Contents:
- Medical Video: Breathing control for breathlessness - Cancer Research UK
- Practice breathing techniques
- Change lifestyle habits
- Regular exercise
- Consume the right type of food
Medical Video: Breathing control for breathlessness - Cancer Research UK
Many of us are just grateful for the pleasure of the air inhaled when experiencing shortness of breath. Shortness of breath is the most common symptom of lung cancer. Living daily as a lung cancer sufferer is certainly not easy, especially because they have to struggle every day to breathe freely. Here are some tips that can be done to relieve shortness of breath for people with lung cancer.
Practice breathing techniques
Breathing exercises can strengthen lung muscles. Among the various types of breathing exercises that can control breathing rhythms, the most popular exercises are pursed-lip breathing. This exercise can be done at any time even when the patient experiences sudden shortness of breath. Apart from slowing down the breath rhythm, this exercise is also proven to reduce stress. The following are the steps to practice pursed-lip breathing:
- Inhale through the nose and gently remove it through the pursed mouth.
- Sit comfortably, relax shoulder and neck muscles.
- Close the two lips, except the middle. Mouth positions are similar to when you will whistle.
- Inhale back through the nose for two seconds.
- Exhale slowly through your mouth until counting to four.
- Repeat the tensile and exhaling movements for 10 minutes.
Do the above exercise whenever you feel short of breath. You will feel better after a few minutes later.
Change lifestyle habits
There are a myriad of reasons why you should stop smoking. One of the main reasons is that you can breathe more easily. A smoker who has lung cancer is recommended to stop smoking to restore his health. If you are not a smoker, you are encouraged to avoid exposure to secondhand smoke from the environment around you, both family and relatives who smoke. Being passive smoking can also worsen your lung condition.
Because it plays a very important role, clean air must be maintained. You can create clean air by keeping the floor and shelf free of dust. You can also use humidifier to maintain air humidity. Avoid air freshener or mop liquid containing synthetic fragrance. The reason is, these chemicals can be mixed with air, inhaled by patients, and trigger shortness of breath. Use a nose mask when traveling outside the home to avoid pollution and dust that triggers shortness of breath.
Regular exercise
Regular exercise can increase blood flow to the lungs so that more oxygen is contained in the blood. But in order to ensure safety, consult your doctor before you decide to exercise. Start with light exercise three times a week for 15 minutes, and slowly increase the frequency of exercise if you can. Remember! Do not force the body too hard to exercise.
Consume the right type of food
Food turns out to also affect our breathing patterns. For example, some types of food can cause flatulence, dilation, and eventually suppress the lung area. As a result, when breathing, the lungs cannot expand optimally to get enough oxygen. Some foods that can cause flatulence are milk, legumes, cabbage, and broccoli. Don't forget to keep consuming enough water to moisten the air flow.
Shortness of breath can be overcome through changes in lifestyle, good nutrition, and several other simple steps that can be done alone at home. If you still experience respiratory problems, consult a doctor immediately for further treatment.
Hello Health Group does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
