Respiratory Conditions
Please note, this information is designed for adults. If you are caring for a young person or child with a respiratory condition, visit www.frimley-healthiertogether.nhs.uk
Respiratory disease affects one in five people in the UK. If you're living with a lung condition you're not alone. This page has been designed with others who have conditions like Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma, to help you understand what steps you can take to improve your health and to maintain it.
Asthma and Lung UK explain why the cold weather worsens the symptoms of your lung condition:
- Cold air can cause your airways to narrow. This can increase the amount of mucus you produce and make it harder for you to breathe.
- Cold, dry air can also irritate your airways and worsen symptoms like wheezing, coughing and breathlessness.
- Cold air weakens your immune system too, making it harder for you to fight respiratory infections like colds and flu.
- When the weather is cold, you might spend more time indoors. This can help to spread respiratory infections.
Top tips for staying well in cold weather:
If you would prefer to have this information to print, you can download our leaflet or poster.
Check the weather before you head out - as explained above, cold air can trigger a flare up. If the temperature is particularly low it might be worth asking yourself is this journey really needed or could you ask a friend, family member or neighbour to go out for you?
If you choose to go out, ensure you wrap up with layers of thin clothing, keep your head, hands and feet warm with a hat, scarf and extra pair of socks. You may want to place your scarf over your mouth and nose, this will help to warm the air.
If you use a reliever inhaler (usually blue), make sure you keep it with you at all times. Use it as soon as you notice any symptoms. This could help you avoid an asthma attack or flare-up of your lung condition.
Cold air can still affect your lungs when you are in your home, for example when moving from a warm room to a cold room. Try to heat your home to 18 degrees Celsius, use blankets or hot water bottles, have warm meals and hot drinks and keep active.
Keep your equipment clean - caring for your equipment properly, and storing it properly, will help to prevent bacteria or debris build up and help keep you well. Asthma and Lung UK have clear and simple information on how to clean your equipment.
Ensuring good hand hygiene and asking visitors to do the same, is one of the most effective ways of keeping germs and viruses at bay.
Regularly wiping down surfaces with antibacterial sprays and remembering to disinfect high traffic objects such as door handles, light switches and even remote controls will help you stay well.
If anyone around you is coughing or sneezing ensure it's into tissues - remember catch it, bin it, kill it - a tissue should be single use item to stop the transfer of germs.
Carry hand gels with you for when you are out and about and consider wearing gloves that you can pop in the washing machine once home.
Use the sanitation stations when you are out or shopping.
Consider wearing a mask on public transport or when in enclosed or busy spaces.
Listen to Lead Respiratory Nurse, Jo Riley to better understand just how important this is.
Knowing and understanding your condition can help empower you to manage it. Self-managing your condition – with support from others – helps give you control.
It's important to know all about your condition, your symptoms, your medication, and how to cope with flare-ups. It also makes your day-to-day life easier and could reduce the risk of needing to go into hospital.
Consider keeping a diary so you can draw links between the weather, how you feel and the activity you were undertaking so that you can start to see patterns. Asthma and Lung UK has lots of downloadable resources to help you note these things down.
Sounds simple doesn't it but ensuring you understand your medications and your equipment, how they work and when you should be using them, can make all the difference to helping you manage your lung condition.
If you are unsure about any element of your medications then visit your local pharmacist for advice and support or contact your healthcare team.
If you want more information on using an inhaler remember you can find helpful videos on the Asthma and Lung UK website which describe all types of inhaler use, or visit RightBreathe which has produced a useful guide to support you in identifying your inhaler and in how to use it correctly.
If you want to know more about inhaler choices - including those which are more environmentally friendly Asthma and Lung Uk have an informative page for that as well. Learn more about feeling your best and helping the environment too.
Remember when you've finished with your inhaler return it to your local community pharmacy - don't put it in the bin!
Giving yourself the best protection against respiratory viruses will help you to stay well over winter. You can find more information about vaccinations on the NHS.uk website.
You may be offered a one-off anti-pneumonia vaccination - it’s recommended if you have a long-term lung condition such as COPD, bronchiectasis or pulmonary fibrosis. You should be offered one if you’re over 65.
If at any time you are feeling breathless or unwell, ensure you stay indoors and keep warm and seek help from the appropriate health service.
At all times, but especially in the winter, avoid contact with people who have cold symptoms and explain to friends and family why this is so important for you - Catching a cold or another infection may trigger your symptoms to get worse or your condition to flare up. Listen to Laura and Helen, Respiratory Nurse and specialist Practitioner explain more.
If you do catch a cold, monitor yourself. It might be a good idea to discuss a health plan with family and friends, making sure everyone knows what to do, where your rescue medication is and how to contact your healthcare team.
