Other ways to take charge of your COPD
Living with COPD offers an opportunity to take charge of your health in so many ways. You can decide to quit cigarettes for good or pick up tips on more effective ways to breathe. You can even tackle handling the emotional ups and down the disease can bring. Big steps, for sure, but nothing you can't handle once you make the commitment to do it.
When you're ready for a big change:
By now, no one has to tell you how important it is to stop smoking. It's true, people who quit smoking can significantly slow the loss of lung function. Quitting smoking has also been shown to help people with COPD live longer. In fact, your risk of heart attack decreases just three short months after quitting.
You probably know, first-hand, that quitting cigarettes is one of the toughest things you've ever tried to do. First bit of advice: Don't go it alone. Studies show that the more support you have, the better your chance of success. Counseling and/or an organized program can be very helpful. Get family members and friends— especially former smokers—to help you resist the urge to smoke.
Ask your doctor if a patch, gum, lozenge, or other nicotine replacement therapy would be right for you.
Don't give up if your initial attempts fail. Most smokers try several times before quitting for good!
Ever find yourself huffing and puffing after exerting yourself with exercise or some other type of work? Pursed-lip breathing may be one simple way to control that shortness of breath. You can use it any time, any place. Here's how:
- Concentrate on relaxing your shoulder and neck muscles.
- Inhale slowly, taking in a normal breath.
- Pucker your lips, sometimes called "pursed lips."
- Exhale while keeping your lips pursed, like you are breathing out through a straw. Try to exhale for at least four seconds. Sometimes it helps if you count to yourself while exhaling.
While pursed-lip breathing may help, it's always a good idea to have your rescue inhaler with you if you become short of breath.
If you learn to relax your abdominal muscles as you breathe in, your diaphragm will have more room to move, and you'll be able to take in more air. This breathing technique can help.
- Find a comfortable position. Relax your neck and shoulder muscles.
- Place one hand on your stomach and one on your chest.
- Inhale slowly through your nose to the count of two. Your abdominal muscles should relax, and your chest should stay still.
- Tighten your abdominal muscles and count to four as you exhale. Feel your muscles tighten. Your chest should remain still.
People living with COPD are all different, and each person reacts to the disease differently—physically and emotionally. Some people are able to deal with the negative emotions that can be associated with COPD—with little disruption to their lives. For others, it can be a much bigger challenge. Some with COPD may miss the more active life they once lived or feel they brought the disease upon themselves. Some are even tempted to give up and ignore their doctor's advice altogether.
If you've experienced emotional ups and downs with COPD, you are not alone. A study of people with chronic breathing disorders found that 80% of the people studied suffered from depression, anxiety, or both.
But there's good news, too: There are things you can do so that negative feelings don't overwhelm you, and COPD support groups may be the perfect place to start. The American Lung Association sponsors Better Breathers Clubs throughout the country. Visit their Web site to find out more. You should also speak with your doctor if you are feeling anxious and/or depressed. He or she may suggest some therapies that can help improve both your physical and psychological well-being. If someone is helping to care for you, let that person in on how you are feeling, as well.
Whatever you do, don't bottle up these feelings and simply soldier on. As one person with COPD put it, reaching out can help you “renew your membership in life.”
