Does Your Child Have Severe Asthma? Steps To Take To Make Your Home Safer For Them

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When you have a child that has been diagnosed with severe asthma, you may find yourself constantly fearing for their life and well-being. The last place that you want to have to worry about your child's breathing safety is in your own home. If you are looking for ways to help make your home more asthma-friendly and for your child to be able to breathe easier in your home, there are many steps that you can and should take. Learn more about some of those steps so that you can begin making your home as asthma-friendly as possible going forward.

Be Cognizant of the Humidity Levels

Humidity can wreak havoc on your child's breathing when they have asthma. Too much humidity is like putting extra weight in the air, making your child's asthmatic lungs and bronchial passageways have to work exponentially harder just to breathe normally. And too little humidity in the air can dry out those bronchial airways, causing your child irritation and making them cough, which could also trigger an asthma attack.

For your child with asthma, you will need to remain cognizant of the humidity levels in your house and understand how to best control them if they fall out of a desirable range. With a severe case of asthma, it is best to keep the humidity levels in your home at about forty to forty-five percent humidity. This is just enough moisture to keep their bronchial passageways lubricated, but not so much that it would cause them difficulty breathing.

Unfortunately for you, this means you will likely not want to open up the windows on summer mornings, even if the temperature is low. This is because the humidity in the air during the summer months is generally elevated, and this fluctuation could make it harder for your child to breathe. Instead, you will want to keep your home closed up as much as possible and rely on your HVAC system for temperature control. You will want to get humidifiers and dehumidifiers for your home to control the humidity levels properly, and you may also want to get a smart thermostat that can track the exact humidity levels in your house so you know if and when you need to use these devices.

Consider Upgrading Your HVAC System

Your home heating and cooling system will be your best defense against the temperature and humidity fluctuations that occur outside. The problem is that if you have an older HVAC system or one that is not top-of-the-line, it may not be filtering out contaminants as well as it should. When this happens, your child could still experience asthma attacks at home because of the air quality in your home.

To ensure that you are doing everything in your power to keep your child safe and comfortable in your home, you will want to contact an HVAC services company. Have them inspect your system and explain your child's breathing condition to them. They can help you decide if your HVAC system just needs maintenance or should be upgraded and replaced.

If you decide to get a new HVAC system, look for one that uses more than one air filter to better block contaminants from circulating throughout your home. Additionally, there are whole home air purifiers that you can have your HVAC services company install as well. Air purifiers have even more stringent standards regarding irritants and contaminants and can further improve your indoor air quality.

These steps will help you to begin the process of making your home safer for your child suffering from severe asthma. For more information, contact a professional in your area like those found at A & E Heating and AC Inc.

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27 June 2017

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