenges than to their usual challenges of outdoor allergens such as pollens. During winter holidays, there is an increased tendency of people developing asthmatic attacks due to the foods that they eat. In other instances, people tend to develop shortness of breath purely because they were in the vicinity where foods are being prepared. Therefore, if you are susceptible to develop asthmatic attacks due to food allergens or any other allergen for that matter, it may be a good idea to keep track of what you eat and have been exposed to and avoid foods that you might think that may trigger an asthmatic attack.

Some people might be allergic to their ‘Christmas tree’! Well, it’s not really the Christmas tree to which people become allergic but it is to the fragrances used or the molds that may be present in the tree. Thus, if you want to have a real tree in the center of your home and if you or anyone in your family is asthmatic, it may be a good idea to dry the tree for about a week and give a hard-shake before taking the same inside the house.

In some instances, people have shown that they suddenly become allergic to their pets following returning from a holiday in which they leave their pets with someone else. It seems like the pet owner looses tolerance developed against the allergens present on the pet once the pet is taken away for few weeks. However, this is not a long-term issue.

Lastly, winter holidays can be very stressful especially if you don’t have someone to support you with your holiday plans. When you become stressed out, the body tends to become weak and less tolerant to allergens and other asthmatic triggers. In some instances, the stress itself might trigger an asthmatic attack. Therefore, it is essential that you take this winter holiday easy and not to overly burden yourself with thousand and one tasks.