Starting emphysema treatment in the earliest (mild) stage, when you may have a nagging cough and increased mucus production, may help you maintain a better quality of life for a longer period of time. Emphysema is a disease in which tiny air sacs inside the lungs (alveoli) are damaged, causing shortness of breath. It primarily…
Quitting smoking can help preserve your current lung function. It may also alter the course of your chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) progression and reduce some symptoms. Cutting down or quitting smoking is the most important thing you can do to change the course of COPD. COPD is a progressive disease. At any stage of…
COPD might be the cause of your poor sleep. Here are tips to help you get a good night’s rest. When it comes to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and sleep, it’s possible to fall into a vicious cycle. Your condition can increase your chances of sleep difficulties, but if you don’t get enough rest,…
Yes, doing breathing exercises may significantly increase your lung capacity. A 2021 study found that doing just 10 deep inhalations per hour can greatly improve lung function and decrease complications associated with respiratory issues. The study asked patients from a physical medicine and rehabilitation clinic to perform breathing exercises for 30 days, using an incentive spirometer to…
Knowing how your chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) diagnosis may progress can help you manage your condition and communicate with your doctors. The group of related lung conditions called COPD causes airway blockage and trouble breathing. COPD is progressive, which means that the condition will continue to develop, causing more severe symptoms over time. Doctors…
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an umbrella term for a group of chronic (long-term) lung diseases, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis. These lung conditions make it difficult to expel air from the lungs. COPD is progressive. This means it gets worse over time. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), almost 15.7…
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a group of lung conditions that includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Restricted airflow characterizes all these conditions, and COPD causes difficulty when breathing. The inability to get enough oxygen into the lungs raises the risk of developing hypoxia. Hypoxia is a condition where not enough oxygen makes it to the cells and tissues in…
What is a lung cleanse? Our lungs do a lot for us. Even though most of us don’t think of the lungs as something we can exercise, it’s possible to take steps to help them work better. The air we breathe can be contaminated with many kinds of pollutants. Everything from pollen to chemicals to secondhand smoke can be trapped in the…