Spring Has Sprung

The past few mornings I was greeted with sunshine and the sounds of birds chirping. Temps in the 60s and 70s and very little humidity. This wasn’t because of a calendar date, it’s because spring has finally sprung.

I love spring, this is a time for new life and new beginnings. It speaks of hope and even miracles.

Sadly, colds, pneumonia and respiratory infections happen in the spring too. Yes, they can come during all seasons, at this time for some it can feel harsher. Pollen triggers allergies, you can smell that pollen in the air.

Here, in the house we are juggling between heat, fan and air conditioning. These bones like the heat, however, the air conditioning makes it easier to breathe. The fan keeps the air moving.

How to stay prepared to curb other respiratory conditions during spring

It’s so important to stay hydrated. You might be more active now that winter is over (in parts of the world anyway). To some, this might be a time to spend more time outdoors, walking, biking, doing yoga, fishing, and more, which can cause dehydration. You might even feel more active indoors, since there are more hours of daylight. You might not feel thirsty, but your body likely does.

This is a good time to make sure that you have a face mask with you, not only because of pollen, there are so many things that can affect you. If you are outside, you might notice some are spraying yards, gardens and fields. In many areas, the dirt is in the air as farmers are getting their fields ready for planting. It might be breezy or even windy and blowing the dust around. Trees and plants are beginning to bloom in some areas. These can all affect our breathing and lungs. You might be indoors and it’s a scented place that affects your breathing, if you can’t walk out right away, a mask can help prevent you breathing anything in. When you have the opportunity, do wash your face and do a sinus rinse to clean out dust, bacteria, etc., so that you don’t continue to breathe those into your lungs.

It’s getting warmer out, so you might be comfortable in lighter weight clothes. If you are going out, take a sweater or jacket along, your destination might have the air conditioning on and be a bit chilly.

Sad to say, dust, chemicals and all can cause me to sneeze or cough. My periodic shakes can also cause a spill. Because of this, I always take an extra set of clothes and essentials as well. Don’t forget a bottle of water.

For those on oxygen, hopefully it’s easier getting around, without going through snow and mud.

I always carry a go bag with a nebulizer and albuterol. Extra tubing, a notepad, pen, sinus rinse items, wash cloth, tissues, epic pens, water, and other, depending on where I am going. I always, always carry my cell phone and rescue inhaler.

I hope that each of you are able to find things to feel good about and to enjoy! After all, we still have living to do!