Lung capacity refers to the amount of air the lungs are capable of holding. By the time we reach our mid-20s, our lung capacity starts decreasing. Hence, we must learn how to increase lung capacity.
Various health conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are responsible for reducing lung capacity. Therefore, if you are prone to any such condition, you need to look out for ways of how to improve lung function naturally.
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How to improve lung function naturally?
While you may want to use various medicines for how to improve lung function, the best option is to exercise. Natural ways and homemade remedies can be more effective than medicines.
Difficulty in breathing can be one great obstruction. Moreover, it is also a sign that something is wrong with your lungs. Lately, if you are suffering from shortness of breath, you will need to learn how to increase lung capacity. Consulting healthcare professionals is one great way to fix the problem. Therefore, you should consider seeing your doctor.
The doctor may recommend some natural exercises. These exercises can play an essential role in improving lung capacity. These are responsible for keeping the lungs healthy. Furthermore, healthy lungs are responsible for distributing healthy oxygen throughout the body.
Various factors like smoking, pollution, age, and others affect the capacity of your lungs. If you have asthma, it will have a graver impact. If the lung capacity keeps changing, it will be difficult for individuals. Furthermore, it will also lead to limited lung functioning.
How to increase lung capacity with exercises?
If you want to know how to increase lung capacity with exercises, you will need to follow the basics. However, the exercises can play an important role in building capacity. Moreover, your food choices also affect your breathing capacity.
Some of the common exercises to follow to learn how to increase lung capacity include the following.
Pursed Lip Breathing
One of the best benefits of pursed-lip breathing is that it allows the airways to be open. When the airways remain open for a long time, the airflow eventually improves.
As soon as you start obtaining the age of mid-20s, it would help if you started practicing pursed-lip breathing. Moreover, when you are practicing pursed-lip breathing, you will also need to focus on time. Therefore, it is always advisable to focus on inhalation and exhalation.
Many people refrain from practicing pursed-lip breathing. However, this is one of the keys for how to increase lung capacity.
Diaphragmatic breathing
Diaphragmatic breathing is also known as belly breathing. It is known so because it involves the usage of the diaphragm for breathing.
Diaphragmatic breathing is beneficial for individuals suffering from COPD. However, the best time to practice this breathing technique is when you’re resting. It is advisable to relax and rest regularly to get the benefits. You may want to breathe for regular intervals at fixed times to get the benefits.
Rib Stretch
This may sound a little weird, but it is definitely one of the best ways to enhance the breathing process. As the name suggests, in the rib stretch process, you will need to stretch your ribs. Furthermore, you can proceed forward with each breath.
While you may want to sit and practice rib stretching, you should avoid doing so. The best way is to stand straight and inhale. You need to hold your breath for at least 20 minutes or until you are uncomfortable.
When exhaling, you need to be extremely slow with the entire technique. Once you finish the first flow, you will need to repeat the process.
Laughing and Singing
This is one of the best exercises for improving your lung capacity. Laughing and singing is one of the many few exercises that involve the use of abdominal muscles.
Apart from increasing your lung capacity, laughing helps to remove bad air from the lungs. This helps to open the pathway for the entrance of fresh air. Singing also helps to increase the capacity of the diaphragm. This further plays a vital role in improving lung capacity.
Yawn to smile
Isn’t this funny? But it is pretty effective too. Yawning to smile helps to bestow strength to the diaphragm. This helps to expand the diaphragm and also makes the chest muscles strong.
It is crucial to maintain the position to breathe effectively. Furthermore, you will need to take care of the time period. It is advisable to keep a check on how you’re breathing.
Be active
Being active is extremely crucial. It is advisable to get out of your comfort zone. It would help if you increased the activity level. Thus, make sure to exercise regularly and practice bike riding or brisk walking.
Experts recommend laughing and moving ahead of your comfort zone. As a result, your heart health and mood improve. In addition, you need to practice breathing exercises 30 minutes a day. This helps to improve respiratory conditions such as COPD and asthma.
If you exhale large volumes of air, it helps to increase lung breathing.
Humming
Apart from singing, humming is also one of the best ways to improve the function of abdominal muscles. In addition, you can practice humming throughout the day. This helps to remove unwanted, stale hair. Furthermore, it also paves the way for the entrance of fresh air.
Apart from improving lung capacity, humming also helps to reduce stress. As a result, patients suffering from respiratory conditions can benefit from humming. It is advisable to be in a comfortable position to get the benefits.
How to preserve lung health?
If the lung is already damaged, exercises cannot help to reverse it. However, exercises can help to improve lung capacity to its fullest.
Some of the common lifestyle changes that can help to preserve lung health include the following:
- Eat healthy food
- Drink healthy
- Exercise regularly
Final Thoughts
Now that you know how to increase lung capacity, you need to start practicing basic exercises. In addition, it is advisable to focus on improving your overall health.
If you suffer from extensive health conditions, you will need to consult experts regularly. Furthermore, it is necessary to ensure healthy outcomes. Therefore, you may want to visit your doctor to find the best alternatives.
