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How to keep our lungs healthy?

Nepalkhabar

 |  Kathmandu

(Image for Representation)

The lungs are a pair of spongy, air-filled organs located on either side of the chest that supplies the body with oxygen, and removes carbon dioxide from the body. Being one of the vital organs of the human body, it has crucial functions for human health.  Lungs, just like your heart, joints, and other parts of your body, age over time. They can become less flexible and lose their strength, which can make it more difficult to breathe. Hence, we should adopt certain healthy habits to maintain the health of our lungs, and keep them working optimally even into our senior years.

Stop smoking
You probably already know that smoking increases your risk of lung cancer. But that’s not the only disease it can cause. In fact, smoking is linked to most lung diseases, including COPD, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and asthma. It also makes those diseases more severe. Smokers are 12 to 13 timesTrusted Source more likely to die from COPD than nonsmokers, for example.

Every time you smoke a cigarette, you inhale thousands of chemicals into your lungs, including nicotine, carbon monoxide, and tar. These toxins damage your lungs. They increase mucus, make it more difficult for your lungs to clean themselves, and irritate and inflame tissues. Gradually, your airways narrow, making it more difficult to breathe.

Smoking also causes lungs to age more rapidly. Eventually, the chemicals can change lung cells from normal to cancerous.

Exercise to breathe harder
Besides, avoiding cigarettes, getting regular exercise is probably the most important thing you can do for the health of your lungs. Just as exercise keeps your body in shape, it keeps your lungs in shape too.

When you exercise, your heart beats faster and your lungs work harder. Your body needs more oxygen to fuel your muscles. Your lungs step up their activity to deliver that oxygen while expelling additional carbon dioxide.

According to a recent articleTrusted Source, during exercise, your breathing increases from about 15 times a minute to about 40 to 60 times a minute. That’s why it’s important to regularly do aerobic exercise that gets you breathing hard.

This type of exercise provides the best workout for your lungs. The muscles between your ribs expand and contract, and the air sacs inside your lungs work quickly to exchange oxygen for carbon dioxide. The more you exercise, the more efficient your lungs become.

Avoid exposure to pollutants
Exposure to pollutants in the air can damage your lungs and accelerate aging. When they’re young and strong, your lungs can easily resist these toxins. As you get older, though, they lose some of that resistance and become more vulnerable to infections and disease. Avoid secondhand smoke, and try not to go outside during peak air pollution times. Avoid exercising near heavy traffic, as you can inhale the exhaust.

Prevent infections
Infections can be particularly dangerous for your lungs, especially as you age. Those who already have lung diseases like COPD are particularly at risk for infections. Even healthy seniors, though, can easily develop pneumonia if they’re not careful.

The best way to avoid lung infections is to keep your hands clean. Wash regularly with warm water and soap, and avoid touching your face as much as possible.

Drink plenty of water and eat lots of fruits and vegetables — they contain nutrients that help boost your immune system.

Stay up-to-date with your vaccinations. Get a flu shot each year, and if you’re 65 or older, get a pneumonia vaccination as well.

Breathe deeply
If you’re like many people, you take shallow breaths from your chest area, using only a small portion of your lungs. Deep breathing helps clear the lungs and creates a full oxygen exchange.

Health experts say that breathing exercises can make your lungs more efficient. To try it yourself, sit somewhere quietly, and slowly breathe in through your nose alone. Then breathe out at least twice as long through your mouth. It may help to count your breaths. For example, as you inhale count 1-2-3-4. Then as you exhale, count 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8.

Shallow breaths come from the chest, and deeper breaths come from the belly, where your diaphragm sits. Be aware of your belly rising and falling as you practice. When you do these exercises, you may also find you feel less stressed and more relaxed.

Takeaways
Try to incorporate these five habits into each day: Stop smoking, exercise regularly, reduce your exposure to pollutants, avoid infections, and breathe deeply. (With inputs from Agencies) 

 



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