Asthma is an inflammatory disease that affects the airways of the lungs. Due to specific triggers, the airways may swell up, therefore producing sticky mucus, which makes them narrow, so it’s hard for a person to breathe. People affected by this will experience asthma symptoms, which include wheezing, coughing and shortness of breath.

Every asthma patient needs to get proper asthma medication for the management of the disease. One of the most common ways to relieve asthma symptoms is by using the inhaler to deliver reliever medication when there is an asthma flare-up or emergency. This helps in opening up the airways almost immediately.

While inhalers are primarily used, people often have trouble using the device properly. Besides, you need to take a deep breath exactly when you release the medication from the inhaler which is challenging for most people. Now, to make it easy to improve how you take the medication, this is where a spacer comes in. This is what we will be discussing in this article, so stay tuned!

Top 5 Reasons to Use an Asthma Spacer

An asthma spacer is a holding tube that makes it easy for people to take asthma medication. With spacers, asthma patients can take the medication effortlessly, and it gets straight to where it is needed in their lungs. This ensures that less medication is left in your mouth or throat because when this happens, mild infections in the throat can follow.

That said, here are reasons why you should consider using a spacer:

Control Medication Intake

One of the main advantages of using a spacer is that with it, you can control the medication you take. This ensures that you take only the prescribed medication amount. Besides, you can use the inhaler more comfortably.

Fast Medicine Intake

Another reason why you should use an asthma spacer is that it ensures faster medicine intake. With most ordinary inhalers, there is a button to press so that the medication can be released, after which you take a deep breath immediately. Clearly, this process can be pretty challenging for many.

Spacers are there to fix this menace so you don’t have to rush at all. Actually, some spacers will make a whistling sound if you breathe in too fast.

Reduces the Medication that Remains in Your Throat

With an inhaler, the amount of medication that remains on your throat and tongue after breathing in your dose is reduced. Typically, you want to make sure that much medication goes down into your lungs to relieve the symptoms.

However, using an inhaler without a spacer mists your breath. This means that you breathe in less medication than required to mitigate the asthma attack.

Reduced Coordination Challenges

When using spacers, you do not have to time and coordinate between inhaler actuation and inhalation. This is a beneficial aspect of spacers, especially for children, older people, and people who face difficulties with monitoring things. Therefore, as an asthma patient, you can effectively get the medication you need at the right time.

Child Friendly

Asthma Spacers allow ease of use of inhalers among children. The process is more straightforward, which sees them becoming more compliant with the medication. Besides, it ensures that children receive the full benefits of the prescribed asthma medication, therefore effectively controlling asthma.

Tips for Effectively Using the Asthma Spacer

An asthma disposable spacer plays a crucial role in the life of an asthmatic patient, as seen above. However, to fully realize the benefits of using the spacer, it is essential to follow the set rules for using it. Here are some tips for the proper usage of asthma spacer:

Sequential Puff Administration

Ensure that you administer only one puff at a time when using the spacer. This way, the dosage will be delivered correctly, which also allows optimal distribution of the medication within the spacer; this enhances the effectiveness of the device during inhalation.

Inhale Immediately After the Puff

Once you administer the puff, take a deep breath from your spacer. This way, the medication will settle almost instantaneously. Besides, timely inhalation after firing ensures that you receive the maximum therapeutic benefit when you capture the suspended particles before they disperse.

Determine Your Inhalation Technique for Each Puff

Another tip to properly use the asthma spacer is to customize your inhalation technique for each puff you take. For instance, you can decide to take one deep breath, ensuring that you do it slowly. Then, hold your breath for about 5 seconds so that you can absorb as much medication as possible.

Alternatively, you may decide to breathe in and out normally four times until the medication is absorbed into your lungs.

By following the above tips when using a spacer, you can be sure to experience a smoother time when trying to relieve yourself of the asthma symptoms.

Maintenance Tips for Spacers for Optimal Respiratory Health

Do you want your spacer to serve you well and for a long time? Then the best way to achieve this is by ensuring that you properly take care of it. Here are a few tips to follow when caring for your spacer:

• Ensure you keep the spacer clean at all times. To clean it, use warm water and liquid dishwashing detergent. This is just enough to disinfect it and have it ready for the next use.
• Air dry the spacer instead of using a towel or paper towel to dry it. This is because towels can cause static charge build up on the spacer, which makes the medication stick to the sides of the tube. Also, drying it with a towel can leave some towel strands in it, and you might accidentally inhale them.
• Ensure that you take the spacer to your doctor once or twice a year. You want to ensure that it is checked for any cracks that may deter its functionality.
• It’s also a good idea to use an asthma disposable spacer – these are suitable for immediate one-time use in schools, gyms etc.

Winding Up

A spacer is a must-have tool for every asthma patient. It not only makes the intake of medicine easier but also ensures immediate relief of asthma symptoms immediately. The key is to find the spacer that works for you and delivers medicine to your lungs without so much stress, therefore relieving you of your need to breathe ASAP.