12 Strategies to Breathe Easier with COPD

Learning Proper Breathing Techniques to Breathe Better with COPD

One of the most troublesome and dangerous symptoms those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) face is shortness of breath. Difficulty breathing can greatly reduce quality of life and lead to medical emergencies if not managed properly.

While there is no cure for COPD, relieving common breathing issues is possible with various evidence-based treatment methods. Understanding these techniques to breathe with greater ease can make a significant difference.

How COPD Impacts Normal Breathing

COPD is characterized by obstruction of airflow and difficulties exhaling due to damage to the lungs and airways. The disease commonly results from smoking, second-hand smoke exposure, air pollution or genetic factors.

As COPD progresses, less oxygen circulates through the bloodstream while carbon dioxide removal declines. This leads to shortness of breath, wheezing, tightness in the chest, and a chronic cough.

During flare ups, breathing difficulties can become so severe that prompt medical treatment is required. However, better management of symptoms is possible through proper patient education.

Why Breathing Well Matters with COPD

Learning techniques to breathe better and fully inflate the lungs is crucial to those with COPD for many reasons including:

• Prevents oxygen deprivation and high carbon dioxide levels
• Lowers risk of dangerous complications like respiratory infections
• Reduces lung hyperinflation which strains breathing muscles
• Helps clear mucus secretions through controlled coughs
• Decreases panic and anxiety associated with feeling short of breath

While medication and supplemental oxygen can treat aspects of COPD, improving ventilation through better breathing has lifelong benefits.

12 Strategies to Breathe Easier with COPD

From techniques advised by respiratory therapists to personalized exercise programs, numerous evidence-backed approaches make breathing less difficult for those with COPD. Strategies include:

1. Pursue Pulmonary Rehabilitation

Pulmonary rehab combines patient education with tailored respiratory muscle training and cardiovascular conditioning. Under medical supervision, those with COPD learn to manage symptoms, preserve lung function, and breathe efficiently even during activities.

2. Practice Pursed Lip Breathing Exercises

This common shortness of breath remedy involves breathing in through the nose, then exhaling very slowly through lightly closed lips. Pursing the lips provides resistance that keeps airways open longer to evacuate more carbon dioxide and stale air.

3. Try Diaphragmatic Breathing

Also known as belly breathing, this technique encourages full oxygenation by using the diaphragm correctly. Sitting up straight, patients place one hand on their chest and the other on their stomach. Focusing on making the stomach hand rise with inhales trains deeper breathing.

4. Walk Daily to Strengthen Breathing Muscles

Low-impact cardio like leisurely walking sustains lung capacity. Starting slowly, patients can walk farther each day while applying pursed lip breathing when winded. This gently conditions the muscles involved in respiration.

5. Adopt Positions of Comfort During Flare-Ups

Leaning over supports with elbows propped on a table or knees when short of breath can relax muscles strained by labored breathing. Loosening tight shoulder and neck muscles also aids air flow.

6. Use Small Portable Handheld Fans

Keep a mini battery-operated fan on hand. Placing it before your nose and mouth during breathing difficulty sensations redirects airflow in a helpful way. Fanning also reduces feelings of breathlessness via neurologic signals.

7. Humidify Indoor Living Spaces

Introducing warm moisture into home and work environments moisturizes dry air passages prone to irritation and inflammation. This diminishes coughing and airway constriction that impairs smooth breathing.

8. Ask About Bronchodilator Medications

Doctors often prescribe fast-acting inhalers containing bronchodilator drugs to open constricted airways during COPD attacks. Carrying these for emergencies expands lung capacity when you suddenly cannot catch your breath.

9. Consider Acupuncture

This ancient Chinese medicine technique shows promise for lessening shortness of breath associated with COPD. Fine needles placed along energy meridians may help breathing by triggering the release of natural opioids in the brain to ease respiratory discomfort.

10. Discuss Supplemental Oxygen Needs

When COPD is very advanced, sufficient oxygen levels sometimes cannot be maintained without extra support. Portable, compact oxygen concentrators or tanks administered through nasal tubes or masks deliver higher oxygen content with each breath.

11. Explore Pulmonary Rehabilitation Clinics

Seeking evaluation at specialty rehab clinics connects COPD patients with teams of nurses, physical and respiratory therapists, and physicians. They create ongoing self-management care plans combining exercise, education, breathing strategies, nutrition and counseling.

12. Join a COPD Patient Support Group

Local or online support groups allow sharing of experiences about breathing challenges common to COPD. Members mentor newly diagnosed individuals about techniques that provide symptom relief and the emotional encouragement to persevere.

Emergency Warning Signs of Breathing Distress with COPD

Despite consistent practice of beneficial breathing techniques, acute exacerbations sometimes arise requiring prompt medical intervention. RED FLAG changes include:

• Rapid, shallow respirations over 25 per minute
• Extreme shortness of breath suddenly worsening
• Dizziness, confusion, changes in alertness
• Flared nostrils, recruitment of neck/abdominal muscles to breathe
• Cyanotic blue lips or fingernails indicating poor oxygenation

When these crisis warning signs appear, call 911 or seek emergency care without delay to restore adequate gas exchange and avoid catastrophic outcomes like respiratory failure.

Using Breathing Pacer Tools to Find Rhythmic Respiration Patterns

Many mobile device apps and desktop programs create breathing pacers providing visual and audio cues when to slowly inhale, hold breath, and fully exhale. For those with COPD, pacing tools encourage proper breathing timing without relying on sensation.

Animated imagery like inflating/deflating balloons, filling glassware, or moving objects synchronize with healthy respiration rates. This biofeedback guides users subtly towards rhythmic and efficient respiration.

Exploring Additional Complementary Approaches to Improve Breathing

Beyond standard western treatments, alternative modalities like yoga, mindfulness practices, nutritional adjustments and stress reduction promote easier respiration.

Yoga and Gentle Stretching

Gentle poses, pursed lip breathing, and focused deep belly inhales are cornerstones of adaptive yoga programs for COPD and other lung diseases. Classes provide community support plus teach breathing coordination using movement.

Mindfulness and Relaxation Techniques

Meditation, guided imagery, hypnosis and mindfulness cultivate calm states where patients can closely observe breathing patterns. Reframing distressing thoughts that trigger shortness of breath is additionally beneficial.

Dietary and Nutritional Considerations

Eating antioxidant and omega-3 rich foods reduces inflammation while staying well hydrated thins mucus. Caffeine and alcohol consumption should be minimized as both drinks speed heart rates and stress breathing in those with COPD.

Anxiety and Stress Management Skills

Panic directly worsens shortness of breath, creating a frightening cycle for COPD patients. Thus, learning to interrupt this response through talk therapy, emotional support animals, or joining peer support groups is wise.

Employing a diversity of techniques maximizes chances to breathe freely even for those with very severe COPD not helped sufficiently by standard care options alone.

Create an Individualized COPD Management Plan to Breathe Easier

Living with COPD need not mean constant breathlessness and oxygen starvation. Starting pulmonary rehabilitation under medical guidance is essential to build physical stamina and master air exchange tactics.

Progressively integrating select breathing exercises, medications, stress and mucus clearance strategies yields additive benefits. Support groups provide the empathy and real-world insights to keep applying these coping methods.

While COPD remains incurable, it is possible to achieve seasons of stability where breathing no longer dominates your thoughts. Patients willing to pace themselves while actively utilizing all available therapies often breathe markedly freer despite lung damage.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.