Make sure you make the right choice if you become unwell and seek help early.
When you live with a lung condition it can be tempting to avoid activities that make you breathless but we need to work our heart and lung muscles just as much as other muscles, to support them to stay strong and healthy.
Exercise is important, not just for our physical health but for our mental health as well (and it helps you keep warm in the winter!).
Asthma and Lung UK's online exercise videos are designed to help people with lung conditions stay active. The NHS also has useful resources which includes chair exercises. If you are a wheelchair user you may find these activities helpful.
You may want to speak to your healthcare team about a referral to pulmonary rehabilitation or talk to others living with a lung condition to see what precautions they take.
Looking after your mental health is just as important as looking after your physical health.
When you live with a lung condition it can get you down, make things feel harder and impact your mental wellbeing.
Stay connected, talk to family and friends openly about the impact you feel your condition is having, keep moving and seek help if you are feeling down.
You can find a variety of help and support on our mental wellbeing pages.
Links to further information on specific conditions and educational videos to support you to live well with your lung condition:
Did you know that carbon is released from inhalers every time you use them?
Many people are unsure how to use their inhaler properly and in a way which is most effective for their condition. Your healthcare team are there to help! If you are unsure ask for a review, you may find that there are more effective inhalers available for you and for your condition or the team can answer you questions on technique and frequency of medication.
By having a inhaler that works better for you and that you understand how to use, less carbon will be released and you will be having an positive impact on your health and on the planet!
Asthma and Lung UK have lots of information on their website including an informative page on inhaler choices. Take a look today and share with others you may find it useful.
Remember you should also return used inhalers to your local community pharmacy - Not put them in your house hold bin and always check your cupboards to make sure you haven't forgotten you have spares before putting in your repeat prescription.
COPD - What does it actually mean?
Chronic = it’s a long-term condition and does not go away
Obstructive = your airways are narrowed, so it’s harder to breathe out quickly and air gets trapped in your chest
Pulmonary = it affects your lungs
Disease = it’s a medical condition
COPD describes a group of lung conditions that make it difficult to empty air out of the lungs because the airways have become narrowed. COPD usually develops because of long-term damage to your lungs from breathing in a harmful substance such as cigarette smoke, as well as smoke from other sources and air pollution. Jobs where people are exposed to dust, fumes and chemicals can also contribute to developing COPD.
Asthma + Lung UK (formerly The British Lung Foundation) provides lots of information on managing lung issues including COPD and any flare ups associated with the condition. You can find it all by clicking HERE
For NHS advice visit their dedicated page
Asthma is a long-term condition that affects your airways – the tubes that carry air in and out of your lungs. It is estimated that 8 million people – over 12% of the population – have been diagnosed with asthma to date, however this does not mean that that many people are currently living with the condition.
Many children diagnosed with asthma grow out of it. Asthma UK states that around 5.4 million people receive treatment for the disease. If you are seeking information for a child please visit Frimley Healthier Together.
Asthma usually causes symptoms such as coughing, wheezing and breathlessness.
Individuals have different triggers - a trigger is a thing, activity or condition that makes asthma worse. If you come into contact with one of your asthma triggers, as well as making your symptoms worse it may even bring on an asthma attack.
Asthma UK has now merged with The British Lung Foundation to become Asthma + Lung UK. Together they support people living with or caring for someone with Asthma, click HERE to learn more and see what support they can offer.
Smoking is one of the biggest causes of death and illness in the UK - Every year around 78,000 people in the UK die from smoking, with many more living with debilitating smoking-related illnesses.
Smoking increases your risk of developing more than 50 serious health conditions, some of them fatal.
However, if you give up smoking, the health benefits begin almost immediately.
If you smoke, stopping is the single best thing you can do for your health. And if you smoke and have a lung condition, the most effective treatment for your lungs is to stop smoking. You’ll feel less short of breath and cough less.
Asthma + Lung UK has more information on the importance of quitting.
You can find information on the local support service available to help you quit on our dedicated quitting smoking webpage.
If your motivated to quit smoking for your children's health visit the Frimley Healthier Together site
The Frimley Health Foundation Trust Community Respiratory Team and Berkshire Health Foundation Trusts adult integrated respiratory (AIR) team support people living with an ongoing lung condition.
A number of educational videos for those living with a lung condition, especially Asthma, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or Bronchiectasis have been produced.
If you live with a long term lung condition ask your GP to refer you to your local Pulmonary Rehabilitation Course. If you want to understand what this course is about then hear it from those who have taken part.
Otherwise grab a cuppa and click on the subject that interest you below.
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Self Management of your respiratory condition - Your self management plan
Eating well for healthier lungs
Pacing - supporting you with skills to get things done at the right pace for you and your condition