The lungs play a critical role in proper body function by allowing for the effortless exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide. It’s not until we have difficulty breathing that we notice, But the truth is, our lungs need just as much daily care and attention as our body does. Specific lung exercises can help it work more efficiently. This can reduce shortness of breath when a person’s lung capacity is limited.
Lung health can be affected for many reasons, including smoking, exposure to harmful chemicals, air pollution, aging, or infections like COVID-19 that can make the lungs work less efficiently. For patients with asthma, autoimmune diseases such as ankylosing spondylitis (AS) that can stiffen the chest wall, lung scarring disease, cystic fibrosis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, this means a daily battle.
A person with advanced lung disease might not even be able to try breathing exercises, which would help reduce consistent shortness of breath caused by damage to lung function. Breathing clean air helps deliver oxygen to nearly every cell in our body. Without enough oxygen, people are susceptible to chronic health problems, respiratory distress, and even heart disease. During everyday activity we use only part of our lung capacity. Regular aerobic activity mainly improves fitness and the efficiency of the heart and muscles, which can make breathing feel easier during exertion, while it changes measured lung capacity very little. Such activities offer many benefits for the heart, muscles and breathing. Exercise does not clear tar or pollutants from the lungs, so avoiding smoke and polluted air remains important. These recommended methods are part of our recommended functional healthcare program and offer seven ways that may help reduce shortness of breath in healthy people and patients with lung conditions. People with lung disease, or with new or worsening shortness of breath, should check with their doctor before starting. Learn about stem cell therapies.
Belly breathing & Diaphragmatic breathing
Belly breathing uses the diaphragm muscle, which separates the organs from the lungs. Diaphragmatic breathing works by fully engaging the abdominal muscles in the stomach and diaphragm in purposeful breathing. Each inward breath requires pulling the diaphragm down with conscious force. Belly breathing exercises help train our lungs to fill more efficiently. By lowering the diaphragm muscles as we breathe in, we get a much deeper inhale. This breathing technique is very popular with professional opera singers to help increase their lung capacity naturally.
Other types of easy breathing exercises include:
- Pursed-lips Breathing
- Numbered Breathing
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4-7-8 Breathing
- Alternate nostril breathing
- Equal breathing
- Lion’s breath exercises
- Sitali breathing technique
- Bhramari technique & Humming bee breath
- Coherent or Resonant breathing
- Rib Stretches
Cardiovascular Exercises and Aerobics
Cardiovascular health via exercises such as aerobics plays a vital role in building lung capacity by making our huge muscle groups all move at rhythmic speed. This full-body workout helps strengthen our lungs and heart which can help improve overall endurance. By training the lungs and heart, our body can use oxygen much more efficiently and enhance our breathing.
Some recommended cardiovascular workouts are:
- Indoor Cycling
- Biking Outdoors
- Sports like basketball or football
- Jogging
- Swimming
- Dancing
- Jump rope
Workout In Higher Elevations
There is less oxygen available in each breath at higher altitudes, which makes the lungs and heart work harder, although it does not increase lung capacity itself. Exercising at higher altitudes can be dangerous, and people with lung or heart disease should talk to their doctor before trying it; healthy people should start slowly and build up tolerance to the higher elevations gradually. It’s generally a good idea to give your body some time to acclimatize to the high altitudes properly. It might be good to go with a friend or qualified instructor, as unsupervised workouts in higher elevations can increase the risk of getting altitude sickness.
Get Enough Vitamin D
Vitamin D is known to influence all innate immune effectors and therefore can play a vital role in how our lungs recognize and respond to dangerous airborne pathogens.
A study released last year found that higher levels of vitamin D are associated with better overall lung function and can help protect some people against COPD flare-ups or inflammation, which will allow them to breathe more comfortably and boost your cells naturally. Getting your daily dose of Vitamin D from the sun is usually not an issue in the summer months or if you live in a tropical country like Thailand, but, depending on where you are, you might not get enough vitamin D from the sun alone. In such instances, it might be wise to invest in vitamin D supplements at least until the weather conditions are favorable. Natural Vitamin D and anti-inflammatory compounds are also found in many foods we eat, such as egg yolks, Shiitake mushrooms, fish, yogurt, and red meat.
Improve the air quality inside the home
For most big-city dwellers, air pollution is an unavoidable fact of life. Even short bouts with lousy air pollution can affect your lungs negatively. But thanks to modern 
technologies, we can take steps to better the air quality at home. This can be done using HEPA air filters to get rid of dust or add more house plants to keep the air fresh. On good days when air pollution levels are low, opening the windows is a great way to get good clean, fresh air.
Stay Hydrated – Drink Water
Drinking enough water is also critical for pulmonary health and the rest of our body functions. Staying hydrated helps keep the mucus lining the airways thin, which makes it easier to clear. If you do not like buying water bottles every day, consider investing in a good reusable water bottle that can be filled and transported with you to work or while running errands.
Long Term Benefits of UC-MSC+ Lung Stem Cells
Stop Smoking
While obvious, this fact really cannot be stressed enough. Smoking cigarettes or vape pens are one of the worst things you can do to your lungs and can cause countless other issues like CHF, heart disease, neuropathy, lung cancer, and ED. The good news is that our lungs can regenerate themselves naturally. The first month after quitting is usually the most difficult, but your lung function will improve. This gradual improvement will help increase blood circulation. Over the first several months to a year after quitting smoking, the cilia in the lungs start to recover, and unhealthy symptoms like shortness of breath or dry coughing usually become less frequent.
The ability to breathe is typically essential to our health and well-being. Utilize the techniques listed above to help improve lung capacity naturally. Try some of these techniques regularly, and talk to your doctor if shortness of breath persists or gets worse. The Regeneration Center believes that enhancing your lung capacity has many benefits, so fatigue will not keep striking you down quickly while playing with your kids or exercising.
