Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the collective name for pulmonary diseases. These diseases cause airflow blockages and breathing-related problems, severely impacting your health and well-being. COPD is often caused by smoking. However, air pollution and workplace pollutants are also common causes. At least 391.9 million people aged 30 to 79 have COPD.
While many people manage their symptoms on their own, it’s not uncommon to struggle. Whether your lifestyle or workplace resulted in COPD, here are a few tips and tricks to help you manage this life-changing condition.
Enter a Pulmonary Rehabilitation Facility
Being diagnosed with COPD can be overwhelming. This can be especially true if you don’t know how to care for yourself when your symptoms become unmanageable. That’s why entering a workers’ compensation rehabilitation can be worthwhile if your workplace is to blame. You can also enter a pulmonary rehabilitation center when the cause is unknown.
These facilities provide a broad range of therapy services to help you increase your overall well-being. You can learn how to manage your disease, enjoy nutritional counseling, and learn energy-saving techniques. Breathing strategies, pulmonary therapy, and psychological counseling are also standard services on offer.
Learn Breathing Techniques
Learning breathing techniques can be helpful if you’re experiencing a panic attack or general COPD-related breathlessness. Having a few known ones to draw upon might mean you can manage periods of discomfort and breathlessness without requiring medical intervention.
Typically, the techniques you learn for COPD are designed to keep your airways open for longer, decrease the number of breaths you must take, and increase your oxygen levels. You might be encouraged to:
- Take relaxed, long, slow, deep breaths
- Breathe out hard during activities requiring effort
- Breathe through pursed lips
- Take paced breaths during activities like climbing stairs
Give Up Smoking
Smoking is the leading cause of COPD. This is because tobacco smoke can damage your lungs and airways. If you have been diagnosed with COPD and are a smoker, now might be the right time to quit. Fortunately, you don’t have to take this challenging journey alone.
There are several group programs and counselors you can rely on for help and support. You can also try smoking cessation tools like nicotine replacement therapy and medication.
Take Medication Consistently
Many people diagnosed with COPD are prescribed several different medications to help manage the symptoms. They can only do their job when you take them consistently. If you know you’ll struggle with remembering, create a system that works for you.
For example, you might organize your medications by times of the day and set alarms for when you need to take them. You might also integrate them into your routine for other tasks like brushing your teeth.
Prioritize Your Diet and Exercise
Eating well and exercising aren’t easy when you have COPD. You might lack the energy needed to prepare well-balanced meals and improve your fitness. However, fueling your body and exercising might be how you improve your fitness to manage your COPD symptoms.
Talk to your doctor about the best exercise plan and diet for your unique situation. They might recommend drinking water with every meal, eating smaller and more frequent meals, and using step counters to walk while improving your daily step count.
Consider Oxygen Therapy
It can be daunting to think about relying on oxygen therapy to live comfortably with COPD. However, long-term oxygen therapy can be helpful for those with severely low blood oxygen. Using a nasal tube or mask with oxygen might relieve symptoms like coughing, wheezing, and breathlessness.
However, studies have shown that oxygen therapy is more effective for those with severely low blood oxygen than people with only moderately low blood oxygen levels. As a result, your healthcare provider may only recommend oxygen if your COPD is severe enough.
Learn Mucus Techniques
Many people living with COPD experience mucus collecting in the airway. This mucus can make it challenging to breathe. Sometimes, it can even result in an infection. If you’re unsure how to bring up mucus effectively, talk to your doctor about the best methods, like deep coughing and huff coughing.
Deep coughing describes taking a breath, holding it for three seconds, and expelling the air while holding your stomach muscles. Some medical professionals also recommend huff coughing. This describes breathing deeply and using your stomach muscles to form a half-laughing sound while exhaling. After huff coughing, try diaphragmatic breathing and cough deeply. This might help dislodge any moving mucus.
If you generally produce large volumes of mucus, talk to your doctor about alternative techniques that might prove more effective. These can include postural drainage and small devices you exhale into, such as the Acapella® airway clearance device.
There’s no denying that COPD can be uncomfortable to live with. However, it doesn’t have to rule your life. Talk to your doctor about these coping techniques above, and you might find it much easier to keep enjoying the activities you love.