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The Importance of Asthma Control for Students for a Safe Flight

Published:

Modified: June 9, 2023

by Cherin Ng

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Air travel is a stressful experience for most people, but it is particularly challenging for students with asthma. If you have asthma and want to fly soon, you must know some essential things and how to prepare for it. In this post, we briefly introduce asthma management, why it’s so important, and some specific challenges asthmatics face during travel. We also discuss some strategies you may use while preparing or taking action while onboard to ensure your trip remains as smooth as possible.

The Risks of Poor Asthma Management During Child Travel

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Asthma can be a severe condition, and it’s essential to understand the risks of poor management during travel. According to an asthma essay, there are more severe consequences that you should be aware of:

  • A severe attack occurs when you have trouble breathing and need emergency treatment. This is also known as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).
  • Life-threatening or fatal reactions are rare but possible when someone is allergic to something in the plane, or there is air pollution.

Asthma attacks may be triggered by air travel. This is because the atmosphere inside a plane is dry, and for many people, it only worsens their symptoms. The risk is higher for passengers who do not take their asthma medications as prescribed or use their inhalers correctly. 

 

To avoid unpleasant conditions and poor health, study the possible situations and their consequences. Several free asthma essay examples on Study Driver help facilitate knowledge and care for asthmatic emergencies. Travel agencies must consider essay research to ensure a proper understanding of what to do.

Dealing with Cabin Pressure Changes

If you are managing asthma, you’re more likely to experience breathing problems during a flight peak flow. Cabin pressure changes cause dryness and irritation in the nose, throat, and even the eyes. Likely examples of symptoms include coughing and wheezing, difficulty breathing, and swelling of the airways. This factor is more profound with a child’s asthma than an adult’s due to panic. Because of these symptoms, you may need to use your asthma medication more often than usual to avoid an emergency during flights.

Coping with Dry Atmosphere

A dry cabin atmosphere causes your asthma crises to flare up. To help combat this, always keep a bottle of water with you and use a humidifier on the plane. If you have an inhaler, bring it along, just in case. The humidity in a hotel room tends to be higher than in airplanes, so try not to stay out too long before heading home.

The Challenges of Air Travel for Asthmatic Students

Asthma is a health challenge for a child with the environmental factors involved in this kind of travel. The cabin pressure changes, the dry atmosphere, and the fact that aircraft are not climate-controlled make it hard for asthmatic persons to breathe comfortably.

 

The dryness in an airplane irritates your children’s lungs and makes them feel like they have been exercising vigorously for hours on end, even though they are sitting still. This is why you need to bring plenty of water or juice (and maybe even some snacks) for your children during their journey so that they stay hydrated.

The Benefits of Following an Asthma Action Plan

Action plans are papers or documents that outline the steps you take to manage your asthma. It can be used for all types of asthma, including mild, moderate, and severe. Action Plans help you manage asthma with family, at school, or traveling.

 

An Action Plan must include the following:

  • How often do I need to see my physician?
  • What asthma medicines do I need to take with me?
  • What should I do if my symptoms worsen while traveling (such as coughing)?

 

Following action plans is the best way to ensure you can safely manage your asthma while traveling. To be qualified as a good one, an action plan should be tailored to your health needs and reviewed regularly with your specialist. It should also be in writing to share the papers with the airline or cruise line when necessary. Finally, consistently following action plans will help prevent flare-ups and ensure they don’t leave the stable zone when you’re on vacation!

Medication Management

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Medication management is important to asthma management and creating action plans. You have to take your asthma medication before you fly, during the flight, and after the flight.

Before flying

Ensure you have enough asthma medication to avoid running out during a long trip or if there are delays due to weather conditions or other reasons.

During the flight

Take your inhaler as required during takeoff and landing, but do not use it too often because this causes side effects like dry mouth and headache. Keep track of how many puffs were taken.

After landing

Continue using an antihistamine such as Benadryl until asthma symptoms subside entirely (this could take up to 8 hours).

Use a portable nebulizer

A nebulizer is a machine that turns the medicine into a fine mist inhaled through the mouth or nose. Asthmatic students should talk to their doctor about using one during travel. In addition, some airlines don’t allow passengers to carry their own medicine on planes in carry-on luggage (an essay on asthma would give a clearer understanding). Therefore, bringing a portable nebulizer is especially helpful to ensure access to your asthma medicine throughout your trip.

Ways to Avoid Asthma Triggers for a Flight

There are some tips to keep yourself safe. To avoid asthma spurs on a flight, you should:

Avoid allergens 

If you know you’re allergic to certain substances and will be exposed to them on your trip, take asthma medication beforehand. Examples of irritants include dust mites, cockroaches, pollen, molds, animal danders, and rodents.

Avoid irritants 

If there are any irritants around where you’ll be traveling, try not to breathe them in as much as possible by staying outside or keeping windows closed in a car or bus. If this isn’t possible, use an inhaler before entering the area where irritants are present so that it doesn’t trigger an asthma attack there!

Avoid stress

Stress causes flare-ups, but also because being stressed out makes it harder for people with chronic illnesses to manage their symptoms when they flare up. So try relaxing before heading out onto busy streets full of exhaust fumes.

Conclusion

Air travel is a challenging experience for asthmatic students. However, with proper preparation and management, the risks of experiencing asthma attacks during the flight can be significantly reduced. The bottom line is that action plans are the best way to ensure an enjoyable flight for asthmatics. Remember that air travel can be stressful for everyone, and it’s not just about having your asthma medicine or medication with you or avoiding triggers like pollen. Many people with asthma have no idea what triggers their symptoms or how to manage them when they’re in transit. Having action plans and studying an essay about asthma helps them prepare for any situation, no matter where they go.