Tips on Living With Bronchitis

You can practice controlling the measures of your symptoms if you suffer from chronic bronchitis. Alterations in your lifestyle and continuing care will assist you in controlling the disease.

To ensure you breathe easily, taking care of yourself is crucial if you have chronic bronchitis. The below tips will assist you in doing that:

• Avoid smoking. Stop smoking if you are a smoker and keep away from others smokers near you.
• Practice breathing techniques. To assist in clearing your airways, your doctor may recommend some breathing exercises.
• Do regular checkups. You may ask your medical practitioner any queries you might have regarding your condition and treatment.
• Keep away from alcohol. Your sneezing and coughing reflexes can be reduced by alcohol, which can be risky if you want to open your airways. Since alcohol dehydrates you, the mucus in your lungs gets stickier and thicker.
• Drink plenty of water. Individuals with chronic bronchitis require more than the recommended 2 liters a day to dampen the airways and aid in coughing up mucus.
• Take a lot of rest.  Your energy levels may be lowered by chronic bronchitis. Anytime you feel like resting, do so and gradually incorporate activities if you feel like you are capable of doing them.
• Healthy eating is crucial. You should include lean protein, whole grains, fruits and vegetables in your diet. Check in with a medical practitioner before making any alterations in your diet.

Consult with your doctor whether supplemental oxygen will help you. Current portable oxygen solutions enable you to return to your normal daily activities and help in breathing effectively.

Changes In Your Lifestyle

You should consult your doctor for products and programs that can help you quit bad lifestyle habits like smoking and drinking.

You should also keep away from lung irritants like fumes, dust, vapors and air pollutants since this will help maintain your lungs in perfect condition.

To reduce the risk of a bacterial or viral infection, wash your hands regularly. You should also keep away from individuals with colds and the flu and visit your doctor as soon you observe any symptoms or signs of a cold or the flu.

Stay physically active and stick to a healthy diet. A healthy diet is the foundation of good health and happy living.

Ongoing Care

Ensure you visit your doctor often and take all your drugs as recommended by the doctor. Ask any queries that you might have to your doctor to become more aware of your condition. You should also arrange for an annual pneumonia and flu shot vaccine.

Pulmonary Rehabilitation (PR) may be beneficial if you suffer from chronic bronchitis. This is a wide program that assists in improving the health of chronic bronchitis patients who have complications in their breathing.

Consult with the doctor on a breathing technique known as pursed-lip breathing since individuals with chronic bronchitis tend to breathe fast. This technique minimizes your breathing rate and maintains the airways open for a prolonged time. This in turn enables more air to go in and out of your lungs making you more active physically.

During the pursed-lip breathing technique, you inhale through your nostrils. Then as if you are blowing out a candle, breathe out slowly through lips that are slightly pursed.