欧博娱乐Breathing Exercises for COPD Patients
Exercise and Nutrition for COPD
If you have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), it may be harder for you to eat well and to exercise. Your energy may be limited, making it harder to be physically active or to do things like prepare and eat meals.
But exercise and good nutrition can help you live better with COPD. Learn why – and what you can do to stay healthier.
How Exercise Can Help YouExercise – especially exercise that works your lungs and heart – has many benefits for people who have COPD. Exercise can:
4 Types of Exercises for COPDThese four types of exercise can help you if you have COPD. How much you focus on each type depends on the COPD exercise program your health care provider suggests for you.
Stretching exercises lengthen your muscles, making you more flexible.
Aerobic exercises use large muscle groups to move at a steady, rhythmic pace. This type of exercise works your heart and lungs, improving their endurance. This helps your body use oxygen better and, with time, can improve your breathing. Walking and using a stationary bike are two good aerobic exercises if you have COPD.
Strengthening exercises involve tightening muscles until they begin to tire. When you do this for the upper body, it can help increase the strength of your breathing muscles.
Breathing exercises for COPD help you strengthen breathing muscles, get more oxygen, and breathe with less effort. Here are two examples of breathing exercises you can begin practicing. Work up to 5 to 10 minutes, three to four times a day.
Pursed-lip breathing:
Relax your neck and shoulder muscles.
Breathe in for 2 seconds through your nose, keeping your mouth closed.
Breathe out for 4 seconds through pursed lips. If this is too long for you, simply breathe out for twice as long as you breathe in.
Use pursed-lip breathing while exercising. If you have shortness of breath, try slowing your rate of breathing and focus on breathing out through pursed lips.
Diaphragmatic breathing:
Lie on your back with knees bent. You can put a pillow under your knees for support.
Place one hand on your belly below your rib cage. Place the other hand on your chest.
Inhale deeply through your nose for a count of three. Your belly and lower ribs should rise, but your chest should remain still.
Tighten your stomach muscles and exhale for a count of six through slightly puckered lips.
Other Breathing Techniques for COPDWhen you have COPD, shortness of breath may be a daily and unwelcome fact of life. Perhaps your doctor is urging you to enter a pulmonary rehabilitation program to help you manage your disease better. Some pulmonary rehab programs use breathing devices, called inspiratory muscle trainers, that train patients to increase the pressure that breathing muscles have to generate per breath. Pulmonary rehab programs also teach patients exercises to strengthen their arms and legs. Typically, patients do aerobic and isotonic exercises, the latter designed to strengthen muscles.
COPD and Exercise GuidelinesCOPD and Exercise Precautions
It's good to be careful when exercising with COPD, but remember that shortness of breath doesn't always mean you should stop altogether. Ask your doctor about when you should stop exercising and rest.
Here are other exercise precautions:
Exercises to avoid when you have COPD:
Ask your doctor whether exercises like weightlifting, jogging, and swimming are OK for you to do.
COPD and Exercise: When to StopIf you have any of these signs or symptoms, stop your COPD exercise program right away. Sit down, and keep your feet raised while resting. If you don't feel better right away, call 911. Even if you do feel better, make sure you tell your doctor right away about any of these symptoms:
How a Healthy Diet Can Help YouIf you have COPD, your respiratory muscles burn 10 times as many calories as those of other people. That’s because it takes so much energy just for you to breathe. On top of that, you may take medications or have depression that can reduce your appetite.
A healthy diet can help manage your condition and help you feel better. Here are three reasons why:
1. If you don't get enough calories and are underweight:
You may be more likely to get an infection.
You may become weak and tired more often.
The muscles that control your breathing may weaken.
2. If you're overweight:
Your heart and lungs must work harder.
Your body may demand more oxygen.
Your breathing may become more difficult, especially if you carry weight around your middle.
3. When you have COPD, a diet full of healthy foods:
When you have COPD, you may need to make some diet changes. But always do this under the guidance of a registered dietitian or other health care provider who can prepare a nutrition action plan tailored to your exact needs.
COPD and DietHere are a few COPD and diet guidelines to get started:
Eat a variety of healthy foods such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, dairy products, and proteins. High-fiber foods are especially important. They help with digestion, control blood sugar levels, reduce cholesterol levels, and can help control weight.
Drink plenty of water. Not only does it help prevent gas when you eat high-fiber foods, but water helps thin mucus so you can cough it up easier. Most people need six to eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day. Check with your doctor, though, because some health conditions require that you limit your fluids.
Choose decaffeinated and noncarbonated beverages. Limit alcohol, which can interact with medications, can slow breathing, and may make it harder to cough up mucus.
Ask about certain foods. Certain nutrients, such as omega-3 fatty acids, may help reduce inflammation and improve lung function. Ask your doctor.
Avoid salt. Salt (sodium) makes your body retain water, which increases swelling. This makes it harder to breathe. To get less salt, try to:
Read food labels and choose foods with fewer than 300 milligrams (mg) of sodium per serving.
Use no-salt spices.
Avoid adding salt while cooking.
Avoid foods that cause gas or bloating. Everyone knows how uncomfortable that full-stomach feeling is. And it may make it harder to breathe. To ease gas or bloating, avoid foods and drinks such as:
Beans, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and cauliflower
Carbonated beverages
Fried, spicy, or greasy foods
Avoid empty foods. Junk foods such as chips and candy don't provide any nutritional value.
If you need to gain weight, choose more high-protein, high-calorie foods such as cheese, peanut butter, eggs, milk, and yogurt. Ask about nutritional supplements to increase the number of calories and nutrients you get each day.
COPD and Easier EatingIf you have COPD, mealtime can feel like a chore. Try these tips for easier eating:
Conserve energy:
Breathe easier at mealtime:
Stimulate your appetite:
How to Monitor Your Weight With COPDTo help monitor and maintain a healthy weight if you have COPD:
Weigh yourself once or twice a week, or as often as your doctor suggests. If you take water pills, called diuretics, you should weigh yourself every day.
Contact your doctor if you gain or lose 2 pounds in a day or 5 pounds in a week.
Make changes in your diet under the guidance of a health care professional.
If you need to lose weight, ask about special exercises that may also strengthen your chest muscles.