Relieve your sleepless nights with easing inhalation therapy

Lung function varies throughout the day; likewise, asthma varies with a number of categories. Asthma, the name itself is enough to scare people and obstruct them to discover or diagnose about their lung disease any further.

It is advisable to understand and be aware of your respiratory diseases to undertake a proper treatment. As per the report on the Global Burden of Asthma, “Globally asthma affects an estimated 300 million people. Approximately 47 to 75 per cent of them report nocturnal symptoms.”

Nocturnal asthma is a prolonged lung disease which is evident during the night. People who experience short-breathe called dyspnea or coughing at night might still return to sleep, therefore the symptoms of nocturnal asthma are unidentified and understood as a normal asthma attack.

According to a study patient with nocturnal asthma, unlike asthmatics without nocturnal asthma symptoms, the capillary blood volume significantly increases during sleep by 16 percent. The intensity of the symptoms of asthma depends upon the exposure to the triggers. Increasing episodes of coughing or chest-tightness at night might lead to frequent emergency room visits, hospitalisation and in few cases death.

Nocturnal asthma occurs at nighttime variation due to increased airway resistance, inflammatory cells, bronchial reactivity and decreased oxygen saturation, lung volume, airway conductivity. The condition further worsens with snoring, obstructive sleep apnea, supine posture, changes in both sympathetic and parasympathetic systems, alteration in the system’s balance.

The trigger points that cause asthma at night –

• Allergic triggers: Contact with substances in your room that one reason for allergic reaction, for example, feline or canine dander. Aggravating exhaust from lamp fuel warmers and wood-consuming stoves can likewise cause an asthma attack. Exposure to these or different triggers from prior in the day may likewise cause a deferred response in which your asthma side effects show up amid the night.
• Hormones: Levels of hormones in your body additionally change as the day progressed. In individuals with asthma, the changing levels of hormones amid the night may incline the muscles in our lungs to contract, bringing about narrowing and irritation of the bronchi.
• Stomach indigestion: If get burning sensation in your lower chest territory or a sharp taste in your mouth when you alert in the morning, you may have stomach acid reflux.

Asthma or nighttime asthma can develop with no family history due to increased trigger points in our very surroundings. “Thirteen of the world’s 20 most polluted cities are in India”, shows World Health Organization’s ambient air pollution database. The highest existence of PM 2.5 penetrates deep into our lungs and causes severe lung diseases.

According to a prevalence of asthma report in Tamil Nadu, “The age groups of 6-12-year-old urban children were reported with the high occurrence of nocturnal coughing.” Children have smaller airways that get constricted when exposed to allergens such as pollutants, dust, weather changes, pollen, mites and hazardous gases in the indoor and outdoor air. Therefore, nocturnal asthma has a high penetration amongst children as well as adults.

Nocturnal asthma can shoot-up and get uncontrollable if not treated with proper treatment. Many believe “herbal” and oral medication as safe medication. According to experts, though oral medications are available as a treatment for asthma, it is not a much-preferred route of therapy. Inhalation therapy -- taking medications through inhalation -- has been regarded as a much safer, effective and less risky form of treatment for asthma.

Oral syrups and tablets take a long time to act since they have to pass through the stomach to the blood and then finally to the lungs. In comparison inhaled medications which are basically medicinal steroids, act fast and are required in doses which are almost 50 times lower than of oral medicines.

Dr Vinay Kumar, Chest Physician, Surya Chest Clinic, says, “Inhaled medicines provide immediate respite, at the same time being safe and effective even for vulnerable groups like young children. Oral medications may pose health risks since these are absorbed by other organs like the liver and kidney apart from lungs. On the other hand, inhaler steroids reach the lungs directly and start acting right away, making it one of the best ways to manage asthma.”

According to a Nocturnal Asthma Journal, “The use of inhaled corticosteroid (ICS as controller medication) and long-acting β2-agonist (LABA) have been shown to reduce their night-time symptoms and improve their psychometric outcomes, and quality of life.”

The correlation between inhalation therapy for nocturnal asthma and clinical efficacy is positive, with improved symptom control and lung function shown in most studies of adults, adolescents and children. So, combining right asthma management strategies along with inhaled medicinal steroids therapy is recommended as a harmless and effective approach for adults and children, it’s time to beat nocturnal asthma and gain control over your life.