Managing COPD

If you have COPD, it won’t go away, but there are ways to manage it that can help you do much more than before. The lungs may have some permanent damage, but you can do a lot to let yourself do more (and the treatments can help).

Staying active

Regular exercise and being active can help you improve your symptoms and quality of life.

Exercising until you're a little breathless is not dangerous, but do not push yourself too far. Don’t avoid activities that make you breathless: you’ll get less fit and out of breath more easily.

Regular exercise can strengthen your muscles. It can also lower your risk of developing conditions like diabetes and osteoporosis (fragile bones). There are people who, before their diagnosis, can only walk a few hundred metres that can now walk for miles.

A great way to learn how to exercise at the right level for you is by joining a local pulmonary rehabilitation programme. You can ask your healthcare professional for a referral.

Take your medicine

Taking prescribed medicines, including inhalers, is important. They can help prevent severe flare-ups. Your healthcare professional can answer any questions, address concerns, or help with side effects.

Maintain a healthy weight

If you’re carrying extra weight, it’s a good idea to lose weight through a combination of regular exercise and a healthy diet. Extra weight can make breathlessness worse.

Some people with COPD find that they unintentionally lose weight. You may see a dietitian as part of your care, and they may recommend eating foods high in protein and ways to take in enough calories.

Vaccinations

As we age, we become more prone to infections, and this is even more likely with COPD. It can make you more vulnerable, which is why several immunisations are recommended to lower the risk of severe infections.

People are recommended to have the following vaccinations:

• Annual influenza (flu)
• One-off pneumococcal
• Covid

For many, Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RCV) is also recommended. These help reduce the risk of infection, or if you get the infection, it is less severe.

You can get these vaccinations via your GP or a local pharmacy that offers a vaccination service.

Your environment

Cold spells and periods of hot weather and humidity can cause breathing problems if you have COPD.

Keep an eye on the weather forecast. Make sure you have enough of your medicine to hand in case your symptoms get temporarily worse.

A sudden drop in temperature can put extra pressure on the lungs. This can increase the risk of infections several days later. To help reduce the risk:

• try to stay warm
• keep indoor temperature comfortable
• cover your mouth and nose with a scarf when outdoors.

To reduce COPD symptoms and the risk of a flare-up, try to avoid:

• dusty places
• fumes, such as car exhausts
• Smoky environments
• perfume

Regular reviews

You should have regular contact with your healthcare professional to monitor your COPD. In these appointments, discuss your symptoms, if normal activities are more difficult, and your medicine. This should include any side effects you are experiencing. There will also be important tests to track your health.

Consider writing down any questions you have. Your healthcare professional wants to help you. Remember, it’s a two-way conversation.

Of course, contact your healthcare professional if your symptoms get worse. Or if you have any new symptoms develop between check-ups.

People living with COPD are also at an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. This is because the strain on the heart and lungs can often overlap. It’s essential to monitor cardiovascular health as part of regular COPD reviews. This will usually have been done as part of your care, but ask the clinician who reviews you.

Early signs of cardiovascular issues can include symptoms that are easy to overlook. One of those is erectile dysfunction (ED). This may signal reduced blood flow in the smaller arteries to the penis. If you notice any new symptoms or changes, like ED, it’s worth mentioning them to your clinician.

Talk to others

Your healthcare professional will be able to answer questions about your condition.

You might also find it helpful to talk to a trained counsellor or someone on a specialist helpline. Your GP will have more information about what’s available.

There are Breathe Easy groups available across the country. These are groups of people living with chronic lung conditions who can provide peer support. A resource to find these groups is available at the end of this article.

Breathing techniques

There are various breathing techniques that some people with COPD find helpful. These are ways of helping us to breathe more easily and help when we feel breathless.

These include breathing control. This involves breathing gently using the least effort, with the shoulders supported. This can help when people with COPD feel short of breath.

For people who are more active, there are other techniques. Remember, athletes breathe in a specific way to optimise their performance. People with COPD can do the same thing.

These techniques include:

• relaxed, slow, deep breathing
• breathing through pursed lips, as if whistling
• breathing out hard when doing an activity that needs a big effort
• paced breathing, using a rhythm in time with the activity, such as climbing stairs
• If you have a chesty cough that produces a lot of phlegm, you may be taught a specific technique to help you clear your airways. This is called the active cycle breathing technique.