Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, or OCPD, is debilitating and affects both a person’s lifestyle and even how they do their occupation. Not only smokers get this disease but non-smokers too. This condition can damage the brain and the body because of the lack of oxygen intake also, not just the lungs. But if you have OCPD and you learn how to cope with it, you can regain your quality of life. Below are some suggestions on how to deal with OCPD and improve your life then:
- If you smoke, stop: To keep COPD from becoming worse, quit smoking. Smokers have heard this before, but when COPD becomes worse, it affects your breathing ability.
- More exercise: It’s difficult to exercise when you feel as if you can’t breathe, plus if you’re a senior, you may have stopped exercising But if you start to exercise, especially if you do aerobics, it can help to reduce your symptoms severity, strengthen your heart and improve your circulation.
- Eating correctly: Eating right will help you to reduce your weight if a weight issue is one of your problems. This puts less stress on your cardiovascular system. Plus, it gives you more nutrients, and people with COPD need these nutrients to rebuild their bodies. When you have OCPD also, it requires more energy to breathe than it does for a person who doesn’t have So you need the energy that you gain from a good diet. In addition, improving your diet has other health benefits for you.
- Being social: Since coping with COPD takes a toll on you mentally as well as physically, being social helps you handle it better. Because if you have COPD, you may become depressed because of the limits COPD forces upon you. This can make you more inactive which, in turn, can cause your symptoms to become worse. So, if you socialize, it makes it easier for you to deal with your disease because socializing helps you improve your mental outlook. Plus, if you meet with other people with OCPD in support groups, you can share your experiences and gain information on how other people are coping and what methods that they’re using to improve their lives.
- Your breathing exercise is important: Since breathing is the main issue with OCPD, there are techniques which can help you with this. There are several breathing techniques provided by the COPD Foundation which can help with pursed-lip breathing and diaphragmatic breathing. These methods will help you use less energy and take in more air when breathing.
- Pulmonary rehab: Pulmonary rehab is beneficial for people with COPD. These programs, according to the American Thoracic Society, give education on how to improve your life when you have a lung condition. There are programs that educate about the disease and give explanations on how to do more with less shortness of breath. There are also exercise classes for your lungs.
When you have OCPD, giving up isn’t the right option. You can improve your quality of life and breathing ability if you work at it.
Question: If you have OCPD, what are you doing to improve breathing ability?
References:
http://www.caringconnectionmd.com/blog/copd/
http://blog.rehabselect.net/lung-disease-and-seniors-4-tips-for-coping-with-copd