Except for those who have asthma, most people take their ability to breathe for granted. It might be challenging to breathe when you have asthma since it causes your lungs’ airways to become narrower.
To help asthma patients breathe, you can take medications such as beta-agonists and corticosteroids. However, these medications might not be sufficient for some persons with severe asthma to control their symptoms. Try breathing exercises if you want relief from your asthma symptoms, along with your medicine routine.
According to the available research, breathing exercises may be useful as an adjunct therapy to medicine and other established asthma treatments.
Here are some breathing exercises to help asthma patients:
Diaphragmatic breathing
The muscle underneath your lungs that aids in breathing are called the diaphragm. The focus of diaphragmatic breathing is on learning to breathe from the diaphragm rather than the chest, which so many individuals have a tendency to do.
This asthma breathing technique can assist in slowing down your breathing as well as strengthening your diaphragm. Since weak muscles make you require more oxygen, this exercise can also help lower your body’s oxygen requirements.
In order to practice diaphragmatic breathing, lay one hand on your upper chest and the other on your stomach. Observe how your stomach fills with air when you inhale through your nose.
If your body is ideal, the hand on your stomach will rise while the hand on your chest will remain motionless. Keep your neck and shoulders relaxed and exhale through your mouth for at least two to three times longer than you inhaled.
Pursed lip breathing
Shortness of breath can be managed using the pursed-lip breathing technique. It helps you slow down breathing so that each breath you take is more powerful. In order to get oxygen into the lungs and carbon dioxide out, this technique aids in keeping the airways open for a longer period of time. Shortness of breath can be relieved, and the breathing rate is slowed down as a result.
When you’re not experiencing any breathing difficulty, try pursed lip breathing. Close your mouth and take a few slow, deep breaths. Pursed lip breathing relieves asthma symptoms and makes you calm.
With your lips pursed, exhale for at least twice as long as you just inhaled, as though you were about to whistle or blow a bubble. While doing this exercise, counting while you exhale might be beneficial.
Yoga breathing for asthma
Yoga is the basis of yoga breathing and yoga asana for asthma. Yoga is a form of exercise that emphasizes the need to breathe deliberately and slowly while moving, stretching, and balancing.
Some studies have demonstrated favorable outcomes and a reduction in asthma symptoms after practicing yoga breathing techniques. Since stress can be an asthma trigger, it may be beneficial to practice yoga breathing techniques and asanas. Yoga is a useful technique for relieving breathing difficulties and anxiety.
Final thoughts
These exercises teach individuals how to breathe so that their bodies can maintain the ideal balance of oxygen and CO2. You learn how to breathe more gently and slowly through your nose as opposed to your mouth. Knowing asthma causes and breathing exercises helps in relaxing yourself and your airways that are susceptible to asthma.
