Of course, breathing will make your life much easier! We won’t be around long if we can’t breathe. But if you have trouble breathing, there are steps you can take to breathe more easily.
Breathing exercises your lungs.
1. Practice using your lungs. When they are not so inflamed that you can barely breathe, try this: Long, slow, deep breathing. Most of us only use the upper, small, top portion of our lungs to breath. Breathe deeply, all the way into your belly. Let your whole chest and abdomen rise and fall.
You may find that breathing with your belly muscles makes it a little easier to breathe.
2. When you take a nice, slow deep breath, hold it. Count to 6 or 8 on the inhale; hold for a count of 6 or 8; and as you exhale, count again. Over time, see if you can hold your breath for a longer time.
Massage moves your lungs.
When a massage therapist (or partner) massages, presses and squeezes your ribs gently they are also massaging your lungs and all of the muscles that surround your lungs. This massage can take place on both the back and front sides of your chest. It does not involve breast tissue–it works around breast tissue.
Water dilutes thick fluids in your lungs.
When we don’t drink enough water or eat plenty of watery foods, our body fluids thicken. When they thicken in our lungs it makes it harder to breathe.
Tea relaxes your lungs.
There is a substance in tea called aminophylline. This is what I was given by injection when I was a teenager who could not breathe. The alternative doctor (MD) who wrote about tea suggested drinking two strong cups a day–one in the morning and one later in the afternoon. He said to make them strong by using three tea bags each time.
Note: Tea also has caffeine and caffeine is used in many asthma medications.
These steps may help you start breathing more easily. 🙂
