Breathing Exercises for COPD Patients

Pursed Lip Breathing for COPD

This is one of the most effective breathing techniques for COPD sufferers. It can help relax the airways as COPD remedies, like Trelegy Ellipta, do, and relieves the anxiety associated with shortness of breath.

Here’s how to do it:

• Inhale for two seconds, keeping your mouth closed
• Purse your lips as if you’re about to whistle or blow
• Keeping your lips pursed, breathe out for four seconds

You can also use this exercise for coordinated breathing during exertion. For instance, if you’re lifting a dumbbell, start by breathing in and then breathe out when you lift the weight.

Deep Breathing Exercises for COPD

Deep breathing eliminates stale air from the lungs, so you don’t feel short of breath. Try this technique to draw in more fresh air with every breath:

• Stand or sit with your elbows slightly behind you
• Take a deep breath through your nose
• Hold your breath and count to five
• Release the air slowly and deeply through your nose

To make the most of this breathing treatment for COPD, combine it with other breathing exercises.

Diaphragmatic Breathing Techniques

This type of belly breathing strengthens one of the most important muscles for breathing – the diaphragm. It’s another excellent way to get rid of stale air.

Many COPD sufferers use their back, shoulder, and neck muscles to force air in and out of the lungs. This exercise will teach you the correct way to breathe.

Here’s how to do it:

• Lie on your back on a flat surface with your knees bent
• Place one hand beneath your ribs and one over your breastbone
• Breath in through your nose, deeply and slowly
• Tense the muscles below your ribs
• Push in and up with your lower hand at the same time
• Breathe out slowly through pursed lips
• Repeat the exercise for five minutes three times daily.

You may feel tired after your first session of diaphragmatic breathing, but you can increase the number and duration of sessions as your diaphragm becomes stronger.

Breathe Easier

To get the best benefit from these breathing exercises for COPD, you should do them for ten minutes at a time, three or four times daily. After a while, they’ll become second nature.

While these exercises won’t cure your COPD, they will help you to learn techniques that make breathing easier and strengthen the muscles you need to breathe effectively.

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Source: insopra.com/2022/05/16/breathing-exercises-for-copd-patients/

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