Asthma triggers are those things that cause you to have an asthma attack. They do this by irritating the airways of people with asthma, but have no effect on those without asthma. Everyone who has asthma also has their own special list of things that irritate their airways. Asthma triggers can be almost anything and will be different for everyone. The list below describes some of the more common things that can irritate the airways of an asthmatic.

Let's talk about what happens when you come in contact with one of your asthma triggers.

Having asthma is sort of like being allergic to something. Many people are allergic to pollen, so pollen is on their 'Allergic To' list. At certain times of the year, pollen is pretty much everywhere so you are going to come in contact with it. If you are allergic to pollen, you are going to get stuck with certain allergy symptoms like sneezing, watery, itchy eyes, and congestion.

If a person with asthma gets exposed to something on their 'Asthma Triggers' list, they will also have to deal with some specific symptoms. Instead of being extremely annoying, asthma symptoms can be extremely dangerous. Asthma symptoms affect your ability to breathe. If these symptoms get bad enough your ability to breathe becomes a serious problem.

What kinds of things can be asthma triggers? A wide variety of things can be asthma triggers. And like I mentioned before, your list of triggers will probably be at least a little different than everyone elses. And even if your list is similar to someone elses, you will both probably be affected differently by those things on your list. There are no specific rules that asthma has to follow so every case of asthma is very special.

I have compiled a list of some popular asthma triggers:

1. Food - could be any kind or type of food, even food additives or preservatives.

2. Air pollution - could be outside air pollution or even the air inside your home.

3. Aerosol sprays - pretty much any type of aerosol spray.

4. Animal dander - from any type of pets.

5. Exhaust fumes - from a car, machinery, equipment.

6. Chemicals - cleaning products are just combinations of different chemicals.

7. Cockroaches - could be their droppings or even their bodies.

8. Dust mites - they can be in your bedding, carpets, etc.

9. Gas fumes.

10. Grass, shrubs, trees, etc.

11. Mold - could be indoor or outdoor mold.

12. Pollen - any kind of pollen.

13. Smoke - cigarettes, stoves, etc.

Some Different Types of Things That Could Also Be Asthma Triggers

1. Weather - certain types like hot, dry, wet, cold, etc, or even a simple change in the weather.

2. Emotions - either good ones or bad ones

3. Exercise - anything that increases your breathing.

4. Other illnesses like a cold, the flu, etc.

5. GERD or even simple heartburn.

6. Medications - even things like aspirin.

These are some of the more common things that could be your asthma triggers. They are only a starting point however, to get you thinking about what your own triggers could be.

You will definitely want to determine what your own asthma triggers are. You can't avoid them until you figure out what they are. The only way to figure them out is by having an asthma attack.

That is why every time you have an attack it is important to make note of what you were doing, eating, feeling, etc. and compare it with the list of possible triggers listed above. It will probably take awhile, but figuring out your asthma triggers is an excellent way to reduce your number of asthma attacks.