5 Tips for Healthy Lungs

What do Lungs do?

Lungs are organs in the human body that move oxygen through the bloodstream. They circulate fresh air and then get rid of waste gasses. The entire process makes up the function of breathing.

Why are Lungs Important?

Lungs are as crucial as the heart to keep the human body alive. Lungs are physically connected to the heart, perform similar processes as the heart, and cannot function without the heart. The lungs and heart form a partnership required to sustain life.

What are Some Tips for Maintaining Healthy Lungs?

1. Exercise

Physical activity holds an integral part in keeping the lungs strong. Like arm or leg muscles get stronger with exercise, lungs can, too. When the lungs are strong, they more easily reject illness and infection by creating a healthy layer of mucus that prevents the attachment of bacteria and then firmly exhaling those germs. Activities such as walking and strength training help the lungs get stronger.

In addition to moving the entire body for lung health, exercising the lungs themselves can be beneficial. Exercises such as coughing and deep breathing exercises help the lungs by increasing the amount of oxygen they bring in and waste gasses they move out.

2. Avoid toxins

Focusing on healthy habits and keeping a clean living environment are essential to keep your lungs in tip-top shape. These habits include not smoking, maintaining a dust-free home, testing for harmful gasses and making sure to breathe clean air outside as much as possible.

Smoking

Smoking contributes to several lung diseases, some fatal. Not only does smoking harm the smoker, but it can hurt those around them as well. Lungs clean and repair themselves and begin to do so after smoking your last cigarette. Although long-term damage might already have occurred from years of smoking, lungs begin to recover immediately from smoking. People can work to prevent diseases such as COPD and cancer by avoiding smoking or quitting.

At Home

In addition, keeping dust and allergens to a minimum in the home prevents lung irritation and related side effects, such as coughing and shortness of breath. Circulating the air in your house with an air purifier, ensuring your air conditioner or furnace has an air filter on it and keeping the humidity of your home below 35 percent are all great ways to rid your home of pollutants that irritate the lungs. Dusting, vacuuming, and mopping once weekly removes dust and mites to keep the air cleaner. For those who prefer an air freshener in their home, sticking to a non-toxic, natural freshener is a safe alternative. Keep in mind that burning candles in the house, even “natural” ones, creates a lot of particulates that are not good for the lungs. A better choice would be melting scented wax that doesn’t require fire or flames. It is unclear whether essential oils are safe to burn or diffuse in the home.

Toxic Gases

Testing for radon, an odorless gas, and carbon monoxide in living environments could be life-saving. Radon closely follows cigarette smoking as one of the leading causes of lung cancer. Using a simple test kit doesn’t take very long, and if levels are high, there are contractors and resources in place to help take steps to fix your home. Carbon monoxide detectors can be installed just like fire alarms and will loudly alert you to danger when this tasteless, odorless gas is present.

3. See a Doctor for Routine Annual Exams

Health care providers perform exams that include physical assessments and tests that detect illness or disease often before symptoms are present. Seeing a provider for a yearly physical exam, especially before symptoms arise, allows for early detection and treatment.

4. Avoid Illness

Practice good personal hygiene, avoid crowded environments and get vaccinated as recommended to help prevent sickness.

Moreover, use proper handwashing techniques and keep your home disinfected during cold and flu season or any time there is an uptick in contagious illnesses to help keep you from getting sick.

Infection prevention is vital to maintain healthy lungs. Stay away from crowds to decrease the chance that you will be exposed to germs or pass your germs to others.

Vaccinations are an additional method of preventing illness, thus promoting lung and overall wellness. A vaccine is a weakened version of a virus or bacteria that causes illness. When the body is vaccinated, it is tricked into thinking it needs to respond and fight the germ. By fighting, our immunity becomes stronger, which means it’s less likely to become sick from that illness in the future.

5. Find or Maintain a Healthy Body Weight

Obesity is taxing on the human body. Additional weight and body fat that can accumulate on organs and body structures contribute to weakness and loss of muscle, which makes it difficult to be active. Excess body weight can lead to uncomfortable respiratory symptoms and illness. Several things can happen to the lungs when the human body holds too much weight. The airways our bodies have for moving oxygen can become compressed or even partially closed, making breathing difficult. Additional fat around the abdomen squeezes the lungs and doesn’t allow as much oxygen to fill them. Working with your health care provider to manage your weight can reduce the frequency of lung and other illnesses, improve your ability to breathe, and increase your lung capacity.

By adopting a healthy lifestyle starting with these tips, your lungs have the best chance of sustaining your body and contributing to a longer, healthier life.