Normal people may not understand the difficulty of breathing that usually any asthma patient goes through.
Medical science has not been able to locate the exact reason for suffering from asthma. But then asthma makes the airways swollen and inflammatory and blocked with mucus.
Medications like inhaled corticosteroids and beta-agonists may provide relief for such patients. However such medications may not be effective for severe cases.
Recent medical evidence has proven that breathing exercises will improve respiration and upgrade asthma patients’ quality of life.
Let’s study the best exercises for asthma patients :
1. Diaphragmatic Breathing
In order to make your lungs work successfully and stimulate the respiration process, you will be inhaling through the nostrils and releasing the air through the mouth. That’s how diaphragm, cylindrical shaped muscles located between the chest and abdomen come into play. This breathing technique will never let you gasp for breathing in oxygen. It will also further minimize the use of medication if done correctly and daily.
How to Perform Diaphragmatic Breathing?
- Either you are seated in the chair or lie down with your back touching the floor or flat bend and knees bent. To increase the comfortability, you can use pillows under the knees.
- You can keep one hand on your stomach and another hand on the chest.
- Inhale through the nose slowly and release it through your closed lips.
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2. Nasal Breathing
Breathing through your nose is easy, natural and spontaneous. You would not be required to make much effort to inhale and exhale through the nasal passages. Make sure that breathe in deeply and expel through your nose slowly. This is how you can get control over your respiratory system under asthma conditions.
3. The Papworth Method
To fight causes of asthma which may be anything like dust, dirt or any airborne allergens that accumulate in the airways in the respiratory system, you can go ahead with the Papworth method. This method encourages smooth respiration through the nasal passages and relaxes your inner muscles connected to the lungs. Such muscles are the diaphragm, rib cage muscles and abdominal muscles. It will bring relief from overall stress and free you from panic moments of difficulty breathing. This breathing technique will strengthen your immune system and enhance longevity.
4. Buteyko Method
People often tend to breathe orally, especially during sleeping. But oral breathing not only harms the dental health and gums but also damages the respiratory system. The Buteyko breathing method was developed during the ’50s to help asthma sufferers gain inner strength to breathe through nasal passages by keeping the mouth or lips pursed. It would broaden the air passages, and stabilize the heart rate and blood pressure.
How Do You Do the Buteyko Breathing Method?
- While sitting on the chair and keeping your spine straight, you can continue breathing to relax your muscles.
- Allow yourself to breathe slowly and the moment you exhale, plug your nose with your index finger and thumb.
- Hold until you feel the urge to inhale.
- It would activate the movement of diaphragm muscles and help you breathe normally for 10 seconds.
This breathing technique may enable asthma patients to breathe easily and lessen their medication dependence.
5. Pursed Lip Breathing
You will be taking in the oxygen-rich air slowly and deeply through your nasal path while keeping your lips tight. In the next step, you must hold your lips in a rounded form to make it look like a pout. And that would necessarily help you to exhale slowly to the count of 4. You will be releasing the toxic air twice as that you will be inhaling through the nostrils. It may be one of the result-oriented exercises for asthma patients. If done regularly, it may reduce the number of medicines that asthma patients usually take.
6. Yoga Breathing
It is pranayama in other words which sets the flow of energy through the body and thereby revitalizes the internal organs . Performing any form of pranayama regularly will minimize asthma attacks, regulate the respiratory system and restore the functions of lungs. Breathing techniques and yoga movement will aid in expelling the mucus from the lungs. It heals the nerves connecting to the respiratory system, brain and other internal organs. Performing the following breathing techniques would increase the intake of oxygen, stimulate relaxation and enable in maintaining physical and mental wellnesses.
Bhramari Pranayama
- Sit cross-legged, spine straight and eyes closed.
- Place index fingers on ear cartilage.
- Deep breath in or inhale through the nose.
- Gently press ears and hum like a bee while exhaling.
- Continue this exercise for 5-10 minutes.
- Sit quietly, then open your eyes in relaxed mode.
Nadi Shodhana
- Sit Comfortably with your spine straight.
- Press the right nostril with the right thumb, and the ring finger for the left nostril.
- Inhale through the left nostril.
- Close left nostril and open right nostril and breathe out
- Inhale through the right nostril, switch, exhale left.
- Repeat for 5-10 minutes.
Kapalbhati
- Sit with your spine straight
- Next, inhale deeply through the nose.
- Push back your navel towards the spine to make it look that you are contracting your abdominal muscles to let yourself breathe out through the nose.
- Allow yourself to breathe in.
- Continue the rapid, forceful exhalations and passive inhalations for 1-5 minutes.
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Other Asthma Management Strategies
Asthma Management Strategies: By ayurveda, Asthma or Shwasa is caused by the continuous rise of Kapha and Vata doshas. To improve the quality of breathing and reduce the swelling in the air passages, you must rely on food rich in natural oils, Omega 3 fatty acids and Vitamin D. You will find such beneficial nutrients for controlling your asthma conditions in cold water fish, nuts, seeds and milk.
Further, avoid staying in polluted and smoky environments and settle in the places where you will get good-quality oxygen to overcome your asthma attacks and enhance your longevity.
Conclusion
It is mainly the asthma patients who understand the value of breathing. Asthma attacks make the lives of many miserable. Swollen air passages do make the asthma patient gasp for breathing. Medications can heal asthma attacks to a certain extent. There is no permanent solution. Certain breathing techniques including Yoga Asanas can enhance the level of oxygen and broaden the air passages.
Bachelor of Ayurveda Medicine and Surgery. general physician, nadi parikshan, online consultation. Dr Mansi is a renowned general physician who holds an experience of more than 5 years. She specializes in treating issues related to respiratory problems, colds, gastrointestinal issues, diabetes, asthma, and more. She aims to study the problem in-depth and treat it to the root, providing a holistic solution.