Written by: Emily Joswiak • November 11, 2021• Health & Wellness

What You Can Do To Ease the Discomfort of COPD

From home remedies to effective treatment options, we’ve compiled a list of ways you can ease the discomfort of COPD. Keep reading to find out more.

While chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is difficult to live with, you can improve your symptoms with home remedies and treatment. Read on to discover what you can do to ease the discomfort of COPD.

Stop Smoking

The best thing you can do to ease your symptoms is to quit smoking. Most people who die due to COPD exacerbated their condition by smoking. Reducing how much you smoke significantly or, better yet, quitting altogether lessens the lung function decline that comes with COPD. You can slow the progression of your disease most effectively by cutting cigarettes out of your life.

Use Breathing Exercises

Believe it or not, you can improve your COPD symptoms by breathing thoughtfully. Practicing frequent breathing exercises helps strengthen the muscles you use to breathe, which can help alleviate your symptoms.

Try pursed-lip breathing first. To do it, inhale through your nose for three seconds and exhale through your pursed lips for six seconds. If it’s difficult to inhale or exhale for this long, reduce these times, but make sure to exhale twice as long as you inhale.

Once you’ve mastered pursed-lip breathing, you can try diaphragmatic breathing. Lie down on your back, and place a hand on your stomach. Focus on breathing down into your belly so that you can feel your hand rise and fall with your breaths. It may take some practice to get it right, but you’ll figure it out with time!

Home Oxygen Therapy

When COPD is severe, sometimes, the only relief patients can get is from supplemental oxygen. Home oxygen therapy is a fantastic option for people struggling to breathe, as it provides a concentrated supply of oxygen whenever you need it. Talk with your doctor about home oxygen therapy to find out if it’s right for you.

Now that you know what you can do to ease the discomfort of COPD, take steps to breathe easier once again—you’ll be glad you did.

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Last modified: November 12, 2021