You’d think that breathing would be something you wouldn’t have to think about at all. But if you have COPD, there may be changes in your lungs and possibly, in your chest, that keep you from being able to breathe as you once did. Let’s take a quick look at why that is.
When you have COPD, the small air sacs in your lungs can become stretched out and cause stale air to get trapped in the lungs, making them overinflate – kind of like a balloon with too much air in it. When this happens, your lungs are actually too big. They’re crowded inside your chest and don’t have a lot of room to move. To breathe with over-inflated lungs can take a whole lot of work. This is one of the main reasons why breathing with COPD can be so hard.
Also, in COPD, the inside walls of your bronchial airways (the tubes inside your lungs that the air goes through) can become weak and collapse. It’s easy to see that if your airways collapse, breathing can be hard!
There are two main breathing techniques to use when you have COPD. Each one helps to offset the change in the mechanics of your breathing. One technique is pursed-lip breathing (PLB) and the other is diaphragmatic breathing (DB), also called abdominal, or belly breathing. Today we’re going to talk about pursed-lip breathing. Watch for another special Q & A on diaphragm breathing.
What happens in the lungs?
Lungs with COPD can trap air, causing it to stay in the lungs and not be exhaled. This makes the lungs stretch out, lose their elasticity, and become crowded inside the chest.
How does PLB help?
Using PLB helps you get rid of more of the stale, trapped air. Although you can’t get your lungs back to their former size, if you do PLB you can help slow down the rate of developing more air trapping.
What happens in the lungs?
Weak airway walls make it more likely for bronchial airways to collapse, keeping the air from getting out. When you huff and puff, you breathe out too hard and this can collapse weak airways. Huffing and puffing can also be exhausting and can lead to feelings of anxiety – even panic.
How does PLB help?
When PLB is done the right way, you create “back pressure” on the inside walls of the airways, holding the airways open longer. Using PLB can also help you have more endurance to get through your daily activities. And doing PLB can help you feel more calm and in control of your breathing.
What happens in the lungs?
Carbon dioxide (CO2), the waste product of breathing, can build up because there is too much stale air trapped in your lungs. Having too much CO2 can throw off your acid/base balance and affect your whole body.
How does PLB help?
Exhaling for a longer period of time with correct PLB can help you get rid of more CO2.
Have you tried the pursed-lip breathing technique? Does it help?
For more information and a video on breathing techniques for COPD, click here: Breathing Techniques | COPD Foundation