Use these breathing exercises to help reduce and manage COPD symptoms.
During these warm months, we all long to get outside and breathe in the lovely scents of summer. For those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), breathing easy can be anything but easy. The higher temperatures and humidity of summer can cause COPD symptoms to flare. These symptoms may include:
- Tightness in the chest
- Shortness of breath
- Wheezing
- Excess mucus buildup in the lungs
These symptoms can get worse overtime. Fortunately, there are some simple exercises that can people with COPD breathe a little easier.
What Breathing Exercises Can Help With COPD?
There are five exercises that can help strengthen muscles, reduce shortness of breath, and help COPD patients experience improved breathing capacity. These include:
- Deep breathing: For many people with COPD, air can become trapped in the lungs, leading them to feel short of breath. Deep breathing exercises can prevent this. Here’s how to practice deep breathing:
- Sit or stand with elbows slightly back and chest fully expanded.
- Breathe in deep through your nose.
- Hold the breath in as you count to five.
- Slowly release the breath through your nose until you feel it has been fully exhaled.
- Pursed lip breathing: This exercise has been proven to reduce how hard a person has to work to breathe, releases air trapped in the lungs, and promotes relaxation. Here’s how to practice it:
- Close your mouth and breathe in through your nose for a count of two.
- Purse your lips as if you’re going to whistle.
- Slowly breathe out through your pursed lips for a count of four.
- Coordinated breathing: Exercise or anxiety can increase feelings of being short of breath. To overcome this feeling, practice coordinated breathing during times of high anxiety or while exercising:
- Breathe in through your nose before starting an exercise.
- Purse your lips and breathe out through your mouth during the most strenuous part of your exercise.
- Diaphragmatic breathing: The diaphragm is a muscle that is vital in breathing, so strengthening the diaphragm is very important. Diaphragmatic breathing can help maintain strength in the diaphragm, enabling you to breathe easier. Follow these steps:
- Sit or lie down and relax your shoulders.
- Breathe in through your nose for a count of two and feel your stomach expand. Your stomach should move more than your chest.
- With lips pursed, breathe out slowly through your mouth, pressing gently on your stomach as you do.
- Huff cough: Because mucus can build up in your lungs with COPD, it is important to clear as much of it out as possible. Use the steps below to practice the huff cough in order to help you clear your airways:
- While in a comfortable seated position, breathe in through your mouth. Make sure the breath is deeper than you would normally take.
- Using your stomach muscles, blow air out through your mouth in three even breaths, making a “ha, ha, ha” sound.
The ability to breathe easier not only helps people with COPD improve their health, it also provides comfort and helps to ease anxiety. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, those who practice breathing exercises see greater improvements in lung capacity and quality of life than those who don’t.
If you or a loved one needs help with breathing exercises or assistance with COPD management, Home Matters Caregiving’s senior care experts are at your assistance. Our professional caregivers can provide everything from general personal care services to transportation to and from appointments to specialized COPD and chronic disease management services. Contact us today at 800-298-5140 to learn more about how our nurse-guided home care can help you. Visit our Locations page as well to find out if our services are available in your area.
