Justines Asthma pages

I don't know about everyone but I find sleeping at night very hard to do. I lie there for hours on end propped up on three pillows with shortness of breath and insomnia. Then when I do finally doze off I wake up again about two hours later with severe breathing difficulty which my inhalers or nebuliser will not help. I can just about get to the window for air. This lasts for about twenty minite's or more. It's the most frightening thing that I have ever had. It started about six months ago and happens on the sofa or where ever I sleep. Well between that, insomnia and running to the loo at night, sleeping has become a big problem for me. The Doctor said I might need oxygen at night as when sleeping we all tend to breath less or something and this is not good for asthmatics. Find out more in the paragraph below in more detail about Nocturnal asthma.

Does it feel that you asthma gets worse when the sun goes down. Do you find your asthma pretty good all day, only to wake up with nighttime symptoms then you are not alone. This situation was discribed over 1500 years ago in medical writtings. For years people have discribed waking up at night with asthma symptoms as (nocturnal asthma) but asthma is in fact a condition you have 24 hours of the day, every day and you need to control it every day to keep symptoms at bay. So what makes night time more of a challenge for people with asthma. Some reasons are explained below. Personally I beleive that the severe your asthma is the worse you have nightime symptoms. Some people say that nocturnal asthma is a different disease. Well I don't. I find it hard to beleive that anyone would have two or three different kinds of asthma. It is more likely to be one.

People with asthma often suffer with disturbed sleep, because of coughing, wheezing and breathlessness. It is not clear what causes it, but studies designed to uncover the exact influence of sleep rhythms in asthma have been inconclusive. Not all asthmatics have nocturnal symptoms. People with asthma should be made aware that nocturnal asthma is associated with severe disease and increased mortality. There are several underlying mechcanisms that may shed light on how and why night time seems to increase asthma symptoms. Firstly, airway resistance increases through out the night, whether or not a person sleeps, although increases more if person sleeps. Secondly, it has been shown that airway function is best just before onset of sleep and decreases as sleep progresses. The more a person with asthma sleeps the more impairment of the lungs. (it's just as well I do not sleep well then). This though is true for all people, but greater for asthmatics. These airway changes do not disturb sleep in healthy people, but people with asthma show the first symptoms of the disease during sleep.                                        

Nocturnal asthma is the occurrence of asthma symptoms at night or in the early morning hours. This can be very distressing as the symptoms can be very severe. Sleep is also disturbed. This can happen every night, week month. Airways of a person with asthma are more sensitive in the early hours also. It also can be experienced in the afternoons if sleep is required. Nocturnal asthma can be caused by a number of different things.

• Inflamation: Swelling of the airways increases at night.

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• Airways cooling: Body temperature can drop causeing attacks. 

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• Sleep apnea: Breathing stops for short peroids during sleep. 

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• Gastroesophageal reflux: Lying down causes heart burn. 

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• Circulatory factors: Causing changes in lung function at night. 

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• Airway secreations: Postnatal drip can causes symptoms.

The treatments for Nocturnal asthma is to prevent the symptoms that intervere with sleeping. The doctor will access it to see how severe it is or how frequent it occurs. Humidified air can help control its temperature when inhaled. If you have sleep apnea (this is now more serious than first thought) changes of sleeping postion can help, medication and a mechanical device that keeps the throat open may be recommended. Finally avoid all triggers that cause your allergies ( I find vacuming your bed often helps and also damp dusting around bedside furniture too).

Nocturnal asthma has been associated with factors such as decreased pulmonary function, hypoxemia and decreased mucus clearance. The general goal of asthma therapy should be the complete control of nocturnal symptoms. Longer acting slow release theophylline may be effective in controlling nocturnal asthma. (they do not seem to help me though). For centuries asthmatic patients have noted worsening of asthma during night time hours. Surveys of asthma mortality have revealed that a very high percentage of deaths related to asthma occur during night time hours. Hypoxemia (reduced oxygen in the blood) has been shown to worsen during sleep in patients with severe airway obstructive disease. If asthma is keeping you awake at night please see your doctor as soon as possible as your medication maybe in need of adjustment.