5 Ways to Breathe Easier with COPD
- Stop Smoking!
This doesn’t apply to everyone who suffers from COPD but if it applies to you this is the #1 thing you can do to improve your health immediately. The main cause of COPD in the U.S. is smoking. While smoking has likely already caused damage to your lungs by stopping you can prevent future damage. Conversely, if you continue to smoke your COPD symptoms may become more severe causing more damage to your lungs and potentially more dangerous health risks.
- Watch your Weight
“People who are very sick with COPD use so much energy to breathe that they can have problems gaining weight, says Raed Dweik, MD, director of the pulmonary vascular program at Cleveland Clinic. They often need to eat enough to gain weight.
But if people are overweight, shedding excess pounds can improve their breathing. “It is two ends of the spectrum,” Dweik says. “For people who are overweight, it is like carrying something around that contributes to their shortness of breath.” WebMD
- Live a Healthy Lifestyle
For people with COPD a healthy lifestyle does not simply mean eating well and getting sufficient exercise you also want to avoid getting sick. Even the common cold can aggravate your COPD symptoms. Preventative care like keeping your vaccines up to date (i.e. flu shot, etc. ), and avoiding contact with individuals that are ill can be a tremendous help.
- Strengthen Your Respiratory Muscles
When you suffer from COPD it is likely that you have decreased lung function. While decreased lung function is irreversible it is possible to increase your lung capacity and by doing so you can breathe with much more ease. The most efficient way to increase your lung capacity is by using a breathing exerciser like Expand-A-Lung. By adding inspiratory and expiratory resistance to your breathing the Expand-A-Lung will strengthen your diaphragm and intercostal muscles which will allow you to take in a greater volume of oxygen, breathe easier, and reduce shortness of breath.
- Try Pulmonary Rehabilitation Therapy
“Pulmonary rehabilitation is a program of education and exercise to increase awareness about your lungs and your disease. You will learn to achieve exercise with less shortness of breath. The classes are offered in a group setting so you get the chance to meet others with your condition, which provides an opportunity to give and receive peer support. The skills and knowledge learned in the program will help you feel better and manage your chronic lung disease. You’ll become stronger by increasing your level of fitness. Exercising your lungs and muscles helps you be more active so you can do the things you enjoy with your loved ones. Pulmonary rehabilitation may even decrease the need for hospital visits.” Lung.org This type of program is designed to reduce the severity of your symptoms and improve your quality of life.
When you take an active role in improving your COPD you reduce your reliance on oxygen therapies and hospital visits. This leads to a much greater quality of life, and possibly a longer one.
