How to overcome the shortness of breath for patients?

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Dyspnea is the medical term for shortness of breath. Different techniques can prove helpful and effective in providing fast relief from difficulty in breathing. However, it is imperative to understand that severe shortness of breath will need medical attention immediately.

Most of the time shortness of breath does not require medical attention and can be easily managed at home with few techniques. These are:

Deep Breathing

This is one of the best and most effective techniques to follow when someone experiences shortness of breath. Breathing in deeply through the abdomen is a process to manage breathing difficulty. One must:

Slowly lie down and place their hands on the abdomen.
Try to calm your mind and start breathing in deeply, expanding the abdomen. Every time one repeats the process they must focus on their breaths and feel their lungs fill with air.
Hold the breath for a couple of seconds before completely breathing the air out through the mouth, emptying the lungs.

This breathing technique can be done several times per day or whenever one experiences shortness of breath.

Pursed Lips Breathing

With the help of pursed lips breathing, it is possible to manage shortness of breath. This technique provides fast relief and reduces uneven breathing by slowing the pace of a person’s breathing. This process is particularly helpful when someone experiences anxiety.

To try this method one must:

Sit upright in a chair. The body should feel relaxed.
Press the lips together, but do not tightly press them.
Inhale slowly through the nose and exhale through the pursed lip.
Continue this process as long as one needs to make them feel better.

The best part of this exercise is that people can try this at any time no matter where they are.

Comfortable and Supported Position

Whenever one goes through shortness of breath, one must try to find a comfortable position to sit or lie down. Feeling relaxed and at ease is important when a person finds it difficult to breathe. This remedy is absolutely helpful if shortness of breath is caused by anxiety or too much stress.

Some of the best positions to feel relaxed during shortness of breath are:

sitting in a chair, where you use a table to support the head
leaning against a wall, supporting the back
lying down with the head and knees supported by pillows

Relaxing the neck and shoulders as one breathes in and out helps to ease the discomfort from shortness of breath. When you rest your head on your arms on a desk while sitting, it reduces breathing difficulty and also calms the person.

Eating Fresh Ginger

Ginger drink is an effective home remedy for shortness of breath. Eating fresh ginger may prove helpful in reducing shortness of breath, especially if it is caused by a respiratory infection. When one has a congested nasal passage, ginger tea or a warm ginger drink may help relieve the nasal passage. This in turn may ease breathlessness.

Relax and Release

Letting the body relax is very important when one experiences shortness of breath. One can try listening to a relaxation app on the phone. Certain yoga techniques and meditation help one to release stress and depression which in turn make one feel relaxed and grounded. Whether it is breathing technique, yoga or certain lifestyle changes, it is important to keep yourself from stress or anything that can cause shortness of breath.

If needed one can consult with a doctor to understand the underlying medical condition (if any) that could be the cause for sudden breathlessness. Sometimes medicines can only treat such conditions. Albia Biocare, one of the leading PCD Pharma companies in India, has a range of products that are effective in the treatment of shortness of breath. To know more, check our list of products.