logo
logo
Sign in

Tips for improving your quality of life with COPD

avatar
Pulmonary, Critical Care, & Sleep Medicine of SW Florida
Tips for improving your quality of life with COPD

COPD is a chronic lung disease that doesn’t have any cure. But few steps can help to relieve your symptoms and improve your quality of life using a variety of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease treatments. COPD often requires lifelong treatment.


COPD is a progressive disease that causes breathing issues. It is the result of long term exposure to irritants that damage a person’s lungs and airways, typically formed by tobacco smoke. It limits the amount of air that can flow through these pathways. The type of Pulmonary Hypertension Treatment may also vary over time as a disease progresses. The most common forms of COPD treatment include medications, supplementary oxygen, and sometimes surgery and also plenty of practical lifestyle modifications. To help elevate some side effects of your stable COPD, try the following tips.


1: Conserving your energy

People with COPD have weekend lungs, so you need to avoid bring anything that food over tax your lungs or cause a flare-up. You can conserve your energy during your regular routine by steam lining your house and getting rid of excess clutter so completing basic task takes less energy. If your COPD is advanced, you may want to ask for help with cleaning and other daily activities.


2: Drinking plenty of water

It is especially important for people with COPD to stay well hydrated by drinking plenty of water. The disease can cause the mucus produced by the lungs to become thick, sticky and difficult to cough up. By drinking enough water mucus can thin and make it much easier to remove, easing breathing. People with COPD are suggested to drink at least 6 to 8 glasses of water a day.


3: Eating right and regular exercise

The shortness of breath that comes with COPD can make it hard to eat a balanced diet. Eating a healthy diet and exercising are important to keeping and improving your fitness level. Always talk with your provider before starting a diet or exercise plan and start slowly. Remember to eat small but more frequently well balanced. Eating one fresh vegetable or fruit with every meal. Also, keep moving to keep your muscles strong.


4: Quitting smoking

COPD and smoking are a deadly combination. Smoking not only leads to COPD, but it speeds up the progress of the disease. Quitting smoking can curb the decline in lung function, reduce symptoms of COPD, also slow the decline in lung function to a rate that’s normal with aging and improve the quality of life for anyone with or without COPD.


Understanding how the disease can impact your life and what you can do to prevent or fix the problems can help you take charge of your life and live the way you want to live.


collect
0
avatar
Pulmonary, Critical Care, & Sleep Medicine of SW Florida
guide
Zupyak is the world’s largest content marketing community, with over 400 000 members and 3 million articles. Explore and get your content discovered.
Read more