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#Post#: 46--------------------------------------------------
How Breathing Exercises Can Help With COPD, and 4 to Try
DIR By: LightMove
Date: November 9, 2021, 1:32 am
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If you're living with COPD, your doctor may recommend some
strategies for managing your symptoms and improving your quality
of life. Because COPD (that's chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease) can cause shortness of breath, one of those strategies
is breathing exercises.
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Why Breathing Exercises Help With COPD
People with COPD struggle with breathing because the condition
causes air to get trapped in the lungs and interferes with the
exchange of gas, says Osita Onugha, MD, thoracic surgeon and
assistant professor of thoracic surgical oncology at John Wayne
Cancer Institute at Providence Saint John's Health Center in
Santa Monica, California.
"Air trapped in the lungs doesn't help you to breathe," Dr.
Onugha said. It's actually the exchange of gases that happens in
the lungs that give our bodies the oxygen we need, he explains.
With COPD, the trapped air causes carbon dioxide to build up,
which prevents fresh oxygen from getting in and leaves you
feeling short of breath and constantly hungry for air.
Unfortunately, this creates a vicious cycle: People with COPD
feel short of breath because they aren't getting the oxygen they
need, which causes them to breathe more shallowly and rapidly
(think: how you breathe when you're exerting yourself), which
then actually makes their shortness of breath even worse.
Breathing exercises help with COPD because they help you both
inhale and exhale fully, Dr. Onugha says. Breathing exercises
that fully empty the lungs will help get rid of trapped air and
lead to fewer shortness-of-breath episodes.
Plus, breathing techniques are a form of lung exercises. These
exercises can help people with COPD learn how to use their
"breathing muscles" rather than other muscles in the body that
utilize more energy to assist with breathing, like the arms.
In other words, with the right practice, these exercises can
help retrain how you breathe.
Breathing Exercises for COPD
While many deep breathing exercises can be done on your own at
home, the first step anyone with COPD should take is to visit a
doctor who can evaluate the severity of the condition and
recommend a treatment plan. Many treatment plans for people with
COPD will include pulmonary rehab, which is a supervised program
that includes education and exercises to improve your lung
function.
Under the guidance of a respiratory therapist, you will learn
how to properly perform the right breathing exercises for you.
Not everyone will have the same treatment plan for COPD; some
people may also need additional help, such as oxygen or
medication, so it's important to work with your doctor and
respiratory therapist before adding any new exercise.
Some of the breathing exercises that are most helpful for COPD
include:
1. Pursed Lip Breathing
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Dr. Onugha recommends pursed lip breathing as the number one
exercise for anyone with COPD. To perform this exercise:
Breathe in through your nose for a count of three.
Breathe out through pursed lips (as if you are blowing out a
candle) for a count of three.
Lynn suggests using this breathing exercise especially when you
are exerting yourself. For example, if you're climbing up a
flight of stairs, you can take a breath in before you climb,
then begin breathing out with pursed lips as you climb a few
steps, repeating with two to three steps at a time.
2. Belly Breathing
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Belly breathing, also known as diaphragmatic breathing, can help
you really empty out your lungs by focusing on breathing with
your entire chest and stomach. Performing belly breathing allows
your diaphragm to lower, which then allows your lungs to fill.
Here's how to do it:
Place your hand on your stomach and breathe in through your
nose. Use your hand on your stomach so you can feel your stomach
going out as you breathe in. (Your shoulders, neck and chest
should be as relaxed as possible).
Exhale all of the air out through pursed lips, feeling your
stomach lower as you breathe out.
Pro tip: Lynn recommends you practice diaphragmatic breathing
while you are at rest, such as sitting in a chair or lying down,
until it becomes a habit all of the time.
3. Deep Breathing
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Deep breathing is exactly what it sounds like, and the steps are
simple:
Take a deep breath, then hold it for a few moments.
When you're ready, exhale slowly through your nose.
Like belly breathing, you can practice deep breathing when
you're at rest.
4. Mindful Purposeful Breathing
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Felice Heffenger, pulmonary rehabilitation respiratory
therapist, recommends mindful breathing as a way to naturally
pace activities and build up endurance. You can do this exercise
with any activity and at any time of day.
Inhale for a count of one, as you prepare to perform an activity
or exercise.
Exhale for a count of two as you perform the part of the
activity or exercise where you're exerting yourself the most.
The idea is simply to focus on your breath, and the key, says
Heffenger, is that you don't want to rush it. "The stress alone
may cause shortness of breath," she notes.
Lynn said that no matter which breathing exercise you choose,
it’s best to start practicing at home, and you can also choose
to use a breath training device like OPUMP to help you so that
you can use them in all daily activities, such as walking,
cleaning or bath.To start, aim to do these exercises for about
10 to 15 minutes each day, then work up from there, Heffenger
recommends.
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While that may seem like a lot, Heffenger says she's seen people
with even very severe COPD see an improvement in their symptoms
through breathing exercises. "It requires a huge commitment, but
quality of life is much improved, so the payoff is big," she
says. So, keep on breathing on.
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